22/10/2026
Today is the feast day of St John Paul II, Pope.
Some of you may remember his visit to Ireland in 1979. My own parents and relatives travelled to Limerick to see him, and there was great excitement at the time. We still have photographs of the crowds, with the sea of yellow and white umbrellas that marked the occasion. My husband, Niall, was born in 1979 and carries the middle name John Paul. Many boys born that year were given this name in honour of the Pope.
St John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła, lived a truly remarkable life. He was born in Poland in 1920. He lost his mother at the tender age of nine and his brother when he was twelve. At nineteen, he was studying Polish literature, but a year later the university was closed because of the N**i occupation, and one of his lecturers was sent to a concentration camp. During his life he was a philosopher, poet, actor and manual labourer.
His father was a man of profound prayer and taught him how to invoke the Holy Spirit. When Karol was twenty-one, his father passed away, leaving him alone in the world. Yet, in the midst of his grief, came a profound illumination in his life and a calling to become a priest.
On 22 October 1978, at his inaugural Mass as Pope, he cried out to the crowd: “Be not afraid!”
He travelled throughout the world promoting peace and, at all times, sought to heal divisions. He defended the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death.
On 13 May 1981, he was shot in St Peter’s Square. He believed that Our Lady had saved his life and later visited his would-be assassin in prison, meeting him face-to-face and offering him forgiveness.
On 2 April 2005, St John Paul II passed away. In his final hours, he whispered the beautiful words: “Let me go to my Father’s house.”
Here in the parish of Dunboyne, we would like to honour St John Paul II by establishing the John Paul II Awards. We thank Fr Pat and Fr Kevin for facilitating this request from the young people who wish to take part, and we ask for your prayers that the awards will be a great success and a blessing for all involved.
May the example and prayers of St John Paul II inspire our young people to live with courage, faith and hope, and to remember his words:
*“Be not afraid.”*
May you all be blessed on this special feast day.
Amen.
