ThePastoralCenter.com │ The Vatican II Center Meet the Saints Saint John XXIII Saint John Paul II.

ThePastoralCenter.com │ The Vatican II Center

Meet the Saints

Saint John XXIII

Saint John Paul II


Saint John XXIII


Saint John XXIII Born in Sotto il

Monte, outside Bergamo

In northern Italy On Nov 25, 1881 His family shared the

home with cousins and others – a total of nearly 30 for supper each evening


Sotto il Monte It was a beautiful

small town Centered around

the parish church They raised crops

and livestock

The animals lived on the first floor of their house


Saint John XXIII He was baptized on the day of his birth

in the parish church Named Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli One of 13 children (but several died in

infancy) His parents were sharecroppers

(meaning that they gave half their produce to a landlord for the right to live and farm there)


Saint John XXIII

He went to the seminary and was ordained a priest in 1904

He served his local bishop and taught history in the seminary

Then he accepted roles as a representative of the Vatican (the Pope) to various places in the world


Saint John XXIII

He served Turkey Greece &

Bulgaria France The city of

Venice in Italy And then

became Pope


Saint John XXIII

He called Vatican II in 1959 He worked hard to lead the Council He was a friend to many people And he was loved by the whole

world He died in 1963 on June 3 The whole world mourned his death


Vatican II


Vatican II

All the bishops of the world From 1962-1965 (Oct thru Dec each

year) Renewed the Church Restored many elements of the

Church from the early centuries Including the Mass, Baptism, the RCIA Also the Call to Holiness


St John XXIII: What he said

What did John XXIII expect from the Council?

The Council? he said as he moved toward the window and made a gesture as if to open it. I expect a little fresh air from it…We must shake off the imperial dust that has accumulated on the throne of St. Peter since Constantine.



Let us look at each other without mistrust, meet each other without fear, talk with each other without surrendering principles.

Unity in necessary things, freedom in doubtful things, charity in all things.

Listen to everything, forget much, correct a little.



The sense of my smallness and of my nothingness has always been my good companion,

keeping me humble and content and granting me the joy of

consecrating myself as best I can to the uninterrupted exercise of obedience and charity….



…I come from humble beginnings, and I was raised in a restraining,

blessed poverty whose needs are few and which assures the growth of the highest and noblest virtues,

and prepares one for the great ascents of life…



We were poor but happy with our lot and confident in the help of Providence….

When a beggar appeared at the door of our kitchen, there was always room for him,

and my mother would hasten to seat this stranger alongside us.


Who was St John XXIII? A friend to everyone Unafraid of allowing the Spirit to shine in

the Church He desired the unity of all Christians He wanted us to focus on what unites us Rather than on what divides us He believed that charity must be first,

even above church rules


To make the world glad After reading one of the proposed

documents for Vatican Council II, Pope John XXIII approached a Cardinal and said, “My dear son, look at this document here!

It uses up 30 inches condemning the world! We’ve been down that path for a very long time, and it hasn’t worked.”


To make the world glad

John XXIII then said, “Let’s try something new.”

When asked why he called the Second Vatican Council the humble Pope John XXIII said: “To make the human journey less sad!”


Saint John Paul II


Saint John Paul II Born in Wadowice,

Poland On May 18, 1920 Youngest of 3 children His mother died when

he was young and his father not long afterward


Wadowice, Poland

Small town Centered on the Church Ancient town Long history Very little

change


St John Paul II

Attended college at the University in Krakow

Learned to speak 9 languages well And used them all as Pope

Was in the seminary during World War II

Helped many Jews escape the Nazis Ordained a priest in 1946


St John Paul II

Served as a parish priest at Assumption parish in Krakow

Also served at St Florian’s Taught at the University Very active in social, sporting, and

theater groups Earned a doctorate in theology


St John Paul II

Named bishop in 1958 Attended Vatican II Worked on the Constitution on the

Church in the Modern World Made cardinal in 1967 Elected Pope in 1978 Died on April 2, 2005


St John Paul II as Pope Traveled extensively throughout the world Visited 129 nations Often kissed the ground when he arrived


St John Paul II as Pope

Supported Vatican II But did not push for more changes

in the Church Worked for justice around the world

Opposed apartheid in South Africa Opposed the wars in the Middle East

Canonized 483 Saints


St John Paul as Pope Apologized for past Church behavior

Galileo who was excommunicated for teaching that the sun is the center of the solar system

Catholic involvement in the slave trade The Church’s role in burning people at

the stake Injustice against women Church silence during the Holocaust


St John Paul II: What he said

The future is in your hearts and in your hands.

God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult and uplifting, of working with him

in the building of the civilization of love. (Downsview Address, 4)


St John Paul II: What he said

Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places like the first apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns, and villages.

This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is time to preach it from the rooftops. (World Youth Day 1993)


St John Paul II: What he said Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is

incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed

to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it

his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. (Redemptor Hominis #10)

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ThePastoralCenter.com │ The Vatican II Center Meet the Saints Saint John XXIII Saint John Paul II.

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