Saints to Live By: Saint John Paul II
October 18, 2022
Saint John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in the small Polish town of Wadowice. During World War II, when the Nazis invaded Poland, Karol secretly studied for the priesthood in an underground seminary.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1946, appointed Archbishop of Krakow in 1964, and three years later he was made a cardinal. In 1978, he was elected the 264th pope, where he took the name John Paul II.
Saint John Paul II made evangelization a key part of his papacy and made pastoral visits to all parts of the world. In 1981, he was shot twice in an assassination attempt. Following Jesus’ example of compassion, he later met with his would-be assassin in his prison cell, where he forgave him for what he had done.
