The Canonization Of Pope John XXIII And Pope John Paul II

Sunday, 27th April A.D. 2014

THE CANONIZATION

OF POPE JOHN XXIII AND JOHN PAUL II

It is with great joy that this April 27th, Divine Mercy Sunday, we will witness the supreme honor of canonization of not one but two popes, Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II. They will be canonized as saints in a historic solemn liturgical rite officiated by Pope Francis.

It is through this Rite of Canonization that the Supreme Pontiff, in an act which is protected from error by the Holy Spirit, elevates a person to the universal veneration of the Church. A Mass, Divine Office and other acts of veneration can now be offered throughout the universal Church.

Join us and all Catholics around the world to celebrate the Canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.

Important Dates In The Life Of Pope John Paul II

The longest reigning pope in modern history, John Paul II, took his message on the road, visiting 129 countries -- several repeatedly -- on 104 trips and logging more than 700,000 miles in a papacy that lasted more than 27 years.  Blessed John Paul died at the age of 84 at the Vatican April 2, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

As the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, John Paul became a spiritual protagonist in two global transitions: the fall of European communism, which began in his native Poland in 1989, and the passage to the third millennium of Christianity. The day of his canonization is Divine Mercy Sunday -- an observance Pope John Paul put on the church's universal calendar in 2000 on the Sunday after Easter. The Polish pope was a longtime enthusiast of the Divine Mercy devotions of St. Faustina Kowalksa, whom he beatified in 1993 and canonized in 2000.

Pope John Paul also instituted the annual February 2 World Day of Consecrated Life, the February 11 World Day of the Sick and a World Meeting of Families every three years. But welcoming hundreds of thousands of young people to the Vatican for a special Palm Sunday celebration in 1984, Pope John Paul launched what has become the biggest international gathering on the church's calendar: World Youth Day.

In his later years, the pope moved with difficulty, tired easily and was less expressive, all symptoms of the nervous system disorder of Parkinson's disease. Yet he pushed himself to the limits of his physical capabilities, convinced that such suffering was itself a form of spiritual leadership.

Here are some important dates in the life of Blessed John Paul II:

• 1920: Karol Wojtyla is born May 18, baptized June 20 in Wadowice, Poland.
• 1929: His mother dies; he receives first Communion.
• 1938: Moves to Krakow with father; enters Jagellonian University, joins experimental theater group.
• 1940: University studies interrupted; he works as manual laborer during World War II.
• 1941: His father dies.
• 1942: Enters secret seminary in Krakow.
• 1944: Is hit by a car, hospitalized; is hidden in archbishop's home to avoid arrest by Nazis.
• 1945: World War II ends; he resumes studies at Jagellonian University.
• 1946: Nov. 1, is ordained priest; goes to Rome for graduate studies.
• 1949: Named assistant pastor in Krakow parish.
• 1954: Begins teaching philosophy at Catholic University of Lublin; earns doctorate in philosophy.
• 1958: Sept. 28, ordained auxiliary bishop of Krakow.
• 1962: Goes to Rome for first session of Second Vatican Council.
• 1963: Attends Vatican II second session, is named archbishop of Krakow Dec. 30.
• 1964: Is installed as archbishop of Krakow; attends council's third session.
• 1965: Makes three trips to Rome to help redraft Vatican II document on church in modern world; attends final council session.
• 1967: June 28, is made cardinal; named to first world Synod of Bishops but stays home to protest government's denial of a passport to Poland's primate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.
• 1971: Attends first of several bishops' synods in Rome; is elected to its permanent council.
• 1978: Oct. 16, is elected 264th pope and bishop of Rome; visit to Assisi is first of 146 trips within Italy; visit to a Rome parish marks start of visits to 317 of Rome's 333 parishes.
• 1979: Visits Dominican Republic and Mexico, his first of 104 trips abroad as pope; also visits Poland, Ireland, United States and Turkey; publishes first encyclical, apostolic exhortation; convenes first plenary meeting of College of Cardinals in more than 400 years; approves Vatican declaration that Swiss-born Father Hans Kung can no longer teach as Catholic theologian.
• 1980: Convenes special Dutch synod to straighten out problems in Dutch church; becomes first modern pope to hear confessions in St. Peter's Basilica.
• 1981: May 13, is shot, severely wounded; names Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger head of Vatican doctrinal congregation.
• 1982: Marks anniversary of attempt on his life with trip to Fatima, Portugal; meets with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat; makes Opus Dei the church's first personal prelature.
• 1983: Promulgates new Code of Canon Law; opens Holy Year of Redemption; visits would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, in prison.
• 1984: Establishes diplomatic relations with United States.
• 1985: Warns that abortion in Europe is "demographic suicide"; convenes special bishops' synod to review 20 years since Vatican II.
• 1986: Makes historic visit to Rome's synagogue; calls world religious leaders to Assisi to pray for peace.
• 1987: Opens Marian year and writes encyclical on Mary; attends first international World Youth Day in Argentina.
• 1988: Approves issuance of Holy See's first public financial report; issues encyclical, "On Social Concerns"; issues letter defending women's equality but saying they cannot be ordained priests; sets up Vatican commission to try reconciling followers of schismatic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
• 1989: Is widely seen as key figure in collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
• 1990: Issues first uniform law code for Eastern Catholic churches; issues global norms for Catholic higher education; approves Vatican instruction on theologians; establishes diplomatic relations with Soviet Union.
• 1991: Issues encyclical marking 100 years of Catholic social teaching; convenes special European synod to deal with rapid changes in wake of communism's collapse.
• 1992: Has benign tumor on colon removed; issues official "Catechism of the Catholic Church."
• 1993: Writes first papal encyclical on nature of moral theology.
• 1994: Declares teaching that women cannot be priests must be held definitively; establishes diplomatic relations with Israel; publishes book, "Crossing the Threshold of Hope"; named Time magazine's "Man of the Year."
• 1997: Names St. Therese of Lisieux a doctor of the church; presides at synod for America, one of a series of regional synods.
• 1998: Historic Cuba visit is 81st trip abroad; starts first permanent Catholic-Muslim dialogue.
• 1999: Unseals Holy Door in St. Peter's to start jubilee year 2000.
• 2000: Presides at numerous jubilee year events in Rome; makes historic visit to Holy Land.
• 2003: Marks 25th anniversary as pope; beatifies Mother Teresa of Kolkata, one of record number of beatifications and canonizations under his pontificate.
• 2004: Opens Year of the Eucharist.
• 2005: Publishes new book, "Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums"; hospitalized, undergoes tracheotomy. Dies April 2.
• 2011: May 1, beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.

