-
Birth
The future Pope has risen from the womb in Watowice, Republic of Poland. He was the youngest of 3 children. -
Wojtyla leaves Wadowice for Krakow
He left with his Dad, where he enrolled at the Jagiellonian University. While there, he studied many different languages, 12 to be exact. -
Period: to
Nazi German forces closed the University that Wojtyła attends, and force him, among others, into labor.
After the Nazi German forces closed his university, they forced all able-bodied males to work for them. Wojtyła worked as a messenger for a restaurant, a manual labourer in a limestone quarry, and for the Solvay chemical factory. If he didn't follow suit, he would be deported to Germany. -
Wojtyła's father perishes
His father died of a heart attack, leaving Wojtyła as the only one left in his close family. After this tragic event, he started to really start thinking about dedicating his life to God. Eventually he started to take classes in the underground seminary run by the Archbishop f Krakow. -
Wojtyła and other seminary students reclaim the seminary ruined and taken by the Germans.
On "Black Sunday," the Nazi Germans rounded up men in Krakow to stop as uprising. After hiding out in a basement until the Germans left, Wojtyła and his students that were left retook the seminary. In addition, Wojtyła saved a Jewish refugee who had escaped and collapsed on railroad tracks. -
Ordained a Priest
He was made a Priest after finishing his studies at the underground Seminary of Krakow. He was ordained by the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Sapieha. -
Wojtyła starts a group called Rodzinka during his service at the parish of Saint Florian
Wojtyła was transferred to the parish of Saint Floran, still in his city of Krakow. During his stay, he taught ethics at the University of Lublin. At the University he formed the group of young people, called the little family. They eventually grew to 200 people, with annual activities such as skiing. -
Pope Pius XII appoints Wojtyła as the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow.
Wojtyła was on a kayaking holiday in the lakes region of northern Poland when he was appointed. He then traveled to Warsaw to be informed of his appointment. -
Pope Paul VI appoints Wojtyła to Archbishop of Krakow,
After participating in the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, he was appointed to Archbishop. -
Wojtyła was promoted to the Sacred College of Cardinals
Pope Paul VI once again promotes Wojtyła, this time to the Sacred College of Cardinals. He was named Cardinal-Priest of the titulus of San Cesareo in Palatio. -
Karol Józef Wojtyła becomes Pope John Paul II
John Paul II's papacy begins with the words, "With obedience in faith to Christ, my Lord, and with trust in the Mother of Christ and the Church, in spite of great difficulties, I accept." He is the 264th Pope. Inauguration Video -
Period: to
The Pope delivers 129 lectures on "The Theology of the Body"
In these teachings, the Pope intends to establish an adequate anthropology in which the human body reveals God. He examines man and woman before the Fall, after it, and at the resurrection of the dead. He contemplates the sexual being of man and woman. -
Pope John Paul II traveled to Haiti to speak to thousands of impoverished Catholics
During his speech, he spoke against the disparity between the rich and poor, stating that things have to change in Haiti. He performed this speech in Creole at the airport in which he arrived. -
Pope John Paul II offers Mass to a crowd of 5-7 Million people during X World Youth Day
The Mass took place in Luneta Park, Manilla, Philippines. It is considered to be the largest single gathering in Christian history.
Overview of this day -
The Pope continues his pastoral trips with a trip to Egypt
Pope John Paul II was the first modern pope to visit Egypt. During this trip, he met with the Coptic pope, Pope Shenouda III, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandira. -
Death and end of Papacy
After a life of joy and wonderful deeds, the Pope dies from hypotension and complete circulatory collapse. His last words, in Polish, were "allow me to depart to the house of the Father."
