Neumann Hall dedicated

Despite cold and rainy weather, dozens of friends and parishioners—and 16 Redemptorist priests—gathered Tuesday, February 16, for the dedication and blessing of the new Neumann Hall of the National Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia.

The hall—created from an old warehouse—is now a big, beautiful building providing space for the Baltimore Province’s archives, exhibits, meetings, and meals.

Father Jack Kingsbury, coordinator for the Conference of Redemptorists of North American Conference, gave the homily at Mass, stressing the virtue of hospitality and a shrine’s unique ability to provide it. [Download Father Kingsbury’s homily here.]

“A shrine is a gift,” he said, and “in this particular case the shrine is a gift for the parish, for the archdiocese, and for the Redemptorists. Every gift comes wrapped. And in regard to a shrine, the gift must be wrapped with the virtue of hospitality.”

People who are not members of a given parish may not feel comfortable just stopping by for a visit. But a shrine is different, he said.

“The reputation of a shrine is that you can just drop in. You don’t have to be a member of that particular parish, you don’t even have to be Catholic. It is not viewed as strange that you would just stop by and walk around. Maybe just to look, maybe to say a prayer, maybe to seek a healing. It is even normal that you can just talk with anyone you meet.”\

After the Mass, held in the lower church, the hall was blessed by Father Paul Borowski, Provincial Superior, and the community enjoyed dinner in the new gathering space.

Father Matthew Allman, director of the Provincial Archives, and Dr. Patrick Hayes, archivist, were on hand to showcase some of the treasures of the archives.

[View a slideshow of photos from the Mass and dedication.]