One Year Ago Today

Unveiling the sign of the newly named Saint John Paul II National Shrine during the April 27, 2015 ceremony.

April 27^th marks the anniversary of Saint John Paul II’s canonization, which was a time of great excitement at the Shrine last year.  We hosted an all-night vigil with a Eucharistic procession, live entertainment, and a viewing of the canonization in Rome. We also unveiled our “Saint John Paul II National Shrine” signage and followed this with Mass and veneration of the great saint’s relics.

It was a joyous day that we remember fondly, and we hope that you will join us today in our reminiscing. We also suggest reflecting upon Pope Francis’s words about Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II at their canonization Mass:

In these two men, who looked upon the wounds of Christ and bore witness to his mercy, there dwelt a living hope and an indescribable and glorious joy (1 Pet 1:3,8). The hope and the joy which the risen Christ bestows on his disciples, the hope and the joy which nothing and no one can take from them. The hope and joy of Easter, forged in the crucible of self-denial, self-emptying, utter identification with sinners, even to the point of disgust at the bitterness of that chalice. Such were the hope and the joy which these two holy popes had received as a gift from the risen Lord and which they in turn bestowed in abundance upon the People of God, meriting our eternal gratitude. 

St. John Paul II, on this anniversary of your canonization, we thank God for you, and we ask you to remember us in your prayers!