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Friends of the Rosary,

Today, October 22, is the feast of St. John Paul II (1920-2005).

Born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, and elected pope in 1978, Karol Jozef Wojtyla demonstrated exceptional apostolic zeal throughout his earthly life, particularly for families, young people, and the sick, and exhibited an intensified pastoral commitment with heroic generosity.

He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and for the Eastern Churches, and the Luminous Mysteries.

Pope John Paul II made 146 pastoral visits in Italy and 104 international apostolic journeys. He produced 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, and 45 Apostolic Letters.

He also wrote five books: Crossing the Threshold of Hope (October 1994); Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination (November 1996); Roman Triptych, meditations in poetry (March 2003); Rise, Let Us Be on Our Way (May 2004), and Memory and Identity (February 2005).

Pope John Paul II celebrated 147 beatifications, during which he proclaimed 1,338 blesseds, and 51 canonizations, for a total of 482 saints.

On May 13, 1981, an attempt was made on Pope John Paul II’s life in Saint Peter’s Square. Saved by the maternal hand of the Mother of God, following a lengthy stay in the hospital, he forgave the attempted assassin.

John Paul II was beatified on May 1, 2011, by Pope Benedict XVI, his immediate successor and, for many years, his valued collaborator as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He was canonized by Pope Francis on April 17, 2014.

Ave Maria!
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
To Jesus through Mary!

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Please give us the grace to respond with joy!

+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

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Leo XIV