On April 27th 2014, (Divine Mercy Sunday) the Church celebrated the sanctification of Saint John Paul II. Before becoming Pope, his name was Karol (which in English translates to Charles) Wojtyla. He was born on May 18, 1920 near Krakow, Poland. He was the youngest of three but had a troubled, yet strong, faithful family. It was troubled because by the age of twenty-one, all of his siblings and both parents had died. He soon threw himself into his studies for the priesthood and declared that Mary and the Church would be his new parents. He attended the seminary, underground in hiding, constantly under threat of the Nazis who were occupying Poland at the time. He was ordained a priest in 1946.
MOVIE – Karol: the Man who becomes Pope - POP CULTURE CONNECTION
This is one of the best movies on the life of Pope John Paul II. If time allows, it would be great to watch the whole movie in conjunction with this lesson.
His main role was studying in Rome, and when he was home, to be with the youth. He was the chaplain to the university students. In less than twenty years into his priesthood, Pope Paul VI named him Archbishop of Krakow. Three years later he was named a cardinal. Then, with the sudden death of Pope John Paul I, the cardinals elected him Pope at the Conclave of October 16, 1978.
How is the Pope chosen? The process of selecting a Pope has changed somewhat over the years. In the early church, Popes were chosen by an election conducted by the Roman Church, consisting of twenty-four priests and deacons who would vote. Later the Pope was selected by an election by the people of Rome. This is how Pope Gregory the Great was unanimously elected by the religious and lay people in Rome. Today, the Pope is selected by the College of Cardinals in a process where they meet and deliberate on whom to elect as the next Pope.
When a Pope dies, the church will take his bishop’s ring and smash it with a hammer as a formal symbol of the end his reign. The Cardinals under the age of eighty then gather together and are locked in the Sistine Chapel to discuss, pray, and determine who should be the next Vicar of Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The election is done in by secret ballot and requires at least a two-thirds majority for a Pope to be named. If they are unable to reach this after a certain number of ballots, they can move to a simple majority (more than fifty percent). Up to two ballots are taken each day. If at the end of a ballot they don’t come to an agreement, the ballots will be burned and black smoke will be seen coming from the chimney to indicate to the faithful outside that there has not been an election yet. Once a Pope has been elected, the ballots are wetted and then burnt which causes the smoke to turn white to indicate that there is a new pope. They will also start ringing all of the Church bells.
Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years! He was also one of the youngest to be elected Pope in recent history and eventually had one of the longest tenures as Pope.
In his first speech to the Church he spoke the words of Christ “Do Not Be Afraid!” The translation of his speech is the following:
Praised be Jesus Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters,
We are all still grieved after the death of our beloved Pope John Paul I. And now the Cardinals have named a new bishop of Rome. They called from a distant land ... away, but always so close to the communion in faith and Christian tradition. I was afraid to receive this nomination, but I did it in the spirit of obedience to Our Lord Jesus Christ and in total confidence to his Mother, Mary Blessed.
I do not know if I well in your ... our Italian. If I'm wrong correct me. And so I introduce myself to you all, to confess our common faith, our hope, our trust in the Mother of Christ and the Church, and also to begin again on this path of history and the Church, with the help of God and with the help of men.
What did he do while he was Pope? His papacy was one of the longest of the popes in Church history lasting nearly twenty-seven years. In that time, He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes. His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays, not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.
The Top 10 Achievements of John Paul II
He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blessed; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He also made Thérèse of the Child Jesus, a Doctor of the Church.
He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 when a trained assassin was sent to kill him in St. Peter’s Square. Pope John Paul II always attributed Our Lady as directing the bullet so that it did not kill him. He later visited his attempted killer in prison and forgave him of his sins. While we are not sure exactly who hired the assassin, there are indications it was someone from a communist government. Pope John Paul II after all helped crush communism, especially in Europe and in his native land of Poland.
He also published five books of his own: "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" (October 1994), "Gift and Mystery, on the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination as priest" (November 1996), "Roman Triptych" poetic meditations (March 2003), "Arise, Let us Be Going" (May 2004) and "Memory and Identity" (February 2005).
On April 2 A.D. 2005, at 9.37 p.m., in the light of Christ risen from the dead, while Saturday was drawing to a close, and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father.
From that evening until April 8, date of the funeral of the late Pontiff, more than three million pilgrims came to Rome to pay homage to the mortal remains of the Pope. Some of them waited up to 24 hours to enter St. Peter's Basilica.
