St. John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła, 1920 – 2005) was born in Wadowice, Poland. The monument shows him kneeling down among the faithful, praying the rosary, and gazing upon the grotto of the Virgin Mary. Such a setting for his monument reminds us all that this holy shepherd is still present among his sheep, praying with us and for us. Faithful to his life’s motto – Totus Tuus (“I am all yours”) – he leads us by his example and intercession to Mary, and through Mary to Christ. This monument was created in 2006 as a token of gratitude for the gift that John Paul II himself was for the Church and the Polish nation. The statue, which is cast in brass, was sculpted in Poland and is a smaller copy of the original monument of St. John Paul II in Ludźmierz, Poland.

We kindly invite you to visit the St John Paul II Hall on the second floor of the monastery (1 B - on the map). Here, you will find an exhibit presenting the life of this saintly pope, especially his countless apostolic journeys “to the ends of the earth.” At the center of the exhibit stands a statue of the Polish pope, in authentic dimensions, sculpted completely from bronze in Rome, and brought here to Munster on May 13, 1981 – the very day of the attempt on his life in St. Peter’s Square, as recorded in the authentic photographs on the panel directly across from his statue. Next to the monument, in a glass case, you can find a precious relic of the saint: an alb he wore while offering Holy Mass.