On May 18,1920, in Wadowice Poland, Karol J zef Wojtyla was born. His parent s names were Emilia and Karol; they had an elder son named Edmund who was born on August 27, 1906. Emilia also gave birth to a daughter however, there are no records of her birth, baptism or death as a baby. Lolek (as Karol J zef was called by his family and friends) was baptized by a military chaplain, Father Franciszek Zak on June 20,1920 at St. Mary s Church.

September 15, 1926 Karol began first grade at a local school. Here he excelled in all areas of study; religion, math, drawing, singing, games handicrafts and exercise. Soon though his life would change forever. Emilia was often very sick, and died at the age of forty-five due to kidney failure, and heart disease. Lolek was only in the third grade at the time of his mother s death. To this day Pope John Paul II keeps a photographic portrait of his parents on a table in his bedroom at both the Vatican and his summer residence at Castle Gandolfo and that is how he remembers his mother.

After Karol s mother died, his father (referred to in Wadowice as the captain ) began to take on the responsibility of both parents. Their day began at 7 o clock in the morning with mass at St. Mary s church where Lolek served as an alter boy. They would then eat breakfast, and get ready for school. In the early afternoon Lolek would meet his father for the main meal of the day, followed by two hours of playing and homework. At night, the captain would make a light meal for supper then the two would take walks together.

During his high school years Lolek began to grow closer to his elder brother Edmund. They were never able to spend a lot of time together because Edmund was away

at medical school. When he moved closer to home, they went to soccer games, and visited together while Edmund was at work in the hospital. On December 5,1932 Lolek s brother died of scarlet fever which he got from one of he patients.

In 1938 Lolek and his father move from Wadowice to Krakow where he began to attend Jagiellonian University, where he excelled in his first year. Only one year later, young Lolek s life would be turned around yet again. In 1939 the Nazi invaded Krakow and shut down the university, they deported or killed the teachers, forcing Lolek to study

in an underground seminary. In 1941 Karol s father died. With no immediate family left Lolek feel into a deep depression. To add to all of his sorrow Karol, who had grown up with Jewish friends and neighbors, watched as several of them were taken away and executed during the Holocaust.

Although the captain s death truly upset Karol, it was also a turning point in his life. Karol applied himself to the Church with greater passion than ever, and within five years, he was ordained a priest. He quickly ascended in the church, studying theology and philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Angelicum in Rome, where he earned a Ph.D. in Divinity in 1948. On September 28,1958 Father Karol processed to Wawel Cathedral to be consecrated a bishop (the youngest bishop in Poland).

On March 8,1964 at 9:45 in the morning, archbishop-elect Karol Jozef Wojtyla began the precession into Wawel Cathedral. And only 3 years later, Archbishop Wojtyla became a Cardinal.

On October 15, 1978, following the deaths of Pope Paul VI, in August 1978, and Pope John Paul I, in September 1978, the College of Cardinals met in a secret conclave in

the Vatican to elect the 263d successor to St. Peter as Bishop of Rome. In the eighth round of voting, on October 16, the cardinals chose Wojtyla, who accepted their decision with tears in his eyes and chose the name John Paul. Karol had become the first non-Italian Pope since the 16th century.

Shortly after his election was announced, the new Pope appeared on a balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square and addressed the crowd in Italian. In his powerful voice he said:

"I was afraid to receive this nomination but I did it in the spirit of obedience to

Our Lord and in the total confidence in his mother, the most holy Madonna. I don t know if I can make myself clear in your our Italian language. If I make a mistake, you will correct me

The news of Lolek s election as Pope wasn t announced in Poland for several hours after it had been received because they wanted to organize a special party. The news did however reach Krakow by phone and a huge celebration began through out the streets of the city.

Over the course of his first year as Pope, he traveled nonstop around the globe. Pope John Paul visited several African nations, for the first time. John Paul also became the first Pope to visit Ireland, celebrating Mass for 1.2 million people in Dublin and calling for peace in Northern Ireland. A six-day tour of the United Stated encouraged an incredible turnout. On several occasions he pointed out that human life is a "precious gift

of God" and called on Catholics to "stand up every time life is threatened" by abortion or the limiting of family size for the sake of material comfort. By the end of the year, the

Pope had traveled to more than 100 countries. Also in 1979, he wrote his first papal encyclical, Redemptor Hominis (The Redeemer of Man). Illustrating the Pope's conservative views, and reflecting on the theology of Pope Paul VI.

On May 13, 1981, in St. Peter s Square, a general audience with the Pope was scheduled for 5 P.M. Precisely on schedule, the Popemobile drove slowly through the pathways that were created by barriers. At 5:13 shots rang out among the crowd. Mehmet Ali Agca had tried to assonate Pope John Paul II using a Browning 9-mm semi-automatic gun. John Paul was struck in the abdomen and fell backwards into the arms of his secretary. After six hours of surgery doctors released a press statement saying that the surgery had been successfully completed and that his condition was satisfactory. John Paul would eventually make a full recovery and on December 27, 1983 he went to meet his would-be assassin (who was serving a life sentence) in prison and forgave him. To prevent any future attempts on his life, the Popemobile now allows the Pope to stand and wave to the loving crowds from behind a protective covering.

Later in 1981, the Vatican established full diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, more than four centuries after King Henry VIII of England separated from Roman Catholicism, in 1532. John Paul became the first Pope ever to visit England; he took a six-day tour of the island nation, during which he called for reconciliation between the main bodies of the church.

In January 1984 the Pope approved the first revision in Catholic canon law since its establishment in 1917. The revisions were designed to make the church more accessible, by increasing the power of bishops, widening the role of lay people, and

expanding the role of women in the church. Yet on the issue of sexual morality, the pope has remained conservative, to the point that his positions have created considerable liberal challengers within the Catholic Church, particularly in the United States. John Paul II clearly opposes pre-marital sex, homosexuality, abortion, and the use of contraception. In fact in 1995, he dismissed a French bishop for supporting the use of condoms by those infected with the AIDS virus; and his refusal to allow women into the clergy is yet another major point of argument for many liberal Catholics.

Since the early 1990s the Pope's health has been a focus of great media attention.

In 1992 the 72-year-old pontiff entered the hospital for removal of an intestinal tumor that proved to be benign. Several mishaps created brief scares; he tripped and fell on his robe at the Vatican on November 11, 1993, fracturing and dislocating his right shoulder, then suffered another injury the next year, when, getting out of his bath at his home in the Vatican, he fell and broke his right leg. Such accidents have not slowed his pace; he has continued to travel widely.

On March 20, 2000, the frail but determined John Paul II embarked on a much-anticipated pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He toured some of the most sacred areas of the Middle East. Included in his six-day tour was a visit to Bethlehem, Mass at Galilee, and the site of Jesus Sermon on the Mount.

Once a vigorous and athletic man, the elderly pope now suffers from Parkinson s disease, a condition that slurs his speech and causes him to shake uncontrollably. Yet he will always be loved by millions of people, for all of the great things he has done not only for Christianity, but also for the world!