Monday, January 5, 2015

January 5: Saint John Neumann

History

Born in Bohemia in 1811, John Neumann studied to be a priest, but just before his ordination in 1835, the bishop decided there were too many priests. John knew many different languages, so he wrote to other bishops in Europe to see if they needed him, but they all had plenty of priests. John had to go work in a factory instead of doing what he knew God was calling him to do. Some of his co-workers taught him English so that John could write to American bishops. And so he was able to sail across the ocean and be ordained in western New York. He had many Catholics to care for all over the western part of the state. Eventually, he was appointed bishop of Philadelphia.

Activity

John had a lot of perseverance. Even when it looked like he would never be able to accomplish what God wanted him to do, he kept trying. Today, make a resolution to set aside time every day to work toward what you believe God is calling you to do. That might mean taking time to study, do some research, or to go out and serve the poor or something like that. 

Saint John Neumann, pray for us!

More reading for parents:

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