by Mar Go
Did you know that St. John Paul II himself visited the San Carlos Seminary back in 1995?
Yes, no less than Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul 2, visited San Carlos Seminary on January 15, 1995, when he visited the Philippines for World Youth Day Manila. The photo above shows then Pope now Saint John Paul II praying at the Seminary Chapel.
This was exactly 25 years ago!
Did you know that the San Carlos Seminary also has some of Saint Pope John Paul II's relics and memorabilia? The public is welcome to visit and view.
Here is Fr. Jade Licuanan, head of the Archdiocese of Manila's Commission on the Youth and host of Catechism on the Go, showing the very chair used by Pope John Paul II when he addressed the 6th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences at San Carlos Seminary Auditorium as well as the Chasuble used by Pope John Paul II when he celebrated Mass at the Philippine International Conference Center (PICC) grounds to mark the 4th centenary of the Archdiocese of Manila and the dioceses of Cebu, Caceres, and Nueva Segovia.
*Follow @jadelicuanan on Instagram.
Pope John Paul 2 loved the Philippines and visited a total of 3 times!
Not a lot of people know that he already the visited the Philippines even before he became Pope, as Kraków Archbishop Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, in 1976. Then as Pope, he visited the Philippines in February 1981, when he beatified the first Filipino martyr, Lorenzo Ruiz, and then again in January 1995.
An estimated 4 million Filipinos attended the Mass he celebrated at the close of World Youth Day in 1995.
Today he continues to be an inspiration to many Filipinos, especially the youth, and the patron saint of Team Dominus Est, a website that hopes to continue Saint Pope John Paul II's advocacy for new evangelization.