Page 13 - St. Joseph Messenger October 2020

The Boy Who Would Become Pope
The Early Life of Pope St. John Paul II
K that, despite having to study in secret, he decided
arol Józef Wojtyla was born to parents
Karol and Emilia in Wadowice, Poland
on May 18, 1920. His early life was
marked by the loss of his mother when he was only
eight years old as well as the loss of his brother
Edmund who died four years later. These events
were only the beginning of what would become a
challenging youth for Karol.
His Interests
The young Karol Wojtyla had many interests. He
was interested in sports, an interest that continued
even throughout his tenure as Pope, as well as
dramatics and the theater. He wrote plays and
participated in them as well. Yet, because his
father instilled in him a love for the Church, he
was also strictly observant of his Catholic faith.
He was an assistant to the pastor of Wadowice's
main church next door to where he lived. He
developed a deep friendship with the pastor,
Father Kazimierz Figlewicz, who became his
confessor and teacher.
Move to Kraków
Karol was a studious, yet outgoing, young man.
He graduated from secondary school as the
Valedictorian. Then, when he was 18 years old
he moved with his father to Kraków and entered
the Jagellonian University, even taking part in
theater groups. However, when Germany invaded
Poland on September 1, 1939, his studies ended
for a time, resuming only after Word War II had
ended.
With his studies interrupted, Karol began working
in a factory that the Nazis thought was crucial to
their cause. He is considered the only modern Pope
who worked as a laborer. He worked in the factory
for four years. One day, upon returning from work,
he found that his father had died. Not long after
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to enter the priesthood.
The Priesthood
During the time of the Nazi occupation of Poland,
Karol witnessed the murder of many priests, which
only gave him further incentive to become a priest.
He studied under Kraków’s cardinal archbishop,
Prince Adam Sapieha, living in the archbishop’s
home. He was ordained by Cardinal Sapieha on
November 1, 1946.
Father Wojtyla then earned his first doctorate in
Rome, published anonymously, earned another
doctorate, attended the Second Vatican Council,
was named auxiliary bishop and then archbishop
of Kraków, and ultimately, was named a cardinal
of the Church. But the boy who grew up in the
midst of Communism and its atrocities was des-
tined for even more. On October 16, 1978, he was
elected Pope.
The Effects of His Early Life
It is very likely that Pope St. John Paul II’s early
th
life had a great influence on his reign as the 246
Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Communism
and the oppression he suffered in his youth would
certainly color his papacy and his religious life in
general. He did not learn of World War II and its
consequences in a textbook in school; he lived it.
Everything that he accomplished in his reign as
Pope can be traced back to the studious, outgoing,
devout Catholic boy who zealously persevered
despite loss and hardship. He is a saint whose life
we can proudly emulate. SJM
“Dear young people, let yourselves be taken
over by the light of Christ, and spread that
light wherever you are.”
- Pope St. John Paul II