Did you know that growing up, Pope Saint John Paul 2 lived right next to the parish church? He would stop in daily and pray at the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

I thought of this when a teacher recently sent me a picture of one of our 2nd graders kneeling in the hallway to say a prayer in front of the new chapel in our parish school.

Did you know that we are now privileged to have the Blessed Sacrament continuously reserved in the school chapel? We can never overestimate the value of Our Lord’s real presence in our school. Why do we exist? Catholic schools exist to educated the minds and form the souls of our children in the Love of Our Lord. Now, the children are learning to make reverence every time they pass by the chapel!

What tender love for Our Lady the future saint learned in front of the altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (pictured below from my 2017 pilgrimage). May our parish, especially our children, likewise learn the perpetual help of the Queen of Heaven! I also included a picture of Pope St. JP2’s favorite cake, just for fun!

Pax,

Father John Mosimann