I Have Searched For You, Now You Come To Me

More than 1,000 pilgrims joined us for the feast of Saint John Paul II last Wednesday! The day’s celebrations included multiple Masses and community prayers, veneration of our first class relic of St. John Paul, and the opening of our new permanent exhibit, A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II.

Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, celebrated the second festal Mass. In his homily he said:

This great Holy Father was so close to the family of the Knights of Columbus. How much he loved us; how well he knew us; how constantly he encouraged us! Now in the Providence of God and thanks to the vision of our Worthy Supreme Knight, we are able to transform this building from a center to a shrine, a place of grace and holiness, truth and love, …not only, as it were, to repay St. John Paul II for his kindness to us but much more so, to proclaim the message of his life and pontificate within the Church and before the world.

Pilgrims who visited the Saint John Paul II National Shrine last week heard this message as they walked through our exhibit on the life and legacy of the late Holy Father. They also learned more about John Paul II from Most Rev. Mieczysław Mokrzycki, former personal secretary to the great saint.

In his remarks, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki spoke highly of the mission behind our new permanent exhibit:

…this exhibit is a true testament to the life of St. John Paul II, and will have three purposes. First, to protect: by securing and systematizing artifacts related to the life of the Saint. Then, to educate by cultural, scientific and educational programming, allowing the visitors to learn about the person of John Paul II and his teachings. And finally, to show the beauty of a life lived according to the Gospel, a life which edified and united people around him. In this way we will leave to the future generations not only the witness of His life, but also our deep gratitude to the Saint who renewed the face of this land, and also renewed us, the people shaping the face of this land, so that we—as Him—can boldly stand on the side of Christ.

St. John Paul II impacted the lives of so many, especially young people. There were many young visitors last week, and we know that many more will visit the Shrine in order to venerate and learn more about this great saint. As Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus Carl Anderson said last Wednesday, “Because of this Shrine there will always be a John Paul II generation.”

For more coverage, see these articles at Catholic News Service, EWTN, and the National Catholic Register.

St. John Paul II, Pray for Us!