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TO NATIONAL, AND RELIGION EDITORS:
National Shrine of Pope John Paul II to Lead U.S. Celebration of
Canonization
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National
Shrine of Pope John Paul II will be a major focal point of U.S.
observances of the canonization of Pope John Paul II by Pope Francis
on Sunday, April 27. In one of the weekend's highlights, the facility
will be renamed the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in a ceremony
at 9:30 a.m. - just hours after the canonization in Rome.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recognized the importance of a
national place of prayer dedicated to John Paul on March 19 when it
designated the Knights of Columbus center at 3900 Harewood Road, in
northeast Washington as a national shrine.
"As the premier site dedicated to Pope John Paul II in the United
States, we are grateful to be able to welcome pilgrims here on such an
historic weekend," said shrine Executive Director Patrick Kelly. "It
will be among the first places of worship in the world to bear the
name 'Saint John Paul II.'"
Events to mark the canonization will begin on Saturday, April 26, at
7:30 p.m. and will include a procession, midnight Mass for Divine
Mercy Sunday and a live simulcast of the canonization from Rome.
In addition to liturgical celebrations, live music and a gathering of
young people, the weekend will include adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, confession and opportunities to venerate a relic of the new
saint that is a shrine centerpiece. It consists of a vial of John Paul
II's blood, entrusted to the Knights of Columbus by Cardinal Stanislaw
Dziwisz, the archbishop of Kraków and John Paul's longtime secretary.
Pope John Paul II will be canonized along with Pope John XXIII.
"These two saints have each left very important legacies for the
Church and important examples of holiness for all of us," said Supreme
Knight Carl Anderson. "Pope John XXIII led the Church into the Second
Vatican Council, and Pope John Paul II served as its key interpreter,
leaving the Church a profound legacy that continues to shape the third
millennium of Christianity."
A full schedule of events is available at
http://www.jp2shrine.org/jp/en/canonization/index.html.
SOURCE Knights of Columbus
-0- 04/17/2014
/CONTACT: Joseph Cullen, 203-800-4923, cell: 203-415-9314; joseph.cullen@kofc.org
/Web Site: http://www.jp2shrine.org
CO: Knights of Columbus
ST: District of Columbia
SU: REL
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