---
title: "St. John Neumann: Feast Day January 5 · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-neumann/
description: "St. John Neumann, Bishop, patron of Catholic education. Feast day January 5, died 1860. Read their life in Bless."
---

Bishop · Feast day January 5

# St. John Neumann

The feast day of St. John Neumann is January 5, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of Catholic education.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Feast day | [January 5](https://blessbible.app/saints/january/#5) |
| In the US calendar | Memorial |
| Title | Bishop |
| Died | 1860 |
| Patron of | [Catholic education](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#catholic-education) |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Tuesday, January 5, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-neumann/#calendar) |

## Life

A shoemaker’s son from Bohemia who came to New York with one suit and little else, was ordained, and worked the frontier parishes around Niagara before joining the Redemptorists. Made bishop of Philadelphia against his protests, he answered with work.

In eight years he built eighty churches and organized the first diocesan school system in America, its classrooms multiplying twentyfold. He spoke eight languages, wore the same old coat, and died on a street corner errand at forty-eight.

## Patron of

Tradition invokes St. John Neumann as patron of Catholic education.

[Catholic education](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#catholic-education)

Patronages are traditional, not an official list. [All patron saints in Bless, A to Z](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/).

## In the calendar

The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. John Neumann. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.

| Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Tuesday, January 5, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/01/05/) | St. John Neumann, Bishop (Memorial) | White | 1 John 4:7-10 · Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8 · Luke 4:18 · Mark 6:34-44 |
| [Wednesday, January 5, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/01/05/) | St. John Neumann, Bishop (Memorial) | White | 1 John 4:11-18 · Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13 · 1 Timothy 3:16 · Mark 6:45-52 |

Readings

Reading citations through May 31, 2027 are as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar. Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

[January 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-elizabeth-ann-seton/) [January 6 St. André Bessette](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-andre-bessette/)

[All the saints of January](https://blessbible.app/saints/january/) [Born on January 5?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#01-05) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/)

Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here.

St. John Neumann

Feast day January 5

On this page

1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-neumann/#life)
2. [Patron of](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-neumann/#patron)
3. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-neumann/#calendar)

In the app

Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.