Why pilgrims come
Discover what makes National Shrine of St. John Neumann a place of pilgrimage
St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia holds the National Shrine and bodily remains of St. John Neumann, the city’s fourth bishop and the first male United States citizen canonized a saint. Pilgrims have prayed at his burial place since 1860; today the lower church interprets his pastoral legacy through his tomb, museum, liturgy, and Redemptorist ministry.
Enter St. Peter the Apostle Church, then descend to the lower shrine where St. John Neumann’s remains are venerated beneath the altar. The museum and church place his immigrant ministry, Catholic-school leadership, Eucharistic devotion, and Redemptorist vocation within the neighborhoods he served.
The sacred connection
People and objects remembered here
These relationships are part of the destination record, with feast days and catalog qualifications shown where available.
Tomb
Feast: January 5Tomb and bodily remains · Ecclesiastically documented
Check shrine Mass, confession, and tour schedules.What to notice
Look closely at the place and its story
Tomb and bodily remains
Pray at the altar above the saint’s remains, the center of a pilgrimage tradition that began soon after his burial.
Shrine museum
Learn how a Bohemian immigrant priest became Philadelphia’s fourth bishop and helped organize Catholic education in the United States.
A living Redemptorist shrine
Join the Eucharistic and penitential life that continues the pastoral priorities associated with Neumann.
A saint in the city he served
Place the shrine within Philadelphia’s immigrant Catholic history rather than separating the saint from his people and parishes.
Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations
How to read this page
Sources, tradition, and what is verified
The destination record was last checked on 9/15/2026.
This page records the site’s tradition as “Catholic.” That wording describes the nature of the claim and keeps devotional tradition distinct from independently verified history.
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