Pope Saint John Paul II’s birthday is coming up on May 18th! Did you know these fun facts?

He was pretty fearless whenever he hit the slopes.

Pope John Paul II loved the outdoors (even as pope, he would often jog and lift weights!), but his favorite activity was skiing. When asked if “it was unbecoming of a cardinal to ski,” then cardinal Karol quipped, “what is unbefitting for a cardinal is to ski badly.” 

He continued to hit the slopes until he was 73 years old! What’s more, he purportedly hated ski lifts…he insisted on walking all the way up the mountain in order to ski back down. He was so talented that he would ski down unmarked trails, too. His love for skiing earned him the nickname “Daredevil of the Tatras” (the Tatras are a group of mountains in Poland).

Here’s a funny story: when Karol arrived in Rome as a new cardinal, he told the other cardinals that “in Poland, 40 percent of the cardinals ski.” The others were confused…there were only 2 Polish cardinals at the time. Karol responded humbly and cheekily, “Cardinal Wyszynski [the other cardinal] accounts for 60 percent.“

He wrote both plays and poetry.

If you’ve listened to our Glory Story about John Paul II, you’ll know that young Karol loved plays and theater. He wrote plays such as The Jeweler’s Shop, and he actually wanted to become an actor before he became a priest! 

But…you may not know that the Pope also wrote gorgeous poetry. Here’s a couple of them…you’ll want to show these to any creative kids in your family! You can read more of his poems in the book The Place Within (translated by Jerzy Peterkiewicz).

He was the first non-Italian pope in almost 500 years! 

Before Pope John Paul II, the last pope not from Italy had been Pope Adrian VI (who was Dutch). Pope John Paul II was also the first Polish cardinal to be elected pope! 

Did you know that he was also the third longest-serving pope in history? That’s right–he served the church as Vicar of Christ for 26 years!

Even more amazing–he spoke 9 languages and visited 129 counties during his papacy. He traveled over 775,000 miles total! 

He miraculously avoided death several times.

His guardian angel must have been working overtime! 

George Weigel in Witness to Hope describes a time when a friend jokingly pointed a gun at Karol, not realizing it was loaded. The then 15-year-old Karol narrowly avoided being hit by the bullet! 

As a young adult, Karol was hit by a German truck and spent two weeks in the hospital (the accident left him with a permanently stooped shoulder). Interestingly, this event was the final step that solidified his desire to become a priest. 

As Pope, he would be shot by an assassin, but Mary protected his heart from the bullet. John Paul II even visited his would-be killer in prison and forgave him!

He had a special love for the Rosary.

John Paul II spoke admiringly of the Rosary in the Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae. You can read excerpts from it in The Rosary of John Paul II! This prayer book contains everything you need to rediscover the Rosary by praying the way Saint John Paul II recommended. It also has Scripture passages, directed meditations, and beautiful artwork. 

Speaking of artwork, we now carry gorgeous wall posters of the Mysteries to help you and your family meditate while praying the rosary! Hang these in your classroom, hallway, or above your home prayer altar! 

For a short time, you can get both the Rosary of John Paul II and the Mysteries of the Rosary Wall Posters at a special “Rosary Month” discount. You won’t want to miss it!