St. John Paul II -- Cathedral Basilica of San Fernando de Bexar, San Antonio TX
N 29° 25.493 W 098° 29.658
14R E 549052 N 3255166
St. John Paul II at the Cathedral Basilica of San Fernando de Bexar, San Antonio TX
Waymark Code: WMXMN0
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/29/2018
Views: 2
This statue of St. John Paul II stands near the sealed Papal doors he came through during his 1986 visit to San Antonio. The doors are at the east end of the Cathedral Basilica of San Fernando de Bexar, San Antonio TX.
From Biography.com: (
visit link)
"John Paul II Biography
Pope(1920–2005)
Pope John Paul II made history in 1978 by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years.
Synopsis
Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. He was ordained in 1946, became the bishop of Ombi in 1958, and became the archbishop of Krakow in 1964. He was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1967, and in 1978 became the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. He was a vocal advocate for human rights and used his influence to effect political change. He died in Italy in 2005. It was announced in July of 2013 that he would be declared a saint in April of the following year."
From The San Antonio Express News: (
visit link)
"Pope John Paul II has permanent statue in cathedral
By Abe Levy Updated 11:08 am, Friday, November 2, 2012
On a day set aside to honor great saints of the Christian faith, the San Antonio archbishop unveiled a new statue of a man inching closer to sainthood himself and among the most beloved ambassadors of Catholicism in modern times.
The 6-foot statue of Pope John Paul II was a highlight of Thursday's noon Mass at San Fernando Cathedral. Organizers chose All Saints Day for the unveiling and noted it was the anniversary of the famed pope's ordination to the priesthood.
In addition, a statue of St. Toribio Romo was unveiled and celebrated as an advocate for immigrants and religious liberty for his martyrdom during the Mexican Revolution nearly a century ago.
Before blessing the pair flanking the cathedral's main entrance, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller scattered holy water and incense on them. He called the two men “models of holiness” and said John Paul's statue helped mark the 25th anniversary of his visit to San Antonio on Sept. 13.
“We need to have examples of what it is to love to the fullest the Catholic faith and all the values connected with it,” said García-Siller, who returned earlier this week from a bishops' summit in Rome on ideas for spreading that faith."