No, this is not St. John Neumann. However, it is the closest link I could ever have with the saint we honor today. The man pictured here is the late Msgr. James McGrath. No priest has had the impact in my life as did this genuine priest. For almost thirty years Jim served as the Officialis of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The Officialis is the person in charge of the Marriage Tribunal. One of the strange arrangements of responsibilities in our Church is that the Officialis has much to do with the processes that lead to a canonization. There's the connection. For years, at the direct request of his Ordinary, Cardinal John Krol, Msgr. McGrath pursued every imaginable path that would lead to the canonization of John Neumann.
This feast day always reminds me of the many stories Msgr. McGrath shared with me about the investigations, the study of possible miracles and meeting some of the key players in the process.
One interesting fact is that Bishop Neumann changed the spelling of his name when he settled in Pennsylvania. He even had the name redone in the marble wall of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. "Newman" is what he wanted his name to read.
Msgr. McGrath, not tiring from his role in "saint-making," did much before his retirement in gathering information that helped in the canonization of Katherine Drexel.
In addition to this particular kind of work -- researching and examining proposed miracles -- the grand Monsignor was recognized as a genuine creative mind in Canon Law. He was particularly gifted in assisting couples with marriage situations that needed expert direction.
Words from St. John's 1st letter resound the life of Newman: "The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." This is in fact what Newman did. Laboring tirelessly for the Catholics in Philadelphia, he was often on the streets going to visit the sick and to help the poor. He actually died on the front step of a building while on a sick call. His heart gave way. Newman organized the parochial school system and initiated Eucharistic Adoration and Benedictions in our county. The remains of the "little Bishop," as he was often called because of his no much more than 5 feet in physical height. This missionary to the USA is surely a marvelous model for us to realize that all of us have a special vocation: to give ourselves as best we can to be a missionary ... most especially in our homes, our families, our communities ... to bring the Word of God to those who truly seek it and those who don't know that they have great need of God's graces. A footnote: the chalice that I use at the altar is a gift from Msgr. McGrath to me at the time of his retirement. The chalice was given to him by Cardinal Krol at the time of Newman's canonization as a token of appreciation for the many hours of work -- more than 150 trips to Rome to meet with those working on the "cause." The chalice had been given to Cardinal Dougherty, one of Cardinal Krol's predecessors as Archbishop of Philadelphia. Crafted in Germany in 1750, the chalice was given to Cdl Dougherty as a gift of appreciation by a priest of the Archdiocese on a special occasion. Obviously every time I lift that chalice at the Consecration, I recall my dear friend, my brother priest who means so much to me and the Bishop who meant so much to my dear friend.
