Oct-22 Feast of Pope St. John Paul II
October 22: Feast of Pope St. John Paul II Karol Józef Wojtyła was born just over a century ago, on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice (near Kraków), Poland. Young Karol lost his mother Emilia a month before his ninth birthday. When he was only 12 years old, his brother Dr Edmund died of scarlet fever serving patients suffering from that dreaded disease. A childhood friend named Szczepan Mogielnicki told one news source that "Karol lost his childhood at 12, when he lost his brother... There was no youthful folly in him. Even when he played sports, he was very concentrated, but of course, he had a lot of passion. He was a very noble person, and he expressed things in a very noble way, but there was no folly." The elder Karol sewed his son's clothing and watched over his studies. He taught him to be self disciplined and to work hard. He was deeply devoted to raising the son he loved. Another friend recalls entering the small apartment and finding father and son ...