St. John Paul II ordained a priest 80 years ago

The 80th anniversary of the priestly ordination of St. John Paul II marks a period of reflection on his ministry and his path through a clandestine seminary during the Nazi German occupation of Poland. Karol Wojtyla was ordained a priest on Nov. 1, 1946, at the age of 26 by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha in a private chapel at the Archbishops’ Palace in Kraków.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who spent nearly four decades at the side of John Paul II, described him as a man of prayer. Father Lukasz Piórkowski, director of the Family Home of John Paul II Museum in Wadowice, said Wojtyla accompanied people rather than imposing on them, noting that he inspired, encouraged, and showed different ways of acting and thinking together.