Friends of the Rosary, Today, October 22, is the feast day of Saint John Paul II (1920-2005), the charismatic and beloved Polish who was an extraordinary testimony of holiness. He contributed to the fall of communism in Europe, established World Youth Days and the World Meeting of Families, promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and instituted the Luminous Mysteries. Born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers from Krakow, on May 18, 1920, Karol Józef Wojtyla became Pope in 1978. His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people, and the sick, led him to numerous pastoral visits worldwide during his 27 years of papacy. On May 13, 1981, an attempt on his life was made in Saint Peter’s Square. Saved by the maternal hand of the Mother of God, following a lengthy stay in the hospital, he forgave the attempted assassin and intensified his pastoral commitments. John Paul II was beatified in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI and canonized in 2014 by Pope Francis. “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness,” he told young people in 2000. “He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted. It is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices.” Ave Maria! Jesus, I Trust In You! St. John Paul II, Pray for Us! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • October 22, 2024, Today’s Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET