The Pilgrim's Way: Man, The Way Of The Church

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 fourth gallery: Man, the Way of the Church. John Paul II showed the world the Gospel message of faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctity of all human life. Visitors to the Shrine will see that, just as the Church walks with each person on his or her pilgrimage to God, this great saint travelled to the ends of the earth in order to be with his people. 

Visitors are invited to walk the footsteps of this pilgrim Pope, learning more about his early apostolic visits to Mexico, Canada, Africa, and the US. St. John Paul II visited 129 countries on 104 apostolic pilgrimages throughout his papacy, and our “World Travels Interactive” wall display traces these journeys and encounters with people throughout the world. Visitors can learn about each pilgrimage by reading memorable quotes from homilies and addresses, and they can also see artifacts from many of the Holy Father's journeys, including various papal vestments that he wore.

Pilgrims to the Shrine can learn more about St. John Paul II’s “Theology of Love,” which was developed during Wednesday audiences early on in his pontificate. Through these teachings, he invited men and women to live the vocation to love through a complete and sincere gift of self. He particularly focused on married love, and the importance of this self-giving love in building up the family. 

A Way For The Church

As he took the Chair of Saint Peter, Saint John Paul II challenged all people to open wide their hearts to Christ, for it is His “perfect love” that “casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). It is His love that gives man life. In his first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, the late Holy Father wrote:

Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it.

St. John Paul II taught us much about this love that man cannot live without, and we remember this in our permanent exhibit: A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II.

The sainted pontiff showed us this love by visiting his people. Early in his papacy, he made pilgrimages of love to the faithful in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other places throughout the world.

Traveling With Saint John Paul II

On October 22, the feast of Saint John Paul II, we celebrated by opening our new permanent exhibit.

Titled A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II, the exhibit invites pilgrims to explore nine galleries tracing the life, teachings, and legacy of the late Holy Father. The reflective journey consists of unique artifacts, audio-visual components, and engaging interactive displays.

Our interactive displays consist of the World Travels touchscreen seen above and the World Youth Day table seen below.

The World Travels touchscreen highlights the many trips and pilgrimages St. John Paul II made throughout his papacy. Through a six-screen timeline, visitors can learn details about the late Holy Father’s travels. They can see snapshots from his visits and read quotes from speeches he delivered across the globe. Pilgrims can also use a search tool in order to find out whether the great Saint made a trip to their own country.

The Tireless Missionary

We've written before about Saint John Paul II’s missionary spirit. During his pontificate, he embarked on 104 apostolic journeys to 129 different countries. 

His trip to Anchorage, Alaska is evidence of this commitment to “visit his people.” After his 1981 pilgrimage to Asia, the late Holy Father chose to refuel in the polar state. He said Mass there, and 50,000 Alaskans came out for the service. 

As Archbishop Francis T. Hurley welcomed John Paul II, he said: “No future Pope will travel farther from the Eternal City unless he chooses a space ship to the moon—a challenge which many feel would be tempting to Your Holiness” (George Weigel, Witness to Hope).

Saint John Paul II, please pray for us, that we may be like you in tirelessly serving as missionaries for the Church.