Born in Poland in 1920, Karol Wojtyla’s parents were exemplary Catholics for their children, and their devout example had a profound effect on him. Karol felt a calling to the priesthood, but when Nazi Germany occupied Poland he had to study in secret. He was ordained a year after the end of World War II and earned his doctorate in theology in Rome two years later. Though Poland was under Communist rule, he served as a parish priest with integrity and taught at the seminary in Krakow. Appointed an auxiliary bishop in 1958, he rose to archbishop, then cardinal. In 1978 he was elected pope and took the name John Paul II. He traveled the world to spread the Gospel, survived an assassination attempt, helped end the Cold War, and wrote extensively before his death in 2005.
CHALLENGE
St. Pope John Paul II gave the Church many sublime gifts, but perhaps the two most profound are the Theology of the Body, and the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. Today’s challenge has two parts: first, pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. Then, since the Theology of the Body is too big to learn in a day, simply learn the basics of what it is.
