Churches Named for Blessed John Paul II Get a New Name This Weekend!

In Hamtramck, Michigan, a Polish immigrant enclave in the center of Detroit, the parish of Blessed John Paul II was created in 2012 by the clustering of three churches:  Detroit’s Transfiguration-Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Louis the King, and Hamtramck’s St. Ladislaus.

In the Diocese of  Buffalo, parishioners at Blessed John Paul II Church worship in a modern building, with five wooden reliefs commemorating Pope John Paul II’s life on the wall behind the simple wooden altar.

Both parishes get a name change on Sunday, when Pope John Paul II is canonized.

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The Detroit-area parish, now named Saint John Paul II, plans a Mass of Celebration at noon on Sunday.  The parish, which offers Polish-language masses during the week, will incorporate some Polish into Sunday’s Mass, as well.  The liturgy will be followed by a feast at which kielbasa, sauerkraut, breaded pork chops and other Polish specialties will be served.

Meanwhile, Buffalo’s new Saint John Paul II Church has planned an “All World Youth Day” Reunion and Vigil Prayer Event the night before the canonization at 7:00 p.m.  All who have attended a World Youth Day in the past are invited, along with all youth and young adults from the diocese, to renew or experience the World Youth Day spirit and mission.  A bonfire and refreshments will follow the Vigil Prayer Event on the parish grounds.

On Sunday, April 27,  the parish will host a special Mass of Celebration of the Canonization at 12 Noon.  During the Mass, the five specially commissioned wooden reliefs in the sanctuary of the church, which depict historic moments of Pope John Paul II’s papacy,  will be blessed and dedicated.  The Mass of Celebration will be followed by a parish reception.

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And here’s another one!  Pope John Paul Church in Adams, Massachusetts is also named after the beloved pontiff.  No word yet regarding the parish’s transformation to recognize their patron as a saint.

And at least one Canadian Catholic school plans an official name change on April 27.  Blessed Pope John Paul II Catholic Secondary School, a publicly funded high school in the West Hill neighborhood of Scarborough, Ontario–east of Toronto–will become Saint John Paul II Catholic Secondary School.