Vatican approves opening of beatification process of John Paul II’s parents

The Archbishop of Krakow received approval to start the beatification process of Karol Wojtyła [Sr.] and Emilia nee Kaczorowska.

St. John Paul II’s parents just took one more step closer to beatification. According to Catholic News Agency, “Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski of Krakow announced Wednesday that having obtained the approval of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the archdiocese has opened beatification processes for the parents of Saint John Paul II.”

This is an important step in their beatification process, as the Vatican is letting the Polish bishops proceed with their investigation into the life and legacy of John Paul II’s parents.

The Archbishop of Krakow will now focus his attention on analyzing the lives of Karol Wojtyła, Sr., and Emilia nee Kaczorowska. After enough evidence of their heroic virtue has been gathered, it will again be submitted to the Vatican for approval, which would lead to a declaration naming them “venerable.”

John Paul II had a deep love and admiration for his parents and credited them, especially his father, for fostering his vocation to the priesthood.

Eryk Łażewski wrote an article for Aleteia that profiled the extraordinary example of holiness his parents gave to him as a child.

It was a devoutly Christian family, whose members began their day with Holy Mass, prayed before every meal, and in the evening listened to the father read out passages from Scripture.Naturally, when Karol was little, his mother had the biggest influence on him. Though she was with him on earth for a short time, he no doubt inherited her compassion for her neighbors, her optimism and joy, and her knack for telling jokes. As the pope himself admitted in the book Gift and Mystery, his mother Emilia’s contribution to his religious education “was no doubt profound.”Karol’s mother’s influence on the young boy would decrease with time due to Mrs. Wojtyła’s intensifying illness. Both the household chores and the upbringing of the youngest child was gradually taken over by her husband, Karol Wojtyła, Sr.After his wife’s death, it was he who dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the care of his 9-year-old Lolek. In order to have more time for the boy, he retired early and never remarried.Such decisions of the elder Wojtyła made both Karols virtually inseparable. After school or on Sundays or religious holidays, they would stroll along the streets of Wadowice, climb the nearby mountains, admire the landscapes, and talk.No wonder years later the pope would recall as follows: “The years of my childhood and youth are primarily connected with the figure of my father.”Interestingly, young Karol’s father was a paragon of a life of continuous prayer; John Paul II called his example “the first home seminary.”