Saint John Paul the Great by Jason Evert

Wojtyla devoted much of his pastoral ministry to youth and would often take them on camping trips. In the words of this great saint himself: 'It is no secret that the Pope loves young people.and that he feels immensely happy in your company.'Īs a priest, Fr. To commemorate his feast day, which is October 22, here is a list of the five great loves of Pope Saint John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II not only saw himself as the successor of St. His ministry as Shepherd of the Church exudes this theme. To his saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. He remembered asking himself this question while seeing his peers lose their lives: why not me? His own simple answer to this question was: Amid the overwhelming evil of the war, everything in my own personal life was tending towards the good of my vocation.ĭuring his Inaugural Mass on October 22, 1978, John Paul II declared the theme of his Pontificate: Do not be afraid. He witnessed his soon-to-be brother priests tortured and eventually killed. Peter survived bombings and harsh working conditions in chemical plants. The man who would become the successor of St. expressed his son's grief in this way: The violence of the blows which had struck him had opened up immense spiritual depth in him his grief found its outlet in prayer.

But amidst great trials and suffering, Karol found much comfort and consolation in prayer.īefore he died, Karol Wojtyla Sr. By the age of twenty, Karol Josef Wojtyla had lost everyone he loved most deeply and was living on his own in Nazi-invaded Poland. His life, however, had humble and quite tragic beginnings. One could argue that Pope Saint John Paul II is the most beloved saint of this century.

Saint John Paul the Great by Jason Evert