On April 28, 2005, the Holy Father Benedict XVI announced that the normal five-year waiting period before beginning the cause of beatification and canonization would be waived for John Paul II. [1]
What is World Youth Day? World Youth Day, WYD, is a yearly youth celebration that was started by Pope John Paul II as a way to inspire the youth and encourage them to live the teachings of Christ. In 1984 and 1985, he invited the youth of the world to Rome for a Palm Sunday celebration in St. Peter's Square. With the success of these first two meetings in Rome, the Pope announced the institution of WYD on December 20, 1985. The first official WYD was held in 1986. 1987 brought about a historical tradition, when the second event and first international WYD took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. WYD is not just a single day but also actually a week of festivities. During the week leading up to the final Mass at World Youth Day, the youth of the world gather in catechesis to learn the teachings of the faith and celebrate in other festivities. The graces flow and the fruits are abundant because it is truly a pilgrimage in which self-sacrifice is an integral part. The official start of WYD is when the cross, which has already traveled the whole world is carried into the host city. There is also an icon of Mary that follows the cross that is a symbol of Mary following Jesus. We as pilgrims, follow the cross to the site of World Youth Day. Next year, WYD is being celebrated in Krakow, Poland. This will be the XXXI World Youth Day and the fourteenth International World Youth Day. [2]
What is “Theology of the Body”? From 1979-1984, Blessed Pope John Paul II during his weekly Wednesday audiences wrote and spoke to the audiences of the dignity and beauty of the human person. The compilation of these weekly teachings is called The Theology of the Body. The 'Theology of the Body' is Pope John Paul II's integrated vision of body, soul, and spirit. As he explains, the physical human body has meaning and is capable of revealing answers regarding fundamental questions about our lives and us. His reflections are based on Scripture, starting with Genesis, the Gospels, and the letters of St. Paul. They contain a vision of the human person truly worthy of man. Blessed “Pope John Paul II speaks of who man was in the beginning, who he is now (after original sin), and who he will be in the age to come. He then applies this message to the vocations of marriage and celibacy, in preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven.” [3]
What is Beatification? This is the celebration during which the Pope declares a person who has died and gone through the proper process, a Blessed. This person is believed to be in Heaven and is able to provide intercession through the power of God.
What is Canonization? Canonization comes from the word canon, which mean list, in this case a catalogue or list of Saints. An ancient list or catalogue of Saints is contained in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) where the Church lists and asks the intercession of various Saints. Canonization is a “declaration by the Pope that a deceased person is raised to the full honors of the altar, i.e., a saint after previously having been beatified. Two miracles credited to the beatus (feminine: beata) are usually required before canonization to attest the heroic virtue of the saint. Beatification allows veneration of the blessed, canonization requires it. The canonization is celebrated at St. Peter's and is usually followed by a solemn triduum in another church in the city or elsewhere within a limited time.” [4]
How does one become a saint? There is a well-defined process in order for someone to be declared a saint. The most basic definition of a saint is a person that the Church declares is in Heaven. There are many steps to go through before a person can be named a saint:
1. Five years must pass from the time of the person’s death before their cause can be opened for the canonization process to begin.
2. The Bishop of the Diocese where the person died must begin the process. Faithful in the diocese may request this process from the Bishop. The Bishop however must petition the Holy See (Rome).
3. SERVANT OF GOD…If the Holy See gives what is called a “nulla osta” or permission, the Diocese may begin an investigation process. A group of people in the diocese, a “tribunal” is established by the Bishop and is then responsible for the investigation under the authority of the rules given by the Holy See. This group can summons witnesses to recount facts about how the person exercised the virtues (Theological and Cardinal) to a heroic degree. Any miracles associated to the person’s intercession after the person’s death is also investigated. All relevant documents and writings are gathered and examined. During this process of investigation the candidates are considered “Servants of God”. Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Father Emil Kaupan, and Pope John Paul II are all currently in this category. Some of this information is even solicited via the Internet, as is the case for Pope John Paul II.
4. Once the diocesan investigation is completed, all documentation is passed from the diocese to the Holy See and given to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Postulator in Rome makes a summary of all the info, which is given to a group of 9 theologians. The theologians examine the summary and cast a vote. If their vote is favorable then the document goes back to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints where members (cardinals and bishops) meet twice a month. If the Congregation’s judgment is in favor of the person, then the person is recommended to the Holy Father.
5. BLESSED…if both a miracle has been attributed to the person’s intercession and the person’s life was declared an example of heroic virtue then the Holy Father decides on beatification of the person. The title “blessed” gives concession or permission for public worship. This means that a Mass can be said in honor of the Blessed publicly, veneration of relics and other devotions can be made.
6. For canonization another miracle is needed, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed and having occurred after his/her beatification. The methods for ascertainment of the affirmed miracle are the same as those followed for beatification. Canonization is understood as the concession of public worship in the Universal Church. Pontifical infallibility is involved. With canonization, the Blessed acquires the title of Saint.
[1] http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/santopadre_biografie/giovanni_paolo_ii_biografia_breve_en.html
[2] www.worldyouthday.com
[3] www.theologyofthebody.net
[4] Fr. John Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary