Saint Pope John Paul II

Charles Joseph Wojtyla was born in Wadowic, Poland, in the year 1920. He was ordained priest and obtained his studies in theology in Rome. He then returned to his homeland where he held various University and pastoral tasks. Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków, he became the Archbishop in 1964. He participated in the Second Vatican Council. Elected Pope on October 16, 1978, he took the name of John Paul II, and he was distinguished by his extraordinary apostolic activity, especially to families, the young and the sick, and made numerous pastoral visits around the world. The most significant fruits which he left in inheritance to the Church are, among others, his rich teachings, the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Codes of Canon Law for the Latin American Church and the Eastern Churches. He died piously in Rome on April 2, 2005, the eve of Easter Sunday II, or Divine Mercy.