Canonization of John Paul II
The ceremony for the canonization of John Paul II took place in 2014. To celebrate this event, Loyola Press offers resources on his life and gifts to the world.
The magnitude of Pope John Paul II's accomplishments, and the sheer volume of his writings, can obscure a crucial fact about him. Within this great man—world statesman, theologian, philosopher, church leader—beat the heart of a pastor. John Paul II knew something about how men and women could find God. He understood much about how the power of God can be released in our lives. His supreme desire was that we come to embrace a faith that transforms the way we live, the way we relate to other people, the way we work.
John Paul II left us a legacy of hope and peace that we remember as we celebrate the canonization.
Biography of John Paul II
Biographical Sketch and Timeline
Pope John Paul II Was Influenced by Pope John XXIII
Pope John Paul II and His Message of Forgiveness
Pope John Paul II and Young People
Selected Writings of John Paul II
Holy Spirit and Seat of Wisdom: A Prayer by John Paul II
Prayer to the Virgin of Guadalupe
Related Books from Loyola Press
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Go in Peace: A Gift of Enduring LoveBy John Paul II$12.95 John Paul II speaks from the heart about what matters most to him—and to us. |
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Lessons for LivingBy John Paul II$12.95 Pope John Paul II imparts words of wisdom, inspiration, and love in one hundred meditations on living the Christian life. |
Image credit: Fels_Papst.JPG: Nikolaus von Nathusius derivative work: JJ Georges (This file was derived from: Fels_Papst.JPG) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
John Paul II and the Environment
Throughout his pontificate, Pope John Paul II promoted concern for the environment. In his 1988 letter on the vocation of the laity, he wrote: “Today in an ever-increasingly acute way, the so-called ‘ecological’ question poses itself in relation to socio-economic life and work. Certainly humanity has received from God himself the task of ‘dominating’ the created world and ’cultivating the garden’ of the world. But this is a task that humanity must carry out in respect for the divine image received, and, therefore, with intelligence and with love, assuming responsibility for the gifts that God has bestowed and continues to bestow.” In his 1991 encyclical on the centenary of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical on the condition of workers, Pope John Paul wrote, “It is the task of the State to provide for the defense and preservation of common goods such as the natural and human environments, which cannot be safeguarded simply by market forces.” Pope John Paul’s most extensive statement on the environment came in 1990 with his World Day of Peace message entitled Peace with God the Creator, Peace with all of Creation.