Blessed John XXIII: From Humble Beginnings To A Lasting Legacy

Blessed John XXIII was the 260th successor of St. Peter, serving as pope from October 1958 to June 1963. He is best known for convening the Second Vatican Council. 

Here are some highlights of Blessed John XXIII's life:

• 1881: Nov. 25, born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the fourth in a family of 13 children to Giovanni Battista and Marianna Giulia Roncalli, a family of sharecroppers in Sotto il Monte, Italy.
• 1892: Enters the seminary at Bergamo.
• 1901: In Rome to further his studies, he takes a year off for military service.
• 1904: Aug. 10, is ordained a priest and serves as secretary to the bishop of Bergamo.
• 1905: Begins teaching history and patristics (the lives and teachings of the church fathers) at Bergamo seminary.
• 1915: Is called back to military service; serves as medic and chaplain during World War I.
• 1918: Opens a hostel for students in Bergamo.
• 1921: Is called to Rome as the head of the Italian national office of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
• 1925: Is named archbishop and appointed apostolic visitator to Bulgaria, where he works closely with Eastern Catholics.
• 1934: Transfers to Istanbul, where he serves as apostolic delegate to Turkey and Greece, improving relations with the Orthodox and Muslims.
• 1939-44: During World War II, he helps many Jews to escape Nazi persecution by issuing "transit visas" from the apostolic delegation and coordinating rescue plans with other ambassadors.
• 1944: Is named nuncio to Paris.
• 1953: Is named a cardinal and patriarch of Venice.
• 1958: Is called to Rome for a conclave; is elected Oct. 28 and takes the name John XXIII. At age 76, he is the oldest pope to be elected in more than 200 years.
• 1960: Presides over the Rome diocese's first synod.
• 1961: Issues "Mater et Magistra" ("Mother and Teacher"), an encyclical on social issues that emphasizes the obligations of nations and individuals to bring about social justice. He creates the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity to lead the church into a new era of ecumenical relations.
• 1962: Oct. 11, opens the first session of the Second Vatican Council, which set in motion major reforms of the church, its structure, liturgy and relations with other Christians and other religions.
• 1963: At the height of the Cold War, he releases his second social encyclical, "Pacem in Terris" ("Peace on Earth"), teaching that true peace must be built on the pillars of truth, justice, love and freedom.
• 1963: June 3, dies of cancer.
• 2000: Sept. 3, beatified by Blessed John Paul II.

The transmission from Canonization Mass from Vatican will start at 10:00 AM Rome time.