1751-1820
FEAST March 15
A baker, Czech-born Johannes Hofbauer, after a period of solitary living and wandering between Rome and Vienna, established the Redemptorists north of the Alps and is considered the order?s second founder. He was ordained a Redemptorist priest at age 34 and served in Poland for 20 years, until 1808, when Napoleon suppressed religious orders. He spent the rest of his life in Vienna, battling state control of the church, establishing a Catholic college, and working behind the scenes at the Congress of Vienna. He is the patron saint of Vienna.