St. John Paul II Society

05/08/2025

04/21/2025

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis died early on this Easter Monday (21 April) at 88 years of age. We ask you to join the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph in praying for the repose of the soul of our beloved pope.

God, Who, in Thine ineffable providence, didst will that Thy servant Pope Francis should be numbered among the high priests, grant, we beseech Thee, that he, who on earth held the place of Thine only-begotten Son, may be joined forevermore to the fellowship of Thy holy pontiffs. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. AMEN.

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Why remain caught up in your troubles? Like the shepherds, who left their flocks, leave behind the prison of your sorrows and embrace the tender love of the God who became a child. Put aside your masks and your armor; cast your cares on him and he will care for you (cf. Ps 55:22). He became flesh; he is looking not for your achievements but for your open and trusting heart. In him, you will rediscover who you truly are: a beloved son or daughter of God. Now you can believe it, for tonight the Lord was born to light up your life; his eyes are alight with love for you.

Worship is the way to embrace the Incarnation. For it is in silence that Jesus, the Word of the Father, becomes flesh in our lives. Let us do as they did, in Bethlehem, a town whose name means “House of Bread”. Let us stand before him who is the Bread of Life. Let us rediscover worship, for to worship is not to waste time, but to make our time a dwelling-place for God. It is to let the seed of the Incarnation bloom within us; it is to cooperate in the work of the Lord, who, like leaven, changes the world. To worship is to intercede, to make reparation, to allow God to realign history.
—Pope FRANCIS

04/19/2025

04/02/2025

Pope St. John Paul II, pray for us!

Today we commemorate the dies natalis of Pope St. John Paul II. His long and transformative papacy continues to inspire and guide the faithful throughout the world. What follows are brief meditations from the brethren on the life and grace of this beloved pope.

Pope John Paul II explained that "Christ reveals man to himself" and therefore Christ would be able to reveal me to myself. Our vocation is one important way in which Christ shows us who we are created and called to be. Pope John Paul II pointed out that "man cannot live without love" and can only know himself "through a sincere gift of self." His insight about the human person refocused my discernment from asking "what is God asking me to do" to exploring "how has God made me to love and to give myself?"
—Fr. John Paul Kern, O.P.

Growing up in a Polish family, I always saw Pope John Paul II as significant. I first came to know who he was through the Marvel Comics biography — and who is to say that he wasn’t a superhero? Even though he had not thought much of a priestly vocation as a child, I saw how God called him through the dark times of the Second World War to become a beacon of hope to a nation in turmoil and an instrument of God’s mercy to the whole world. In a world that is becoming ever more secular and more uncertain, and in which spiritual leaders are increasingly in need, I have looked to the Pope’s vocation story as an inspiration for my own vocation, and to our new saint as an example, far more heroic than any comic book character.
—Fr. Humbert Kilanowski, O.P.

I came into full communion with the Catholic Church during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II—one of the greatest teachers the Church has ever had. His witness gave a public appeal to the Catholic faith, and it was such a blessing to have a clear voice speaking to the world about the good of the person, true human freedom, and what will lead to happiness. His reflections on his own priestly vocation have helped me to understand more deeply the priesthood—this awesome gift that is also a mystery.
—Fr. Sebastian White, O.P.

03/26/2025

Tomorrow, we celebrate the moment that changed everything—the Annunciation, when the Word became flesh in Mary’s womb. This mystery is the gateway to the rosary.

In a world rushing toward the next thing, the Annunciation calls us to pause, to marvel, to take in the scenic view of salvation unfolding. Like Mary, let us say yes to God’s grace and let his will shape our lives.

03/26/2025

03/04/2024

Forty-five years ago today, St. John Paul II issued his first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis ("Redeemer of Man”). In this brief video, Fr. Jaroslaw Kupczak, O.P., one of the world's leading scholars on St. John Paul II's thought, sums up this great encyclical and discusses its continuing relevance for today.

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10/22/2022

The principal sign of John Paul II’s Dominican mind is that he recognized that all truly effective, truly pastoral preaching of the Gospel must be grounded in metaphysical realism.

Pope Saint John Paul II had a Dominican mind. This is not simply because he studied the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas under the great Dominican master Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, or becau…

10/22/2022

Happy Feast of Saint John Paul ll!

On this episode of Godsplaining, join Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, O.P. and Fr. Bonaventure Chapman, O.P., as they discuss the life and pontificate of this beloved pope.

Pope Saint John Paul ll, pray for us!

Episode 168: Saint John Paul IIJoin Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress and Fr. Bonaventure Chapman as they discuss one of their favorite saints, Saint John Paul II. Su...