WASHINGTON (CNS) — St. John Paul II, the longest-reigning pope in modern history, was born May 18, 1920, and the national shrine in Washington dedicated to the pontiff is celebrating the centennial of his birth with a series of virtual events May 16-22.
The St. John Paul II National Shrine had originally planned several in-person events, including an academic-style symposium, but adjusted its celebration to an exclusively virtual format because of the COVID-19 impact.
One of the highlights is the pontiff’s biographer George Weigel will lead an installment of the “Shrine Webinar Series” titled “Centennial Celebration of St. John Paul II’s Birth” at 5 p.m. (Central time), May 18. The webinar will be available at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cW-IfNLBSsev9zPRAScRlA. It also will be available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z5WOAJT57Hk.
A centennial Mass will be celebrated May 18 at 11:00 a.m. (Central time) with a homily focused on St. John Paul. The same day there will be a Divine Mercy chaplet and reflection at 2 p.m., with the praying of the rosary at 7 p.m., which is co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Supreme Office.
Other scheduled events include:
• May 21: An installment of the “Gospel of Life” webinar series at 11:45 a.m. (Central time) on the theme of accompanying disabled persons, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the pope’s encyclical “Evangelium Vitae.”
• May 22: A virtual offering of the “Evenings With the Merciful Jesus” spiritual program at 6 p.m. (Central time) led by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy who actively minister at the shrine.
Updated 5/18/20