Pope John Paul II was born Karol Jozef Woztyla on 8 ... - Knock Shrine

<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong>
A Profile
<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>was</strong> <strong>born</strong> <strong>Karol</strong>
<strong>Jozef</strong> <strong>Woztyla</strong> on 8 May 1920
in Wadowice, near Kraków in
Poland. He <strong>was</strong> the youngest of
three children, and his mother,
a teacher, died in childbirth
Niegowic, a small village near
Kraków and on arrival there his
first action <strong>was</strong> to kneel and kiss
the ground. This gesture would
become one of his trademarks
during his Papacy.
in 1929 after giving birth to a
still<strong>born</strong> daughter. His eldest
brother Edmond, a doctor, died
in 1932 having contracted Scarlet
Fever. His father, a Lieutenant in
the Polish Army, died suddenly
in 1941. The <strong>Pope</strong> once, while
reflecting on his life, said, “At
twenty I had already lost all the
people I loved”.
On 4 July 1958 he <strong>was</strong> appointed
titular bishop of Ombi and
bishop auxiliary of Kraków where
he established a great relationship
with the student population
becoming known as the “eternal
teenager”. In 1963 he <strong>was</strong>
appointed Archbishop of Kraków
by <strong>Pope</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> VI, who later made
him a Cardinal in 1967. He <strong>was</strong>
<strong>Karol</strong> made his First Communion
at the age of nine and <strong>was</strong>
confirmed at eighteen. He
attended High School in
Wadowice and on graduation
enrolled in Jagiellonian
University in 1938. He excelled
in all his studies, especially acting
and built up a reputation as an
expert dancer and a keen athlete.
The Nazi occupation closed the
University in 1939 and <strong>Karol</strong>
worked in a quarry first and
then a chemical factory to earn
his living and to avoid being
deported to Germany.
In 1942 he became aware of
his call to the priesthood and
enrolled in the underground
Seminary of Kraków. After the
Second World War the Seminary
of Kraków reopened and <strong>Karol</strong>
continued his studies. He <strong>was</strong>
ordained a Priest on All Saints
Day, 1 November 1946 and <strong>was</strong>
sent to Rome before returning
to Poland in 1948. He took up
his first pastoral assignment in
elected <strong>Pope</strong> by the Cardinals at
the Conclave on 16 October 1978.
In spite of personal suffering and
sadness, <strong>Karol</strong> <strong>was</strong> renowned
for his sense of humour and
charisma. His love for young
people brought him to establish
the World Youth Days which
continue to bring together
millions of young people from all
over the world to celebrate their
faith. He <strong>was</strong> widely acclaimed
as one of the most influential
leaders of the twentieth century
and <strong>was</strong> very instrumental in
ending communism in his native
Poland. <strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>was</strong>
the second longest serving <strong>Pope</strong>
in the history of the Church,
lasting 27 years. He <strong>was</strong> fluent
in twelve languages and visited
one hundred and twenty-nine
countries during his Pontificate.
He died on 2 April 2005,
aged 85.
<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong>, 1979
Ref. ‘The <strong>Pope</strong> in Ireland’, Published: Gill
& McMillan Ltd. 1979

<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong>
Visit to Knock Shrine
On Sunday 30 September 1979,
a wet and misty day, over half a
million people welcomed <strong>Pope</strong>
<strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong> to Knock. His
helicopter touched down on the
east side of the Basilica at 3.20pm,
slightly later than anticipated. As
he alighted from the helicopter
he <strong>was</strong> greeted by Archbishop
Joseph Cunnane and Monsignor
James Horan. The <strong>Pope</strong> <strong>was</strong>
then escorted along a specially
constructed ramp to the Basilica
rooftop where he raised his
hands in greeting to the waiting
pilgrims.
Everywhere in the Basilica <strong>was</strong>
alive with excitement as pilgrims,
Accompanied by Archbishop Cunnane and Cardinal O’Fiaich, the Holy Father
vested in the inner sacristy of the Basilica, assisted by Masters of Ceremonies,
Cardinal Noe, and Fr. Joseph Quinn of the Tuam Dioceses.
many of them ill and disabled,
awaited their first sighting of
the Holy Father. As he walked
around the altar in the Liturgical
procession, he blessed and
greeted individual pilgrims before
ascending to the altar. He gave a
special address for sick people and
also for the assembled Stewards
and Handmaids of the Knock
Shrine Society.
The Liturgical procession then
moved to the open-air sanctuary
for mass. The Holy Father
opened his homily by reciting
the Hail Mary in Irish and then
addressed the crowd with his now
famous words ‘Here I am at the
goal of my journey to Ireland –
the Shrine of Our Lady at Knock’.
His homily lasted for forty-two
minutes after which he anointed
twelve people including 92-
year-old Mrs Catherine Horan,
mother of Monsignor Horan.
The Offertory Procession gifts
included water from the Holy
Well of Lispatrick in Knock
parish, a stone from Croagh
Patrick and flowers carried by
local first communicants, Siobhán
Geraghty and Michael <strong>John</strong>ston.
One hundred and five people
representing the Tuam Diocese
received Holy Communion from
the Holy Father. One thousand
Ministers of the Eucharist
distributed Holy Communion to
the Congregation.
At the end of Mass the Holy
Father announced that the
“Church of Our Lady Queen of
Ireland” would be designated the
title “Basilica of Our Lady Queen
of Ireland.” He also presented a
Golden Rose symbolic of the high
status of Knock Shrine.
The Holy Father then proceeded
to the Apparition Chapel where
he knelt and prayed in silence
after which he blessed the statues
depicting the Apparition and lit
the Family Prayer Candle. Due
to fading light it <strong>was</strong> decided that
the <strong>Pope</strong> would not travel among
the pilgrims as originally planned
and so he <strong>was</strong> then driven to the
helicopter pad for departure at
7pm.
Sunday 30 September 1979, when
<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong> visited Knock,
<strong>was</strong> the single most significant
occasion in the history of the
Shrine since the Apparition of
1879.

