Karol Józef Wojtyla, who has been referred to as John Paul II since he was elected Pope in October 1978, was born on May 18, 1920, in the Polish town of Wadowice, a tiny settlement 50 km from Krakow. He was the youngest of Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska's three children. In 1929, his mother passed away. His father, a non-commissioned army officer, passed away in 1941, and his oldest brother, Edmund, a physician, passed away in 1932. Olga, his sibling, had passed away before his birth.
Fr. Franciszek Zak celebrated his baptism on June 20, 1920, in the Wadowice parish church. He received his first Holy Communion at the age of nine and was confirmed at the age of eighteen. After graduating from Wadowice's Marcin Wadowita High School, he enrolled in a drama school and Krakow's Jagiellonian University in 1938.
To make a living and prevent deportation to Germany, young Karol had to work in a quarry from 1940 to 1944 and then in the Solvay chemical factory after the Nazi occupying authorities closed the university in 1939.
In 1942, after realizing he had been called to the priesthood, he enrolled in classes at the secret seminary of Krakow, which was directed by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, the archbishop of Krakow.
Following the Second World War, he pursued his education at the Jagiellonian University's faculty of theology and, after it reopened, the major seminary in Krakow. On November 1, 1946, Archbishop Sapieha consecrated him as a priest in Krakow.
Cardinal Sapieha moved him to Rome shortly after, where he was supervised by Garrigou-Lagrange, a French Dominican. With a thesis on faith in the writings of St. John of the Cross, he completed his doctorate in theology in 1948. He practiced his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants in France, Belgium, and Holland during his holidays at the time.
He returned to Poland in 1948 and served as chaplain to university students and vicar of several churches in Krakow. This continued until 1951 when he resumed his studies in theology and philosophy. At Lublin Catholic University, he successfully defended his thesis in 1953. He then rose to the position of professor of moral theology and social ethics at the Faculty of Theology in Lublin as well as the major seminary in Krakow. Pope Pius XII named him titular bishop of Ombi and auxiliary of Krakow on July 4, 1958.
Pope Paul VI named him archbishop of Krakow on January 13, 1964, and on June 26, 1967, he was made a cardinal.
Cardinal Wojtyla attended every Synod of Bishops assembly in addition to participating in Vatican Council II (1962–1965), where he helped formulate the Constitution Gaudium et spes.
At the Conclave on October 16, 1978, the Cardinals chose him Pope and he assumed the name John Paul II. As the 263rd successor to the Apostle, he formally began his Petrine ministry on October 22, the Lord's Day. His nearly 27-year pontificate was one of the longest in Church history.
John Paul II dedicated all of his energies to the Petrine ministry, exercising it with a tireless missionary zeal, motivated by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and generosity to the entire human race. He travelled to Italy 146 times and to other countries 104 times for pastoral visits. He visited 317 of the 333 parishes in Rome while serving as its bishop.
He established the World Youth Days out of his love for youth. The 19 WYDs that were commemorated during his papacy united millions of youths worldwide. In 1994, he started the World Meetings of Families, which served as a manifestation of his love for the family.
By emphasizing innumerable instances of holiness as a motivator for the people of our day, he provided canonizations and beatifications with an exceptional boost. He presided over 147 beatification ceremonies, naming 1,338 Blesseds, and 51 canonizations, recognizing a total of 482 saints. Thérèse of the Child Jesus was named a Doctor of the Church by him.
By establishing 231 Cardinals in 9 consistories, he significantly increased the size of the College of Cardinals. He called fifteen Synod of Bishops assemblies. His most significant works are 45 Apostolic Letters, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, and 14 Encyclicals.
Following the Second Vatican Council's official interpretation of tradition, he issued the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In addition, he established new institutions, restructured the Roman Curia, and changed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law.
On April 2, 2005, at 9:37 p.m., the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, John Paul II, left this world. More than three million people travelled to Rome to honour the Pope's mortal remains between that evening and April 8, the day of the late Pontiff's funeral.
Holy Father Benedict XVI declared on April 28 that John Paul II would not have to wait the customary five years before starting the beatification and canonizations process. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, officially launched the cause on June 28, 2005, and on May 1, 2011, he was beatified. In a ceremony held in St. Peter's Square on April 27, 2014, Pope Francis canonized him.
Other Saints of the Day
St. Verecundus
St. Benedict of Macerac
St. Donatus of Fiesole
St. Abercius Marcellus
St. Philip of Heraclea