Eight Foot St John Neumann Statue Blessed at Philadelphia High School

Patricia Coggins stood in the new prayer garden after dark and looked up. The statue in front of her was eight feet tall, lit by a big spotlight, and it showed a short, stocky bishop who had walked the streets of Philadelphia more than 170 years earlier. For Coggins, a 1968 graduate, the sight filled a gap she had felt every time she passed the school.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez blessed the new statue of St. John Neumann on Tuesday evening, 27 October 2026, outside SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School in South Philadelphia, CatholicPhilly reports.

The statue stands in the school's new memorial prayer garden, which faces Moore Street alongside South 10th Street, beside a statue of St. Maria Goretti that has been a landmark in the East Passyunk neighborhood for decades.

Two Statues Standing Together at Last

It is certain that neither St. John Neumann nor St. Maria Goretti stood even six feet tall, CatholicPhilly notes. The eight-foot likeness of Philadelphia's saintly bishop, who founded the city's Catholic school system, now joins his saintly counterpart at the archdiocesan school that bears both their names.

"It is a very commanding sight, especially at night when it's all illuminated with a big spotlight, and we can't be more proud of it," said Millay Club Board Member Patricia Coggins '68. The Millay Club, the alumni group of Neumann Goretti High School and its predecessor Catholic high schools, raised the money to create the statue through a pair of anonymous donors.

A School With Two Histories in One Building

The statue represents a link for alumni of three schools that became one, CatholicPhilly reports. Southeast Catholic High School began in 1934 at the corner of South Seventh and Christian streets, and Bishop John Neumann High School moved to South 26th and Moore streets in 1957.

St. John Neumann High School adopted its name in 1977, following Neumann's canonization. Neumann for boys and Goretti for girls combined into one high school in 2004 at the South 10th and Moore location, which has stood since 1955.

Untill the new statue arrived, only St. Maria Goretti had a statue outside the building, and graduates of the boys' school felt the absence keenly.

"I hope the men feel that when they see the St. John Neumann statue, they feel that this is their school now," said Linda Crusco '71, president of the Millay Club Board of Directors. "By seeing the St. John Neumann statue, I hope they feel that now we are one."

Elizabeth Ridolfo Farley '67, a Millay Club board member, said she felt for Bishop Neumann and St. John Neumann high school graduates who gave up their school location when the two schools merged in 2004. She called the new statue a moment of reunion for people who had carried that loss quietly for more than twenty years.

"I think I speak for all of us that the statue represents the height of his goodness and holiness," Farley said. "I am just overwhelmed by the beauty of these two statues being finally joined together."

An Idea Born at a Stop Sign

The inspiration for the brick campaign and the statue came from two ordinary moments, Coggins said. One was the memorial garden created by Father James Casey, pastor of her home parish of Epiphany of Our Lord, in front of the rectory at South 11th and Jackson streets.

The other happened at a stop sign at the corner of South Third Street and Snyder Avenue. Coggins looked to the left and saw the Woodland String Band building with bricks on its wall, and she thought the school, with all its open space, could do something similar.

"It's been a process. It's been a little over a year, but it finally came to fruition," Coggins said. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools had announced in advance that Archbishop Pérez would bless and dedicate the statue, joined by the Millay Club Board of Directors.

175 Years of Catholic Schools in Philadelphia

The unveiling comes at a major milestone for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, CatholicPhilly reports. The 2026-27 academic year marks the 175th anniversary since Neumann, the saintly fourth bishop of Philadelphia, founded Philadelphia's Catholic school system in 1852. Next year also marks the 50th anniversary of his canonization.

Neumann Goretti President Tim Cairy said watching the process had made him pause to recognise the fierce loyalty the Millay Club alumni have for keeping the school thriving. He believes the statue teaches a lesson to current students and far beyond about the importance of making a difference in one's community, centred in Catholic faith.

"I hope this inspires future generations to give back to their community," Cairy said. "Hopefully it inspires our students, our faculty, the South Philadelphia community to see the generosity, the seed of hard work."

"These are volunteers," Cairy said. "These aren't people who are paid to do this giving back to something they love and care for."

Eileen Kelly-Kazelskis '67, a Millay Club board member, believes the new statue will help cement the school's permanence in South Philadelphia as a beloved anchor of the Catholic faith in that part of the city. She pointed out that it is the only Catholic high school in South Philadelphia.

"It's the only Catholic high school in South Philadelphia," Kelly-Kazelskis said, "and I almost feel like the two statues coming together now are saying, 'We're here to stay.'"

Readers can find more stories of faith taking visible form in the Philippines marking All Saints Day, 550 people baptised in the North Sea at Bridlington Beach, Blackburn churches preparing for growth as Joyful Followers launches, and American Idol singer Clark Beckham feeling the arms of God amid family upheaval.

The spotlight stays on after dark in the prayer garden, and students walking past in the morning will see two saints standing side by side where only one stood before. Whether the statue changes anything for the teenagers inside the building is a question only the next school year can answer, one brick, one prayer, and one graduate at a time.

But the most surprising part of this story is yet to come — keep reading.