Celebrating our Nation’s Semi-quincentennial
Hope you and your family enjoyed America’s 250th Independence celebration. It was a great opportunity for the people of our region to understand the sacrifices our Founding Fathers made to establish what is now the longest lasting constitutional republic in history. John Adams, offered this insight: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Truly we are a nation conceived in liberty and supported by faith, prayer and the promotion of the common good. Stuff to talk about with your children and grandkids.
Eucharistic Procession across Center City Caps off 4th of July weekend
So many exciting things for our City of Brotherly Love this past month: FIFA games and local celebrations, the Union Pacific 4014 Big Boy steam locomotive ending its eastward trip right here! On Sunday, July 5th, the Pilgrimage Journey of the Holy Eucharist which began in Florida concluded with Holy Mass and a Procession from the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul to St. Peter the Apostle, home to the Shrine of our patron, St. John Neumann. Archbishop Perez carried the Blessed Sacrament the entire way in 90+ degree heat! Kudos to our VP/President elect Sarah Contrucci who coordinated the efforts of the marshals for the Procession. Stanley Jozefowski (9 yrs old) was interviewed by ESPN. Stanley is the son of Jozef and Guild member Molly Jozefowski, a PA at Penn Medicine. Enjoy these photos from this event
Archbishop Nelson Perez leads Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Peter the Apostle Church post procession
Pilgrims on the procession route
EWTN team interviewing 9 yo Stanley Jozefowski about the meaning of the Eucharist
Latest News from the National Catholic Medical Association
A number of excellent articles on Pope Leo’s 1st encyclical, the CMA Boot Camp from a new med student’s perspective, CMA member and leading oncologist, Dr. Robert Collins’ powerful (and true) stories about God’s grace and healing in his new book, You Visited Me: Grace and Healing in the Modern Medical Center., CMA Chaplain Fr. Christopher Kubat, M.D.’s reflection on the reality of heaven from his recent pilgrimage trip to Lourdes. You can read all of these on our Neumannguild.org website at: CMA National Feed: Latest Updates & News – St. John Neumann Guild of Philadelphia.
In Memoriam
Please remember in your prayers, the gentle repose of the soul of John Lane, M.D. who passed away on June 20th. John Lane, M.D. is the father of Jack Lane, MD who went to medical school with me. John, Sr. was a past president of the CMA and of the Philadelphia Guild of CMA. If you’d like to read more about his life, go to: https://www.fluehr.com/obituaries/john-lane-2026-06-20
Haywood Robinson, MD former abortionist who had a profound conversion and subsequently became a board member, then director of medical affairs and education for 40 Days for Life passed away on July 25th. SJN Guild member Monique Ruberu is the Philadelphia regional campaign leader for 40 Days for Life—see feature article on Dr. Ruberu at https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/fixing-the-medical-field
Like many medical students training in today’s environments, Dr. Robinson was exposed to abortions, and he admits that this has had a devastating desensitizing effect on heath professional students. His book, The Scalpel and the Soul: Our Radical Transformation as Husband and Wife Abortion Doctors, co-authored with his wife Noreen Johnson, MD explores their transformation from abortionists to deeply committed pro-life physicians. In addition to 40 Days for Life, Dr. Robinson was director of continuum of care for Journey of a Lifetime, which provides support for families with a life-limiting or adverse diagnosis during pregnancy. Our own Guild member Frank McNesby, MD has made this an area of ministry in his pediatric practice for affected families in the Delaware Valley.
Save the date!
Our Guild’s annual St. Luke’s Mass will be held on Sunday, October 18th, 2026 at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul with a breakfast and keynote speaker to follow. Mass begins at 11 AM. Our speaker this year is Nicholas Ogle, PhD, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology at St. Charles Seminary in Upper Gwynedd. His presentation will focus on the use of virtue in the critical analysis of emerging AI tools. We should have more info up on our neumannguild.org website within a couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
Happening now…
A fascinating light show with classical and choral accompaniment is currently featured as Luminescence at the Cathedral Basilica. I got to see this with friends from our parish. The show’s narrative focuses on the Catholic community in Philadelphia and the history of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, from concept to modern times. It is very well done. Visit https://luminiscence.com/philadelphia/ for more info and tickets.
Meet the Guild Chaplain Rev. Fr. Joseph Ryan, OSA
Father Joseph Ryan has been an Augustinian priest for more than forty years and is particularly excited that one of his brother priests is now Pope Leo XIV. Fr. Ryan earned his doctorate in the History of Medicine and Immigration from American University in 1997. He has published on the History of Catholic physicians and the rise of scientific medicine. He is an Associate Teaching Professor in the History Department of Villanova University and has taught there for more than 25 years.
Fr. Ryan is a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher and the Knights of Columbus. He was the President of the Archdiocesan Historical Commission for the canonization of Servant of God Fr. William Atkinson, OSA. On weekends, Fr. Ryan celebrates mass at St. Matthew’s in Conshohocken where he has served for more than 25 years.
This Fall, Fr. Ryan will get to travel to Rome twice. First he’ll be attending a conference with many of his Augustinian brothers. Then he’ll return to Rome for the Eternal City Tipoff on November 1st, featuring a double-header of women’s & men’s basketball games between Villanova and Notre Dame. Want more information? Visit: https://www.eternalcitytip-off.com/the-gamese
