According to the late, breaking news, the Catholic Church will be officially welcoming two, new saints soon! According to Vatican reports, Pope John Paul II will be declared a saint. My mother was very partial to Pope John Paul II (he came in a close second to Pope Pius XII for her!). The thrill of her life was when she and a friend managed to merge into a public audience with the Pope and she actually got to shake Pope John Paul II's hand. Pope John Paul II died in 2005, was made 'blessed' only six years later, making this the fastest beatification in centuries. My older son was blessed to have been able to attend Pope John Paul II's New Year's Day Mass in Rome in 2003.
Also, Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's, is also being declared a saint. Since the local bishop changed the name of our parish to Blessed John XXIII about eight years ago, it looks like we will be changing it a bit, again!
