St. John XXIII

St. Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) was an Italian born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; his papacy lasted for four and a half years from 1958 until his death June 3, 1963. He is one of the most influential Church figures of the 20th century because he called for the Second Vatican Council, believing that the Church must engage with the modern world in order to effectively spread the Gospel. During World War II, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to France and was instrumental in saving the lives of many Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. As pope, he was known for his humility, ordinariness, and for defying the expectations of those who thought his papacy would be merely a stopgap. St. Pope John XXIII, “Good Pope John,” was much loved and is officially honored by the Church October 11, the date of the opening of Vatican II. His feast day is June 3.

“It is not that the Gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it better. Those who have lived as long as I have…were enabled to compare different cultures and traditions, and know that the moment has come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead.” — St. Pope John XXIII

Questions for Reflection

  • St. Pope John XXIII is credited with moving the Church in the modern world from a siege mentality to a mission mentality. When in your life have you opened up your windows, let go of fear, and allowed God’s grace to flow in?
  • When have you practiced “outside the box” thinking and opened yourself up to the vision of what things could become? What gave you the strength to change things?