Today is the memorial of St John Nepomucene Neumann, Philadelphia’s fourth bishop and our country’s first male saint.

In celebration of his memorial, I wrote a post about our shrine here in Philadelphia, the National Shrine of St John Nepomucene Neumann, one of Philadelphia’s five shrines, and one of my favorites (they’re on Facebook, too!).

Here’s a tidbit:

The Life of St John Nepomucene Neumann

St. John Nepomucene Neumann is one of those saints who must have never slept. His list of accomplishments, just here in the city of Philadelphia, are mind-boggling and are sure to make you feel like you’re wasting your time just reading this post. (haha!) You’re not.

John was born in Prachatitz, Bohemia in 1811 and was named after the national saint of the Czech Republic (then Bohemia), St John Nepomucene (or Jan Nepomucký in the native tongue). When he was 20 years old, he joined the seminary and began to dream of America, where he wanted to be a missionary.

In New York City, he was ordained a priest on June 25, 1836, at St Patrick’s Cathedral, today called the Basilica of Old St Patrick’s Cathedral. He celebrated his first Mass at the German parish of St Nicholas, then travelled to the Niagara Falls area, where he ministered to the largely German-speaking immigrants.

Read the rest over at Spiritual Direction.

And watch our episode on the National Shrine of St John Neumann here: