St John Neumann celebrations begin in Prachatice

The celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St John Neumann, a Czech born missionary to the United States and the fourth bishop of Philadelphia, began on Sunday in southern Bohemia, with a mass and a concert in his home town of Prachatice. The celebrations will also be held in Germany, where his father came from, and in the United States, where he died aged 48. John Neumann was the first and so far the only US male citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Celebrations of his 200th birthday will go on until June when a national pilgrimage and a conference will be held.