Saint of the Day: St. John Paul II

Pope (1920-2005)

His life

+ Karol Wojtyla was born in Poland in 1920. Ordained a priest in 1946, he earned doctorates in theology and philosophy and held the Chair of Ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin.

+ In 1958, he was ordained bishop of Ombi and, in 1963, appointed archbishop of Krakow. As bishop, he took part in the Second Vatican Council.

+ Elected pope on October 16, 1978, he took the name John Paul II. 

+ One of the most influential figures of the 20th century, he was a vocal opponent of communism and the “culture of death.” 

+ A pastor for the world, he traveled to more than 100 countries during his 26-year pontificate, preaching the universal call to holiness of the Second Vatican Council and calling for a “new evangelization” of the Church.

+ After years of suffering debilitating disease, John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, and was canonized with Pope Saint John XXIII in 2014. 

For prayer and reflection 

“Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!”—Pope Saint John Paul II

Spiritual bonus 

On this day we also remember Saint Mark of Jerusalem. The first non-Jewish bishop of Jerusalem, he is remembered for his work of rebuilding the dispersed Christian community there after years of persecution and unrest. Saint Mark died in the year 156. 

Prayer

O God, who are rich in mercy
and who willed that Saint John Paul the Second
should preside as Pope over your universal Church,
grant, we pray, that instructed by his teaching,
we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ,
the sole Redeemer of mankind.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Fr. Silas Henderson, S.D.S