Catholic Fire

March 16 is the feast day of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer (1751-1820), a hermit and a priest of the Redemptorist congregation, who is considered a co-founder of the congregation and called the “Apostle of Vienna.” John, the name he was given at Baptism, was born in 1751, to a poor family in Moravia [now known as the Czech Republic], the ninth of twelve children. Although he desired to be a priest, the family did not have the money for him to attend the seminary, so he became an apprentice in a bakery at the age of 16.  At 19, he went to work in the bakery of a monastery. At that time, the effects of war and famine were sending many homeless and hungry people to the monastery for help. John worked diligently to feed the poor who came to his door. While this was still not the priesthood that he desired so badly, it was an opportunity to serve God's people who were in great need. John lived the life of a hermit, but when Emperor Joseph II eliminated hermitages, he went to Vienna...

Today is the memorial of St. John Neumann, Bishop (USA). St. John Neumann was born in 1811 in Bohemia to Philip Neumann, who was German and owned a stocking factory, and Agnes Neumann who was Czech. John was a small and quiet boy with four sisters and a brother, and was named after Saint John Nepomucene . An excellent student, John early felt drawn to religious life. As a seminarian at Budweis, Bohemia, he studied astronomy and botany in addition to theology. He futhered his studies in theology at Charles Ferdinand University at Prague in 1833. John Neumann's ordination was delayed by the Austrian government so he began work with the North American mission in New York in 1836. He was ordained as a diocesan priest in June of 1836 by Bishop John Dubois at old St. Patrick's Cathedral on Mott Street, New York City. The following week, he was pastor of the whole Niagara Frontier, some hundred square miles of swampy primeval forest. Many German immigrants had settled this sec...

John Nepomucene Neumann was born in 1811 in Bohemia (Now known as the Czech Republic) to Philip and Agnes Neumann. An excellent student, John early felt drawn to religious life. As a seminarian at Budweis, Bohemia, he studied astronomy and botany, in addition to theology. He studied theology at Charles Ferdinand University at Prague in 1833. When his ordination date arrived, the Bishop was ill and the date was never rescheduled, as Bohemia had an over-abundance of priests at that time. John decided to go to the United States to seek ordination there. He walked most of the way to France, and then took a ship to the United States. He arrived in New York in 1836, and Bishop John Dubois was elated to see him as there were only 36 priests for the 200,000 Catholics in New York and New Jersey. He was ordained on June 28, 1836 by Bishop Dubois at the old St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The following week, John was sent to minister to the German speaking immigrants who were cleari...