St. John Paul II (1920–2005), the Polish pope who led the Church for nearly twenty-seven years, began his pontificate with the words “Be not afraid!” and spent his life calling the world to open its doors to Christ. He traveled to 129 countries, founded World Youth Day, forgave the man who tried to kill him, gave the Church the Catechism and the Divine Mercy Sunday, and bore his final illness in public with faith. His feast is October 22, the anniversary of the Mass that began his pontificate. Below are prayers to St. John Paul II for families, young people, courage and the sick, a novena, Scripture and his story.
A prayer to St. John Paul II
Written for this page:
St. John Paul II, you told the world, “Be not afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ.”
You loved young people, families and the suffering,
and you entrusted everything to Mary with the words Totus tuus.
Pray for me, that I may not be afraid to follow Christ,
to forgive as you forgave, and to give my life generously.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for families
St. John Paul II, Pope of the family,
you taught that the future of humanity passes through the family.
Protect our marriage and our children,
heal what is wounded in our home,
and help us to love one another as God loves us. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic prayer for family.
A prayer for young people
St. John Paul II, friend of the young,
you called them “the hope of the Church and the world.”
Pray for (name) and all young people:
help them to find Christ, to choose what is good and beautiful,
and to give their lives with generosity. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for courage
St. John Paul II, you lived under Nazism and Communism without losing your faith,
and you spoke the truth to the powerful.
When I am afraid, remind me of your words: “Be not afraid.”
Give me courage to live and speak as a Christian. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not.
A prayer for the sick and the elderly
St. John Paul II, you showed the world the dignity of suffering and old age.
Pray for (name), who is sick (old, weak).
Help him (her) to unite his (her) suffering with Christ’s,
and to know that his (her) life is precious. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the prayer for the sick.
Novena to St. John Paul II
To end on the eve of his feast, pray from October 13 to October 21. Each day, pray the prayer to St. John Paul II above with one of these intentions, followed by an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be:
- For courage to open our hearts to Christ.
- For families and for marriages in difficulty.
- For young people and their vocations.
- For the sick, the elderly and the dying.
- For workers and the unemployed.
- For the unity of Christians and peace among religions.
- For the persecuted Church.
- For a great trust in Divine Mercy.
- For a total consecration to Mary: Totus tuus.
Scripture for St. John Paul II
Christ’s question to Peter, which every pope must answer:
When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs.
He said to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my sheep.
The life of St. John Paul II
Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, a small town in southern Poland. By the age of twenty he had lost his mother, his only brother and his father. During the Nazi occupation he worked in a stone quarry and a chemical factory, acted in an underground theater, and studied for the priesthood in a secret seminary. He was ordained a priest on November 1, 1946.
A gifted philosopher, poet and pastor of young people, he became a bishop in 1958, Archbishop of Kraków in 1964 and a cardinal in 1967, and took part in the Second Vatican Council. On October 16, 1978, he was elected pope, the first non-Italian pope in more than four hundred years, and took the name John Paul II. At the Mass that began his pontificate on October 22, 1978, he cried: “Be not afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!”
His pontificate changed the world. His visits to Poland helped inspire the Solidarity movement and the peaceful fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. On May 13, 1981, he was shot in St. Peter’s Square; he credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life and later visited his attacker in prison to forgive him. He founded World Youth Day, taught the Theology of the Body, promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), canonized St. Faustina and established Divine Mercy Sunday (2000). He died on April 2, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, as crowds in St. Peter’s Square prayed for him. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 and canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014, together with Pope St. John XXIII.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: October 22. A novena can run from October 13 to 21.
- Patron of: World Youth Day, families, young people and the Archdiocese of Kraków.
- Symbols: papal vestments, a crosier topped with the crucifix, and the “M” of his coat of arms with the motto Totus tuus.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. John Paul II?
October 22, the anniversary of the inauguration of his pontificate in 1978.
What does “Totus tuus” mean?
“Totally yours,” his papal motto, expressing his consecration to the Virgin Mary, taken from St. Louis de Montfort.
When was John Paul II canonized?
On April 27, 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday, by Pope Francis, together with Pope St. John XXIII.
What is St. John Paul II the patron saint of?
World Youth Day, families and young people.
More prayers
- Our Lady of Częstochowa
- Divine Mercy chaplet
- St. Faustina prayer
- Fatima prayers
- St. Maximilian Kolbe prayer
- Who is Pope Leo XIV
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Matthew 14:27; John 21:15–17, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- John Paul II, homily at the inauguration of his pontificate (October 22, 1978).
- The prayers and novena intentions were written for this page.