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Imagined in the first person and accompanied by excerpts from letters written by Saint John Neumann, the story of a poor immigrant reaches worlds beyond his Bohemian birthplace. From an early age he knew that missionary work in North America was his calling.
In less than 20 years as a Redemptorist priest in the new, young country he served the North American Province, was ordained Bishop of Philadelphia, and laid the foundation for the Catholic school system in the United States. All across the northeastern U.S., Bishop Neumann oversaw the establishment of churches, parishes, and schools as the population expanded rapidly. The first Sisters of St. Francis professed their vows before the bishop to begin their medical and educational ministries that still serve the needs of others.
“The merits of an active man are measured not so much in the number of deeds performed, as in their thoroughness and stability.” – Pope Benedict XV
Fr. Richard Boever, CSsR, has been in the Catholic ministry since 1974. During that time he has served as a parish priest and pastor in St. Louis and Chicago, taught theology at Newman University and Saint Louis University, served as a university chaplain, and he has been director of Redemptorist formation for the pre novitiate program. He also held various positions at Liguori Publications, including president and publisher and he was retreat director at Oconomowoc, Wisconsin In addition to writing this book on Saint John Neumann, he also served as a research expert at the Neumann Shrine in Philadelphia. Currently, he is functioning as Executive Director at the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos in New Orleans.
