In many ways, the
circumstances that the
members of the Church
encounter today are
similar to those faced
by the Apostles at
Pentecost.
We
are
called to proclaim the
message of Christ to a
world that may not
readily accept it.
With Christ’s
strength, we can go
forward with
conviction and
compassion. We
can look for
guidance from the
Holy Spirit and
from other Spiritled people in our
Church whose lives
are an example for
us.
The Canonization of Pope John Paul II
and Pope John XXIII will be held on
Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014.
The Catholic Church’s
process leading to canonization
involves three major steps.
First is the declaration of a
person’s heroic virtues, after
which the church gives him or
her the title Venerable.
Second is beatification,
after which he or she is called
Blessed.
The third step is
canonization, or declaration of
sainthood.
Pope John XXIII
Just
when
we
needed
it
most, God gave us
a gift: Pope John
XXIII, who was
pope for only a
short time (1959
to 1963) but who
had an amazing
impact on the
church and the
entire world.
Of course, John
XXIII was not the name
he was born with. His
parents named him
Angelo—Angelo
Roncalli, born in 1881
in the northern part of
Italy. His family farmed
for a living, and Angelo
was the oldest boy of
twelve brothers and
sisters.
When he
was a teenager,
Angelo decided
he wanted to
be a priest. He
studied in the
seminary,
where he was
most interested
in the history
of the church.
After he was ordained
a priest, Angelo expected
nothing more out of the
rest of his life than that of
a normal parish priest back
in the part of Italy where
he'd grown up. It was what
he knew and what he
thought God was calling
him to. But very soon, it
became clear that God had
other plans for Angelo.
Over the course of his
career, Fr. Angelo held many
jobs, some exciting, some
difficult. He was a secretary to a
bishop for 10 years. He served as
a medical worker in battlefields
during World War I, and he
never forgot the suffering he
witnessed there. He represented
the church in countries like
Bulgaria and Turkey, countries
where there were hardly any
Catholics, and it was really
important to understand and get
along with people of different
religions.
Finally, when he
was 71 years old, Fr.
Angelo Roncalli came
home. He was appointed
to be the leader of the
church in the city of
Venice, Italy. Fr. Angelo,
now archbishop, had
come home and, for all
he knew, would spend
the rest of his life simply
tending to the needs of
the people of Venice.
But once again,
God had something
else in mind. In 1958,
Pope Pius XII died,
and, as always happens
when a pope dies, all
the cardinals of the
church gathered to
elect a replacement.
Much to everyone's
surprise, they elected
Angelo Roncalli of
Venice. He was
seventy-six years old.
John XXIII knew that times
had changed, and it was time for
popes to stop acting like royalty,
which they had been doing for too
many years.
John knew
that the Spirit
had called him
to serve the
people of God,
not to act like a
prince among
them. But that
wasn't the only
thing he knew
had to change.
John XXIII had a
vision and hope. He
made a decision based
on that hope and based
on the virtue of
prudence, a virtue that
he spoke of a great deal.
John, whom today we
call Blessed John XXIII,
only one step away
from sainthood,
believed that Jesus' love
was for everybody in
the world.
He wanted the
church to be a strong
voice proclaiming
that love in modern
times to modern
people. He looked to
the past, present,
and future in
making his decision
to lead the church in
that direction.
Pope John XXIII was pope from October
1958 until his death in June 1963.
Karol Wojtyla was
born on May 18, 1920, near
Krakow, Poland. As a
young boy, he enjoyed
Pope John Paul II
skiing and swimming.
During college he was
interested in theater and
poetry. When his school
was closed by Nazi troops,
Wojtyla began studying at
a secret seminary run by
the archbishop of Krakow.
Wojtyla was ordained in
1946.
Father Wojtyla was soon recognized
as a leading thinker and participated in
the second Vatican Council. Wojtyla was
named a bishop, then an archbishop,
and, eventually, a cardinal.
For 456 years,
from 1522-1978, all the
popes had been Italian.
In 1978, the cardinals
of the Church gathered
in Rome and selected
Cardinal Wojtyla of
Poland to be pope.
Wojtyla took the name
John Paul II and
became the 264th pope.
Pope John Paul
II was known as a
peacemaker and as
someone who lived a
life of openness and
charity. Pope John
Paul II spoke out
against war, violence,
and capital
punishment. He was
a defender of the
dignity of human life
and an advocate for
human rights.
While pope, he was instrumental in
bringing about the fall of communism in
Eastern Europe. Often recognized as the
pilgrim pope because of his travels to more
than 100 countries, Pope John Paul II
attracted huge crowds wherever he went.
On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II
passed away. From the evening of April 2
until his funeral on April 8, more than
three million people came to Rome to
pay homage to him in Saint Peter’s
Basilica.
Have no fear of
moving into the
unknown. Simply
step out fearlessly
knowing that I am
with you, therefore
no harm can befall
you; all is very, very
well. Do this in
complete faith and
confidence.
--John Paul II
WORKS CITED
•
Loyola Press A Jesuit Ministry
http://www.loyolapress.com/assets/activity/world -youth-day-jubileelesson.pdf
http://www.loyolapress.com/blessed -john-xxiii.htm
•
Pope Benedict XVI Christ Our Hope Apostolic Journey to the United
States 2008
http://www.uspapalvisit.org/def_beatification.htm
•
St Joseph the Worker Adult Faith Formation Blog
http://sjwaff.blogspot.com/ 2013/06/blessed-john-xxiii.html
•
Friends of John Paul II Foundation, Inc. Washington DC Chapter
http://jp2friends.org/
•
John XXIII: key points in the life of 'The Good Pope: You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unI 8gWi1W10
•
John XXIII: key points in the life of 'The Good Pope'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 20jU8PJDl04
•
Alphesus Site for Critical History
http://www.alpheus.org/
•
Stop in Italy
http://www.stopinitaly.it/
Brainyquote.com