A retreat house inspired by the life and ministry of St. John Paul II is set to open its doors next to the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C.
Inspired by the retreats of Father Karol Wojtyla — later Pope John Paul II — the St. John Paul II Retreat House will offer Catholic group retreats in a prayerful setting.
The house, which is a pastoral initiative of the Knights of Columbus, will be unveiled and blessed on Aug. 26. The event will include Mass and a blessing by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.
"Pope John Paul II's deep spiritual life was the engine which drove everything else he did," Stephen White, executive director of the St. John Paul II Shrine, said in a press release.
"Through prayer, he allowed God to make him a saint. The Retreat House is a way to invite guests to enter more deeply into the vocation we all share — answering God's call to become saints," White said.
As a young priest, then-Wojtyla led wilderness excursions for young people while teaching them about the faith. He used the quiet setting as a place for Mass, prayer, and discussion, which the center hopes to reflect.
The center strives to imitate the early home of Wojtyla, in the years prior to his election as pope, according to White. It houses a collection of the saint's personal belongings including papal dishes, his rosary and cross, and handwritten letters and other items from his writing desk.
It also includes 40 rooms, a library, meeting spaces, a chapel, and a dining area.
The center invites parish ministries, young adult groups, college campus ministries, leadership teams, formation groups, pilgrimage groups visiting the shrine, and any other Catholic group hoping to gather in prayer.
The center also allows for immediate access to the St. John Paul II National Shrine, one of the nation's premier Catholic pilgrimage sites, offering a 16,000-square-foot exhibit, sacred spaces, daily Mass, confessions, and a first-class relic of the saint.
