For a generation of Catholics, John Paul II was simply the Pope. He led the Church for more than twenty-six years, travelled to well over a hundred countries, and was seen in person by more people than perhaps anyone before him. When he died in 2005, crowds in St. Peter's Square held up banners reading Santo subito! — "Make him a saint now!" Nine years later, he was.
His feast is kept on 22 October, which in 2026 falls on a Thursday. Here is a short account of his life, why the Church chose that date, the threads of his faith that still shape how Catholics pray, and a simple prayer asking for his intercession.
A short life of Karol Wojtyła
He was born Karol Józef Wojtyła on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice, a small town in southern Poland. Loss came early. His mother, Emilia, died when he was eight. His older brother Edmund, a young doctor, died a few years later after catching scarlet fever from a patient. His father, a retired army officer with whom he shared a small flat, died in 1941, when Karol was twenty. By then he had no close family left.
He had moved to Kraków to study literature and loved the theatre. When the Nazis occupied Poland, the university was closed, and he worked as a labourer in a quarry and a chemical factory. In 1942 he began studying for the priesthood in the clandestine seminary run in secret by Kraków's archbishop, Adam Sapieha — a crime that could have cost him his life.
He was ordained a priest in 1946, became an auxiliary bishop of Kraków in 1958, Archbishop of Kraków in 1964 and a cardinal in 1967. On 16 October 1978 the cardinals elected him pope. He took the name John Paul II and became the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years — the first since the Dutchman Adrian VI in the early sixteenth century — and the first Polish pope ever.
He died in Rome on 2 April 2005, on the evening before Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him on 1 May 2011, and Pope Francis canonized him on 27 April 2014, together with Pope John XXIII — both ceremonies on Divine Mercy Sunday. His tomb is in St. Peter's Basilica.
Why his feast is on 22 October
A saint's feast is normally kept on the day of their death, their "birthday" into heaven. John Paul II's death date, 2 April, almost always falls in Lent, Holy Week or the Easter Octave, when saints' days give way to the season. So the Church chose 22 October, the anniversary of the Mass that began his pontificate in 1978.
In the General Roman Calendar it is an optional memorial: parishes may celebrate it, and many do. In Poland his day is kept with particular solemnity, and some countries and dioceses give it a higher rank in their own calendars. Your parish or diocese can tell you how it is kept locally.
The threads of his faith
"Do not be afraid!"
At that inauguration Mass on 22 October 1978, the new pope told the crowd: "Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!" (English translations vary slightly; some render it "Be not afraid.") It became the refrain of his pontificate — spoken to people living under communism, to the young, to the sick, and to anyone hesitant to let Christ into their lives.
Totus Tuus and his love for Mary
His motto as bishop and pope was Totus Tuus — Latin for "totally yours" — addressed to Mary. He took it from the Marian devotion of Saint Louis de Montfort, and a large letter M stood on his coat of arms. For him, belonging entirely to Mary was a way of belonging entirely to Christ. He often pointed to the moment at the foot of the cross when Jesus entrusted his mother to the beloved disciple:
John 19:26–27
"Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home."
The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary
In October 2002, in his apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, he proposed five new mysteries for the Rosary — the Luminous Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light — covering Christ's public life, from his Baptism to the institution of the Eucharist. Soon after his election he had called the Rosary his favourite prayer. Our guide on how to pray the Rosary walks through all twenty mysteries.
Divine Mercy
On 30 April 2000 he canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun whose diary spread the Divine Mercy devotion, and on that occasion he declared that the Second Sunday of Easter would be kept throughout the Church as Divine Mercy Sunday. That he died on its vigil struck many as fitting. If you'd like to take up the prayer most tied to this devotion, see how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
World Youth Day
In the mid-1980s he began World Youth Day, inviting young people to gather with the pope. The first international gathering was held in Buenos Aires in 1987, and the meetings continue today, drawing hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions.
Forgiveness after the shooting
On 13 May 1981 — the feast of Our Lady of Fatima — he was shot in St. Peter's Square by Mehmet Ali Ağca and badly wounded. He credited Mary with saving his life. In December 1983 he went to Ağca's prison cell in Rome, sat with him and spoke with him privately; he had already forgiven him publicly. The photograph of the two men together remains one of the clearest pictures of Christian forgiveness in modern times.
Suffering in public
In his later years he lived with Parkinson's disease. He did not hide it. The athletic pope who had skied and hiked in the mountains could barely walk or speak, and he let the world see it. Many sick and elderly people have said his example taught them that a weakened life still has dignity and purpose.
Words he is remembered for
A few short lines, with the occasion:
- "Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!" — homily at the Mass inaugurating his pontificate, 22 October 1978.
- "Totus Tuus" — his episcopal and papal motto, entrusting himself to Mary.
- "The future of humanity passes by way of the family." — apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio (1981), section 86.
Be cautious with long, inspiring passages attributed to him online; many are paraphrases or come from other people.
A prayer asking his intercession
This is a simple prayer of our own, not an official text of the Church:
Saint John Paul II, you knew grief as a child, danger as a young man and weakness in old age, and through all of it you belonged to Christ and to his Mother. Pray for me, that I may not be afraid, that I may open the doors of my life to Christ, and that I may forgive as you forgave. Ask the Lord's mercy for me and for those I love, and help me to say with you to Mary: Totus Tuus, I am all yours. Amen.
You might end with a Hail Mary, the prayer he loved, and the words: Saint John Paul II, pray for us.
Common questions
When is Saint John Paul II's feast day? His feast day is 22 October, the anniversary of the inauguration of his pontificate in 1978. In the General Roman Calendar it is an optional memorial; in Poland and some other places it is kept with greater solemnity.
Why isn't his feast on the day he died? Because 2 April almost always falls in Lent, Holy Week or the Easter Octave, when saints' days are not normally celebrated. The Church chose the anniversary of the start of his papacy instead.
Why is he sometimes called "John Paul the Great"? It is a popular title of affection and admiration, used by some Catholics and some church leaders since his death. It is not an official title given by the Church.
What is Saint John Paul II the patron saint of? He is widely invoked as a patron of World Youth Day and of families, reflecting two central concerns of his papacy. These are popular associations rather than a long official list, so you'll see different lists in different places.
When was John Paul II canonized? He was canonized by Pope Francis on 27 April 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday, in the same ceremony as Pope John XXIII.
Praying with Haven
John Paul II built his days around the Gospel and around honest self-examination before God. Haven helps with both: the Gospel of the day arrives each morning with a short reflection and prayer, and the evening examen offers a few quiet minutes to look back on the day. When you're preparing for confession, Haven Premium adds a guided examination of conscience.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).