Saint John Paul II Institute

A Blessed Memorial Day and Prayers

😇🙏Today marks the 106th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, born as Karol Józef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. To commemorate the day, Polish leadership, including President Karol Nawrocki with First Lady, Marta Nawrocka, visited the Vatican to pray and lay flowers 💐 at his tomb:

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYejlHAgC9P/

👏Congratulations to our dear 11 Graduates of 2026! 🫶😇👩🏼‍🎓👨🏼‍🎓

😊We share in your joy at completing the program and earning your Master's degree in JPII Studies, yet we also feel a sense of sadness alongside you that it has come to an end! Nevertheless, we believe that this program has brought much good into your lives and will inspire you to take on new challenges!🥰

SJPII Institute's director, Dr. John Corrigan, has proudly accompanied all graduates who participated in Baccalaureate Mass at Catholic Charismatic Center on Saturday, May 9th and Commencement on Sunday May 10th at NRG Arena.

"Pope John Paul II was greeting the faithful before the weekly General Audience from an open white jeep when shots were fired at close range on May 13, 1981. The Pope was seriously wounded and immediately transported to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital(...)."

📆Today, May 13th, 2026 we mark as 45th anniversary of the assassination attempt on John Paul II🙏🏼😇

Watch below how Pope Leo XIV prays at the spot where St. John Paul II was shot:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-leo-xiv-john-paul-ii-fatima-attack-shots-st-peters-square.html

image source: https://www.cal-catholic.com/the-20th-centurys-emblematic-pope/

Thank you to our Student Supporters and Donors who made Giving Day 2026 a massive success!

We encourage to listen a beautiful story of Blessed Hanna Chrzanowska, Nurse of Mercy, whose feast day is celebrated today, on April 29👩‍⚕️😇

➡Read more here:
https://www.thedivinemercy.org/.../blessed-hanna...

➡Listen a story about her connection with Karol Wojtyła:
https://youtu.be/C1mtODvCNiQ?si=CBwd4P3vIc0fVu-U

GIVING DAY 2026 IS TODAY APRIL 28, 2026
A student donor has offered a matching gift up to 5000.00 for all donations till Friday! Use the link and scroll down to "Annual Scholarships" then St. John Paul II and Polish Studies Annual Scholarship" to double the impact of your gift.
https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/76623/donations/new

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johncorriganjohnpaul2instituteust_use-those-education-benefits-in-a-way-that-ugcPost-7453194055674466304-abpQ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAEPppABs1M81sxJ75681Fk9d0fcp5x-OVQ

Don't Let Your Education Benefits Get Wasted | John Corrigan, Ph.D. USE THOSE EDUCATION BENEFITS IN A WAY THAT BUILDS YOUR CAREER ON FAITH AND REASON

Our love and appreciation goes to Dr. John P. Hittinger, a philosopher, scholar and founder of the Saint John Paul II Institute at the University of St. Thomas. On Wednesday, April 15th we met together with faculty, staff, students and friends to celebrate his upcoming retirement.

Among many of his achievements we would like to highlight those accomplished at the UST: developing master’s degree program in JPII Studies, co-founding an academic journal „Wojtyła Studies” or initiating and leading UST Study Abroad in Poland since 2017.

His big heart, a sense of humor, reliability and steadfastness he has been displaying in both his private and professional life, will be remembered by many! ❤️