Pope Saint John Paul II
Buckle in for this bad boy.
Born as Karol Wojtyla on May 18th 1920, in Poland, to a fervently Catholic family, Pope Saint John Paul the Great was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years and one of the few Saints us Millennials have had the privilege of witnessing in action. On the night of his birth, the sound of a church choir singing in the distance could be heard. Though a heavenly beginning, things quickly turned, as JPII lost his mother and brother while still in school. WWII then broke, his friends were being either killed or taken to concentration camps and then at the age of 20, his father died. He had lost everyone he loved. But this did not shake his faith! Instead, it had a profound impact on his relationship and dependency on God as he followed the call to priesthood and began studying in an underground seminary during the war.
JPII had a youthful heart, surrounding himself with young people and teaching them about God, love and relationships. He would go on camping trips with the youth in the mountains, to relax and engulf themselves in deep theology and offer masses, using flipped over canoes as an altar. His fun and creativity was as deep as his love. As Pope, his particular witness and love for the Blessed Sacrament, Mother Mary, Divine Mercy, Theology of the Body and young people, shed great light and wisdom on the Church, and still shapes our understanding today.
During his pontificate, the Holy Father travelled more than 1.2 million kms (775,000 miles), which is more than all other Pope's combined, he extended his influence beyond the church by campaigning against political oppression and criticizing the materialism of the West.
In 1981 JPII survived an assassination attempt after being struck by 4 bullets as he greeted crowds in St Peter's Square in the Vatican City. Just four days after the shooting, JPII famously asked his followers to "pray for my brother... whom I have sincerely forgiven". Pope John Paul II died on April 2nd 2005 on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, 2 billion people tuned in to his funeral, making it the largest funeral in history.
Feast day: 22nd October
Patronage: World Youth Day
Author: Rachel Vala