Feast Day: October 22nd

Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla in 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. Growing up, young Karol was an athlete who especially enjoyed skiing and swimming. At university, he excelled in languages and expressed his creativity as a poet, playwright, and actor. He ultimately felt a strong calling to the priesthood, and began his studies in philosophy and theology at a secret seminary during the 1940s. The twin tyrannies of 
Nazism and Communism acted as a crucible during his adult years, hardening his character to oppose any form of utopian ideology claiming to save humanity apart from the truth and love of Jesus Christ. 

In 1978 he was elected the first non-Italian pope in centuries. As the Vicar of Christ, the visible head of the Church, John Paul II travelled, visiting more than a hundred countries to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. A vocal advocate for human rights, 
the dignity of human life, the place of  youth in the Church, and the importance of families as as domestic churches, his teaching and witness jumpstarted evangelization efforts around the world.

An outgoing and charismatic person, John Paul II also used his influence to foster political and economic change to benefit the poor and oppressed. He is credited as a key figure in the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. After a long struggle with 
Parkinson’s disease, during which he witnessed to the dignity of suffering, the “Great Mercy Pope” died in 2005.
 
John Paul II was beatified in 2011 and canonized in 2014.

(This brief biography borrowed and re-worked some information from www.stjohnpaul.org.)