Baltimore’s two auxiliary bishops will celebrate Masses honoring Saint John Paul II on Sunday, April 27, the date of the former pope’s canonization in Rome.
Bishop Denis J. Madden will celebrate Mass at 10:45 a.m. at the Basilica, where Pope John Paul II prayed during his 1995 visit to Baltimore. At the conclusion of the Mass, Bishop Madden will lead a procession to the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden (Charles and Franklin Streets) where a wreath will be placed at the statue of the Catholic Church’s newest saint.
Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski will celebrate Mass at 1:30 p.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, where Pope John Paul II visited in 1976 before his election to the papacy. A life-sized status of the Pope resides at Holy Rosary, which has served Baltimore’s Polish-Catholic community since the late 19th century.
Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will be declared saints by Pope Francis during a special Mass in St. Peter’s Square attended by Archbishop William E. Lori and a delegation of approximately 40 area Catholics.
For more information about the canonizations and the Pope’s 1995 visit to Baltimore, visit www.archbalt.org.