Plans For The Canonization

The Blessed John Paul II Shrine made headlines again, this time with our plans for Blessed John Paul II’s joint canonization with Blessed John XXIII, April 27. See the story for details on our celebrations, our plans to open the 16,000 square foot permanent exhibit summer 2014, and a great interview with Patrick Kelly, executive director of the Shrine, who speaks about Blessed John Paul II’s “legacy of love.”

The Month of the Rosary

…throughout the whole Church, October is the month dedicated to the Rosary.

The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and in its depth. In this prayer we repeat many times the words that the Virgin Mary heard from the Archangel, and from her kinswoman Elizabeth. The whole Church joins in these words. It can be said that the Rosary is, in a certain way, a prayer-commentary on the last chapter of the Constitution "Lumen Gentium" of Vatican II, a chapter which deals with the wonderful presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church.

In fact, against the background of the words "Ave Maria" there pass before the eyes of the soul the main episodes in the life of Jesus Christ. They are composed altogether of the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, and they put us in living communion with Jesus through—we could say—his Mother's heart.

At the same time our heart can enclose in these decades of the Rosary all the facts that make up the life of the individual, the family, the nation, the Church and mankind. Personal matters and those of one's neighbor, and particularly of those who are closest to us, who are dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary beats the rhythm of human life.

-Blessed John Paul II, Angelus October 29, 1978

Building The Culture of Life

In her post on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops blog, Kim Daniels, spokesperson for Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, echoes the words of Blessed John Paul II:

Today I believe the Lord is saying to us all: do not hesitate, do not be afraid to engage the good fight of the faith (cf. I Tim 6:12). When we preach the liberating message of Jesus Christ we are offering the words of life to the world. Our prophetic witness is an urgent and essential service not just to the Catholic community but to the whole human family.

Daniels reflects on the late Holy Father’s call to build a culture of life, and this is especially important to remember as we embark on Respect for Life Month.

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us, that we may build a civilization of love by being people of life. 

Papal Intentions for October

Pope Francis is asking us to pray this month for people in despair, “that those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may sense the nearness of God’s love.” He also asks us to pray for World Mission Day, that the celebration “may help all Christians realize that we are not only receivers but proclaimers of God’s word.”

Let us pray, then, that we may be a people on mission this month, especially in reaching out to those who need to know Christ’s love for them.

Blessed John Paul II To Be Canonized Divine Mercy Sunday

Well the news is out! Yesterday Pope Francis announced that the canonization of both Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II is to take place on April 27, 2014, the day the Church celebrates the Second Sunday of Easter, or Divine Mercy Sunday. 

This is a special day for Blessed John Paul II, for he instituted Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000, he died on the vigil of the feast in 2005, and he was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2011.

Of course, we here at the Shrine couldn’t be more excited. Yesterday was full of visitors, celebrations, and prayers. In his homily for Mass celebrating the canonization announcement, our Chaplain Fr. Gregory Gresko introduced the congregation to the first-class relic of the soon to be canonized Blessed John Paul II, hosted on the altar for veneration: 

In the relic we have before us today, we encounter evidence from Blessed John Paul II’s own life of the extent to which he would go in order to show God’s Love. This first-class relic -- containing a piece of the white papal cassock he was wearing that became soaked with his blood when his would-be assassin attempted to take his life by shooting him in Saint Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981 – is a sign of John Paul II’s gift of himself to the Church, to you and to me, his personal testimony that shows us what it means to be a witness to God’s Love…

Fr. Gresko’s full homily is worth the read! For more on happenings at the Shrine yesterday, check out this report from the Catholic News Service. It includes some sneak peaks of our re-modeled Be Not Afraid exhibit.

Blessed John Paul II, Pray for Us!

Light And Love

Darkness can only be scattered by light,

hatred can only be conquered by love. 

-Blessed John Paul II, 2002

God Entrusts The Human Being To Woman

Next month, the Pontifical Council for the Laity will host a seminar for the 25^th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter, Mulieris dignitatem. The point of reflection will begin with a particular quote from the letter:

The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way. Of course, God entrusts every human being to each and every other human being. But this entrusting concerns women in a special way – precisely by reason of their femininity – and this in a particular way determines their vocation (30).

Is this how women see themselves today? If not, how can we affirm the feminine gift of life giving? Attendees of the seminar will discuss these questions and more as they celebrate the late Holy Father’s thought on the dignity and vocation of women.