The Gift of Blessed John Paul II: A Celebration of His Enduring Legacy

From the moment he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of his election in October 1978, Pope John Paul II has captured the imagination and hearts of people around the world. This first-ever Polish pope—the first non-Italian to be elected in five hundred years-set the tone of his entire pontificate in his first homily by exhorting us to “Open wide the doors for Christ.” Over his twenty-six-year papacy, Karol Wojtyla would show—both by his writings and his personal witness—the transformation that can happen in our lives when we invite Jesus into our hearts. As John Paul receives the title “Blessed” at his May 1 beatification, we can capture the vision he had for the church and for the world in a new book by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. Known for his gift of teaching the faith, Cardinal Wuerl explores the spiritual and pastoral wealth of John Paul’s writings as found in his encyclicals and apostolic exhortations. The Cardinal unfolds these treasures for us, presenting not only Blessed John Paul’s teachings, but also suggesting how we can apply them in our lives as we face the challenges of being a disciple of Christ in the world today.