S aint John Paul II is remembered as one of the most influential pontiffs in recent history. Known for his charismatic personality, love for young people, extensive world travels, and his role in the fall of communism in Europe, his nearly 27-year papacy left an indelible mark on the Church and the world.

Born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in the small Polish town of Wadowice, just 50 kilometers from Krakow, he was the youngest of three children of Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska. Tragedy touched his early life: his mother died in 1929, his eldest brother Edmund, a doctor, passed away in 1932, and his father, a non-commissioned army officer, died in 1941. A sister, Olga, had died before his birth.

Karol was baptized on June 20, 1920, received his First Holy Communion at age

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