Today, October 22, is the memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II.
Karol Wojtyla believed that God blessed him with a priestly vocation. After surviving two almost fatal accidents, he finally answered God’s call. He attended secret classes during the German occupation of Poland, and was ordained in 1946. Around this time he learned and practiced the teachings of Saint John of the Cross and Saint Louis Montfort.
He became parish priest of Krakow from 1948 to 1951. He was appointed auxiliary bishop in 1958 by Venerable Pope Pius XII. In 1963, Pope Saint Paul VI named him Archbishop of Krakow.
In 1978, Archbishop Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI. For his papal name, he combined the names of his predecessors (Popes John, Paul, John Paul) to emphasize his desire to continue the reforms of Vatican II.
John Paul II is the most traveled pope in history, having visited nearly every country in the world as part of his ministry. He consecrated each place he visited to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1983, he visited Fatima to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
He died on April 2, 2005 at the age of 84. His last words were: “Allow me to depart to the house of the Father.”
Pope John Paul II was beatified by his immediate successor Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, the feast of the Divine Mercy. He was canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014. His feast/memorial is celebrated on the anniversary of his papal inauguration, October 22.