Totus Tuus: Mary, Mother of Mercy

As we prepare for the feast of Saint John Paul II, we invite you to continue on this pilgrimage through our permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II. We hope you will walk through each of the nine galleries with us, so that you can get a taste of the spiritual and informational journey that awaits you here at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.

This week we will explore the fifth gallery, Totus Tuus: Mary, Mother of Mercy. St. John Paul II had a strong devotion to Mary throughout his life, and he believed that devotion to her, the first disciple, leads us to Christ. His pontificate was dedicated to her in many ways—his motto being “Totus Tuus,” or “I am completely yours” and with an “M” beside the cross on his coat of arms.

During a weekly audience on May 13, 1981, when thousands of people were gathered in Saint Peter’s Square to hear St. John Paul II speak, a man shot the late Holy Father, intending to kill him. The shot did not have the deadly effect desired, though, and John Paul II attributed this to the Blessed Mother’s protection. On the day of the assassination attempt, he put his life into Mary’s hands.

Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us!

From our permanent exhibit,  A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II.

The Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13. Saint John Paul II had a strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, and he was convinced that her intercession saved his life after the assassination attempt in 1981.

In a homily for the consecration Mass of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Poland, St. John Paul II said:

The message of Fatima, which Mary gave to the world through three poor children, consists in an exhortation to conversion, prayer, especially the rosary, and reparation for one's own sins and for those of all mankind. This message flows from the Gospel, from the words which Christ spoke at the very beginning of his public ministry: "Repent, and believe in the Gospel!" (Mk 1:15). It aims at man's interior transformation, at the defeat of sin within him and the strengthening of goodness, and at the attainment of holiness. This message is addressed in particular to the people of our century, a century which has been marked by war, hatred, the violation of fundamental human rights, the immense suffering of individuals and nations, and finally by the struggle against God, carried even to the denial of his existence. The message of Fatima is an outpouring of the love of the Heart of the Mother, who is always open to her child, never loses sight of him, thinks of him always, even when he leaves the straight path and becomes a "prodigal son" (cf. Lk 15:11-32).

Our Lady of Fatima, please intercede for us during this month of May, that we may repent and bring the Gospel to the world.

This piece was originally posted on May 13, 2012.

Faith And Forgiveness

Saint John Paul II had a very special place in his heart for the Blessed Mother. His papal motto was “Totus tuus,” or “I belong entirely to you,” and he placed an “M” beside the Cross on his coat of arms, because he wanted to dedicate his entire pontificate to her. 

On May 13, 1981, during an open-air audience in Saint Peter’s Square, an attempt was made on the late Hoy Father’s life. While it was a traumatic event, it was one that affirmed his devotion to Mary.

St. John Paul II attributed his survival and recovery to her, famously saying that, “[o]ne finger fired and another directed the bullet.” It was the feast of Our Lady of Fatima that day, and one year later he visited Fatima in order to place one of the bullets found inside of him in the Blessed Mother’s crown.

Through Mary’s prayers, John Paul II also received the grace to forgive the man who shot him. After experiencing the chilling moment of the assassination attempt, shown in the picture above, visitors to our exhibit journey on to one of our most moving galleries, in which they are called to reflect upon the time when the sainted pontiff visited and forgave Mehmet Ali Ağca.

Please join us here in the coming weeks as we continue to explore the themes of our permanent exhibit. As you learn more, prayerfully consider a pilgrimage to see these themes come to life yourself.

St. John Paul II, Pray for Us!

Your Sins Are Forgiven

The photograph on the left wall shows Saint John Paul II speaking with Mehmet
Ali Agca in his prison cell. The late Holy Father was convinced that
Mary's intercession saved his life after the assassination attempt in 1981.

Saint John Paul II was a man of great holiness. Our new permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II, is filled with evidence of this. Like Christ, the late Holy Father inspired hope in others, he lead them, and he preached the Good News.

He also forgave. One of the most moving parts of our exhibit calls pilgrims to reflect upon the moment in which John Paul visited Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man who made an attempt on his life. During the Christmas octave 31 years ago, John Paul II reconciled with Ali Ağca, treating him as a person worthy of love and respect.

Let us ask the Christ child to give us the grace to be like Saint John Paul II this Christmastide, in reconciling ourselves with God and with others.