"Prayer can truly change your life, for it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart towards the Lord."

- Saint John Paul II

NEWS & FEATURES

Fall 2024

From the desk of the new Director of the

John Paul II Institute

September 12th, Feast of The Holy Name of Mary

Dear friends of St. John Paul II,

I can hardly express my gratitude for the warm welcome I have received from our community! I am very excited to be a part of this Institute and the many great courses and initiatives we undertake. Your enthusiasm regarding all things John Paul II is truly inspiring. May his intercession empower us to engage the culture around us with hope and a sense of the coming victory of Christ and not to succumb to fear, desperation or defeat!

Dr. Hittinger has made this transition extremely smooth for us through his generous presence, guidance and fervor for our patron saint. Dr. Piotr Przybylski and Dr. Chris Wolfe recently completed a very successful pilgrimage to Poland and our hearts and gratitude go out to them for their tireless work to bring the life of John Paul II alive for our students and friends who pilgrimage to Poland. Emilia Piechota is ever vigilant, keeping us on track in administrative matters and assisting students and new applicants on multiple fronts.

This semester we saw a record number of new enrollments in our master’s program and 2 returning students who had taken a break. The students are from a diverse lineup of talents and backgrounds and have brought an incredible richness to the classes and Teams sessions.

Collaborating with our family of U.S. scholars as well as Polish scholars and friends we have sponsored online lectures and events on a variety of topics on Poland and John Paul II all of which you can find through our site, through announcements on Facebook, or on Eventbrite.

Together with our partners at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków we have released the 2^nd issue of the new journal, Wojtyła Studies.

Currently, we have a mini-course lecture series by Dr. Pawel Skibiński on “The History of the Catholic Church in Poland in the 20^th Century” which he will follow with another mini-series on “John Paul the Great the Pontificate of the Pope from Poland.”

We are working hard to expand the reach of our online programs, master’s degree, certificate degree, events and impact in a world which desperately needs the wisdom and intercession of St. John Paul II.

Thank you for all your prayers and support this year as always!

John Corrigan

Director of The Saint John Paul II Institute

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

November 2024 – Enrichment class:

Trinity's Embrace: John Paul II's Teachings on the Triune God of Love

For five consecutive Mondays' sessions - November 4th, 11th, and 18th, and December 2nd, 6:30-8:00pm CST, we'll be exploring the Doctrine of the Trinity according to John Paul II with our new instructor, Dr. Somer Salomon.

Registration will be open in early October via Eventbrite!

June - July 2024 - Trip to Poland

Follow the path of Saint John Paul II!

For the final course in St. John Paul II Studies, students travel to St. John Paul II’s homeland, immersing themselves in Polish culture and history and gaining a deeper understanding of his life before and after becoming pope.”

This year, the two-week trip was guided by John Paul II scholars: Dr. Piotr Przybylski (SJPII Institute), Dr. Chris Wolfe (Associate Professor at the UST), and Fr. Dr. Witold Kania from the University of Silesia in Poland.

Highlights included visits to Wadowice, St. John Paul II’s birthplace; Krakow, where he studied and was ordained both priest and bishop, as well as the home of Saint Faustina; the capital city of Warsaw, and Auschwitz.

The sites special to the life and times of John Paul II are available for people to visit and learn about his life and times. Remarkably, many of them are within a 30-40 mile radius of Katowice - Kraków, Wadowice, Częstochowa, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Zakopane, and Oświęcim (Auschwitz). Warsaw is a three hour trip by train from Katowice. 

From a letter by Susan Ogilvie, one of the SJPII Institute's students who took this year's trip:

"(...) The trip touched my heart and soul beyond what I could imagine. I learned a great deal, grew in faith and will share this knowledge and joy the rest of my life.

The professors, Dr. Przybylski; and also Dr. Wolfe are absolutely amazing. Their knowledge and instruction taught us so much of the culture and history of beautiful Poland and her people. They are men of faith, example and professionalism.

Father Witold (Kania) gave us the most spiritual and insightful journey we could have. Daily Mass, Rosary, Divine Mercy, Praying the Angelus throughout the day, visits many times a day to the Blessed Sacrament, etc. We lived our faith, were true pilgrims and returned to share. He is a holy priest, so filled with the Holy Spirit. I told him, "Father, I always wanted to meet St. John Paul II in person, and now I feel that I have through you. You are a JPII Priest through and through." He smiled.

But I want to thank you Dr. Hittinger, for this is his vision for the students. You put this together through your love of God, devotion to Jesus and the Blessed Mother, and definitely through your love of St. John Paul II. I will best thank you by sharing with those I can in my life. I can already see upon my return how deeply it touches others. I spoke at the 3^rd Order Franciscans (...), and to a large group last evening of the Legion of Mary. I am so excited to have done this journey."

The course associated with the trip is devoted to the theme of the life and thought of John Paul II in the context of Polish history and culture. John Paul II declared that he was “called from a distant country” to bring with him to the papacy the faith and struggles of the entire Polish Church in its rich 1000 years of history of Catholic culture. 

It is a significant aid to teaching this course on John Paul II to see the geography, the cultural sites, and the living memory and practice of the Polish people. Perhaps the most dramatic example is the visit to the Auschwitz Concentration camp in Oświęcim. The stark reality of the camp, the commemoration of Maximillian Kolbe, the pictures of young polish men, and the implementation of the final solution by the Nazi occupiers of Poland bring one face to face with the suffering of the Polish nation and to a deeper understanding of John Paul II’s plea for human rights, religious toleration and freedom. 

December 12th, 6:00PM, CST -

Polish Heritage Center Virtual Program

Dr. John Hittinger, the founder of the Saint John Paul II Institute will give a talk on "Saints Closely Connected to the

Message of St John Paul II."

He will present the witness and teaching of four saints: Father Maximilian Kolbe, Sister Faustina Kowalska, Brother Albert Chmielowski, and Father Raphael Kalinowski.

More details coming closer to the event!

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