Saint John Neumann

Saint John Neumann: Feast Day Jan. 5th

Saint John Neumann, the first American Bishop to be canonized and Patron Saint of Catholic Education, has a special place in my heart. My late grandfather’s name was John Neumann, and when my brother was confirmed, he selected our grandfather to be his sponsor and chose Saint John Neumann as his patron. I like to reflect on the reality that as our grandfather, John Neumann, stood beside him as his sponsor, Saint John Neumann prayed in Heaven for my brother at his Confirmation. Aside from this neat family name connection with a Saint, as a former teacher I also find Saint John Neumann to be inspiring, since he helped increase the number of Catholic schools while he was Bishop of Philadelphia and brought numerous religious sisters into the schools to teach. Faith instruction of children and young people was definitely important to Saint John Neumann. If you are interested in reading more about Saint John Neumann, check out this article from Franciscan Media.

Celebrating Through Food:

Since Saint John Neumann immigrated to the United States from what is present day the Czech Republic, I made Bohemian inspired “Golden Caraway Puffs” from Taste of Home. Unfortunately, Taste of Home no longer has the link to the recipe, but they have a plethora of other Bohemian Inspired recipes if you’d like to make a meal or dessert instead. I didn’t have caraway seed, so I substituted it for coriander seed since that’s what I had. They turned out delicious! They puffed up nicely and were great served with a slice of cheese in the middle.

My family ate our “puff sandwiches” for lunch and served them with hot tea. I also folded our napkins in the shape of a Bishop’s Miter. Below is a video I made that shows you how to fold your napkins.

Celebrating With a Craft:

Since Saint John Neumann was a Bishop, celebrate him today by making paper Bishop hats. The website, “Catholic Missionary Family,” has great step-by-step instructions for folding and making paper Bishop miters.

Celebrating Through Prayer:

I hope you and your family have a wonderful day celebrating Saint John Neumann! The National Shrine of Saint John Neumann has wonderful prayers written by him as well as prayers for his intercession. I hope you check them out. Saint John Neumann, patron of Catholic Education, pray for us!

Comments

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner:

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner: Four months after moving into our new house, my husband and I decided to invite our parish priest over for dinner and to bless our new home. We still had piles of unpacked boxes, our toddlers were bouncing off the walls with excitement, and my husband and I were a little nervous. Was our home clean enough? Would we be able to engage in good conversations with our guest? When the doorbell rang, our children raced to the door, and began bouncing around, welcoming Father inside. During dinner, we found that the conversations flowed easily. We shared stories about where we grew up, our families, and various other details as we got to know one another outside of church. We laughed as our daughter spilled the beans that my husband and I were expecting our third child, and when we shared our due date, our priest began enthusiastically sharing all sorts of common, as well as some crazy sounding, saint names for days on and near our due date. Afte...

Saint Hildegard von Bingen

Saint Hildegard von Bingen: Feast Day Sept. 17th Not only is Saint Hildegard a Doctor of the Church, but during her life she was a writer, scientist, and conveyor of the "spiritual importance of femininity" (Catholic News Agency). During her life, she was not only a confident leader, but she also served as a beautiful witness of humility, allowing others to observe that confidence, leadership, and humility can all exist and work together. This article , from the Catholic News Agency, contains not only biographical information on Saint Hildegard, but also a wonderful discussion of how modern women can relate and connect with this smart and accomplished female saint who supported the truths of the Church. Since Saint Hildegard is from Germany, and the majority of my family's ancestry derives from Germany, we decided to make "Nussecken" —dessert mini-nut bars—to celebrate today. The modifications that we changed to this recipe, were using raspberry jam instead of...

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Feast Day July 14th “I am not my own: I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love.” Saint Kateri Tekakwitha When I was a child, my siblings and our neighborhood friends would often dress up like Native Americans and play outside. We would explore the cedar tree- filled vacant lot, with its babbling creek, next door to our house, and would roam our two acre yard, building bed-sheet tents hanging from our front trees, and basking in the wonders of summertime. When I reflect back on these fond and treasured childhood memories, I think about how often I feel connected to God when I’m outside experiencing the beauty of His creation. When I gaze at the beauty that fills the sky with the rising and setting sun, feel a breeze upon my skin, or watch a thunderstorm roll in as I sit on my front porch, I feel a sense of delight, wonder, and peace. Nature has a special way of connecting the soul with its creator. Today, as we celebrate Saint Kateri Teka...

Just a Catholic Mom

Search This Blog