Charles Fehrenbach (May 17, 1909, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – February 6, 2006 Saratoga Springs, New York) was a Redemptorist priest who was an author, translator and host of a local religious radio program in the Philadelphia area. He obtained a Ph.D. in German from the Catholic University of America after he was ordained in Esopus, New York, on June 23, 1935. He worked at St. Mary's Seminary in North East, Pennsylvania as registrar from 1942 to 1959; during this period he became known as an outstanding spiritual director and confessor, conducting retreats and Lenten missions in addition to his work at the seminary.
He translated several critical editions of works ("The Glories of Mary" and "The Passion and Death of Jesus Christ") by the founder of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and also helped prepare an analytical index of the Redemptorist Constitution and Statutes. Following his departure from St. Mary's, he worked at a series of parishes; his longest assignment was at St. Peter's in Philadelphia, where he served from 1978 to 1995, before retiring to the St. John Neumann Home in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he was residing when he died. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Redemptorist in the Maryland Province.
At St. Peter's, which is also the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, the Redemptorist bishop who had been canonized in 1977, Fr. Fehrenbach greeted tour groups, said Mass and heard confessions for the pilgrims as well as for parishioners. During this period, he also hosted a daily fifteen-minute program on station WTMR during which the Rosary was recited. Father Fehrenbach also appeared in episode 14 of season 5 of the TV series Unsolved Mysteries. He can be seen giving a tour of the Shrine of St. John Neumann between 12 and 13 minutes into the episode. [1]
Fr. Fehrenbach was also the author of the book Mary Day by Day [2] which is a devotional booklet containing meditations for each day of the year with quotes from scriptures and the writing of saints on Mary; the book was published by the Catholic Book Publishing Company.
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-most populous city, and five Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius VII on April 8, 1808 from territories that has previously been part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
John Nepomucene Neumann was a Catholic immigrant from Bohemia. He came to the United States in 1836, where he was ordained, joined the Redemptorist order, and became the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. In Philadelphia, Neumann founded the first Catholic diocesan school system in the US. Canonized in 1977, he is the only male US citizen to be named a saint.
James Frederick Bryan Wood was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Philadelphia, serving between 1860 and his death in 1883.
Irenaeus Frederic Baraga was a Slovenian Roman Catholic missionary to the United States and a grammarian by and author of Christian poetry and hymns in Native American languages. He became the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, originally sited at Sault Sainte Marie, which he led for 15 years.
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men. It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, Italy, for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people around Naples. It is dedicated to missionary work and they minister in more than 100 countries. Members of the congregation are Catholic priests and consecrated religious brothers.
Clement Mary Hofbauer was a Moravian hermit and later a priest of the Redemptorist congregation. He established the presence of his congregation, founded in Italy, north of the Alps, for which he is considered a co-founder of the congregation. He was greatly known for his lifelong dedication to the care of the poor during a tumultuous period of Europe's history, which left thousands in destitution. He worked to care for the Polish people, until he was expelled from there and moved to Austria.
Francis Xavier Seelos, CSsR was a German Redemptorist who worked as a missionary in the United States frontier. Towards the end of his life, he went to New Orleans to minister to victims of yellow fever. He then died after contracting the disease.
Thomas Jerome Welsh was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania (1970-1974), as bishop of the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia (1974–1983) and as bishop of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania (1983–1997).
The National Shrine of St. John Neumann is a Roman Catholic National shrine dedicated to St. John Neumann, the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia and the first American male to be canonized. The shrine is located in the lower church of St. Peter the Apostle Church at 1019 North 5th Street, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The construction of the main church began in 1843.
The Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men headquartered in Rome. It was founded in July 16, 1849 by Fr. Antonio María Claret y Clará, C.M.F. They are active as missionaries worldwide, in 70 countries on five continents. The number of Claretian priests and brothers is at more than 3,000. The Congregation has a particular devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and members have published extensively in Mariology.
The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, also known as the Redemptorist Church and colloquially as Baclaran Church, is a national shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help along Roxas Boulevard in Baclaran, Parañaque city of Metro Manila, Philippines. The church enshrines the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and is one of the largest Marian churches in the Philippines.
Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the fifth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland from 1834 until his death in 1851.
Francis Xavier Murphy was a Redemptorist chaplain and theology professor. He is best known for his articles about the Second Vatican Council, first published in The New Yorker magazine under the pseudonym Xavier Rynne.
St. Alphonsus Church, Rectory, Convent and Halle, also known as St. John Neumann Shrine and "Baltimore's Powerhouse of Prayer," is a historic Roman Catholic church complex located within the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Since 1992, the parish has held regular Tridentine Masses. It is currently administered by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.
The Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Roman Catholic basilica in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, sometimes known as "The Mission Church". The Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province have ministered to the parish since the church was first opened in 1870.
Bernard Joseph Nolker, C.Ss.R. was an American member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists, who served as a missionary in Brazil for 45 years. He was named the first Bishop of the Diocese of Paranaguá in 1963.
John Joseph McIntyre is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia since 2010.
The Seminary of Mary Immaculate was a former Catholic seminary in Northampton, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1939 to train candidates for the Congregation of the Mission, commonly called the Vincentian Fathers, and operated until 1990. The facilities then served as a retreat center. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
Bruce Alan Lewandowski, CSsR is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and a member of the Redemptorists. He has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland, since 2020. He previously served in New York City, Saint Lucia, and Pennsylvania.
The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, also known as The Miraculous Medal Shrine, is at 500 E. Chelten Ave. in the East Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The church now known as the Basilica Shrine was founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1879 as the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on the grounds of St. Vincent's Seminary. In 1927, Fr. Joseph Skelly, CM, commissioned the creation of Mary's Central Shrine within the chapel to promote devotion to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, a title of the Virgin Mary originating with her apparitions to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830.