Saint John Paul II was an amazing man, priest, bishop, pope, and now Saint! But here are 10 things about him that you may have never known:
- Saint John Paul II could speak Latin fluently. A rare art these days. Oh and besides his native Polish, he could also converse in: Slovak, Russian, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Ukrainian, and English.
- Saint John Paul II received his call to the priesthood when he once accidentally “caught” his father praying alone during the night on his knees.
- Saint John Paul II was an expert on Saint John of Cross and the Carmelite mystical tradition. The title of one of his doctoral dissertations (yes, the man had not one, but two doctorates) was “The Doctrine of Faith in Saint John of the Cross.”
- Saint John Paul II was the first Pope to visit the White House in the United States.
- Saint John Paul II visited 129 nation during his pontificate – the most of any Pope ever (including Saint Peter)!
- Saint John Paul II has the honor as the one human who has gathered the most humans together in one spot! At the 1995 World Youth Day in the Philippines, an estimated 5 million people attended a Holy Mass that His Holiness celebrated. This was the largest human gathering from the creation of mankind.
- Saint John Paul II was shot on May 13, 1981 – May 13 is the anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s first apparition!
- Saint John Paul II was elected Pope on October 16 – the feast of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque – the famous saint who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is appropriate since the Divine Mercy devotion is a further flowering of devotion to the Sacred Heart!
- Saint John Paul II received pre-processed food through a nasal tube during the last week of his life.
- How did he die? The Vatican stated that had died from “cardiocirculatory collapse and septic shock.”
And one last thing that you may not have known: He was praying for you during his last days. And he is praying for you right now!
Saint John Paul II, pray for us!