Saint John Neumann, 1811–1860

Saint John Neumann knew his vocation was to become a priest. However, he couldn't be ordained in his native country of the Czech Republic. So he came to the United States. Soon after his arrival, he was ordained a priest. He was sent to serve European immigrants, mostly Germans, in New York. Feeling a deeper call, he joined the Redemptorist Order and established many schools. Later, Saint John was named bishop of Philadelphia. He encouraged religious orders to settle in the area. He also built a number of new parishes and began building a cathedral.

Discuss: How do you respond to God's call to serve others?

Activity
The Call
Intrapersonal

Have the child work on a soul search. Have them list the things that God may be calling them to do.

• Have them make a list.
• Have them number the strength of the call they feel from God for each.
• If there are tied possibilities, they can use the same number.
• Have them write a quick commitment about how they will pray and ask for direction.
• Remind them that finding their purpose and call will help them know which steps to take to prepare for their future.