Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Parish begins weeklong celebration to mark Pope’s feast day

PASSAIC  Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass at the Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Church here Oct. 17 to start weeklong celebrations in honor of St. John Paul II, whose feast day is on Friday, Oct. 22.

The Shrine of St. John Paul II at Holy Rosary Parish is the Diocese’s shrine to the late pope, who visited Holy Rosary Parish in August 1976 when he was then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Two years later, he was elected Pope on Oct. 16, 1978. The shrine was designated by Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli at Holy Rosary Parish and on July 1, 2012, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II’s personal secretary, came from Poland to celebrate the Mass at the shrine.