<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong>
Preparations for Visit to Knock
In 1964, Mrs. Judy Coyne (Knock
Shrine Society) on reading of
the visit of <strong>Pope</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> VI to
Bethlehem, wondered if it would
be possible that one day he would
visit Knock With the centenary
of the Knock Apparition still
fifteen years away, she formed
the idea that this would be the
ideal occasion for such a visit. In
1978 the Episcopal Conference
in Maynooth issued an official
invitation to the newly elected
<strong>Pope</strong> to visit Ireland. On 21 July
1979 it <strong>was</strong> officially announced
that <strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong> would visit
Ireland. Knock Shrine <strong>was</strong> to be
‘the goal of his journey’.
<strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong>, 1979
Ref. ‘The <strong>Pope</strong> in Ireland’, Published: Gill & McMillan Ltd. 1979
The National Co-ordination
Committee <strong>was</strong> in charge of the
majority of arrangements for
the Papal Visit to Ireland and
they worked closely with the
Archbishop of Tuam, Dr. Joseph
Cunnane, who <strong>was</strong> in charge of
operations for Knock. With only
nine weeks to prepare, there <strong>was</strong>
much work to be done. Parish
Priest of Knock, Monsignor
Horan, priests from the diocese,
lay people and countless
volunteers all became involved
in committees organising every
detail from transport, catering,
security, media and decorating to
liturgy, music and ministers. Fr.
Tom Shannon (R.I.P.), secretary
to Archbishop Cunnane <strong>was</strong>
the general co-coordinator for
all committees. Some of the
other committee chairpeople
included: Fr. Joseph Quinn
(now Monsignor), Liturgical
Committee; Fr. Frank Fahey,
Medical Services Committee;
Michael O’Malley, Mayo Co.
Manager, Access and Transport
Committee; Fr. P. V. O’ Brien,
Communications Committee.
In order to accommodate
the estimated half a million
attendance, a thirty-seven acre
site <strong>was</strong> cleared and divided
into corrals accommodating
twelve thousand people, each
to have its own First Aid post.
Two helicopters and numerous
ambulances would be on stand-by
for emergencies. New roads were
laid down for the ‘<strong>Pope</strong>mobile’.
No cars were to be allowed into
the village for the duration so
lands on the approach roads to
Knock were to be opened up to
facilitate parking.
An automatic telephone exchange,
press-centre, darkrooms, and
additional phone lines were
installed to facilitate media
coverage and communications.
The Army, Gardaí, County
Council, Civil Defence, Order of
Malta, Red Cross, Knock Shrine
Handmaids and Stewards were all
to be involved in crowd security.
Only people, including officiating
priests, sick people etc., with
official identification cards issued
by the Gardaí would be allowed
access to special areas during the
visit.
Knock Shrine and village also had
to be prepared aesthetically for
the <strong>Pope</strong>’s visit. One of the most
important tasks to be undertaken
<strong>was</strong> the design and erection of
an outdoor Papal altar. The altar,
featuring an image of the Last
Supper, came from the Cathedral
Church of St. Mel’s in Longford.
A large cross <strong>was</strong> also erected as a
permanent commemoration of the
visit.
By Sunday 30 September,
Knock Shrine and grounds were
transformed. Pilgrims had begun
to arrive the afternoon before and
by nightfall thousands of people
had assembled to await the arrival
of <strong>Pope</strong> <strong>John</strong> <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>II</strong> to Knock –
an event never to be forgotten.