Saint John Neumann Biography

Saint John Neumann – He was a devotee of St. Philomena from Philadelphia and in 1846 completed the St. Philomena Church in Pittsburg. He was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852 and was the first to organize a diocesan Catholic school system. 

According to the Diocese of Pittsburgh Archives, St. Philomena, once located in Pittsburgh's Strip District, was founded in 1839 which was the first German parish in the diocese. St. John Neumann and Blessed Francis Seelos are among the priests that served at St. Philomena. The cornerstone of the church was laid on May 26, 1842 and the completed church was dedicated on October 4, 1846. St. John Neumann attended the laying of the cornerstone on that date. The Pennsylvania Railroad purchased this church on April 15, 1922. The last Mass was held in St. Philomena in the Strip District on November 16, 1925.

St. Philomena was relocated to Pittsburgh in the Squirrel Hill section. Due to the population loss, the church closed after serving the community for 70 years. St. Philomena closed in 1993 and the church was sold shortly afterwards.