Beatification Bash

JP2, We love you!

For many of my friends and myself, Pope John Paul II was a life-changing figure in our spiritual development as young Catholics. First, he was the only Pope we ever knew, having been chosen before we were born. But second and more importantly, he lived his faith fearlessly and absolutely, calling every one of us to do the same. He was famous for exhorting the Catholic youth of the world to "Be not afraid!"

So it was with enormous joy and excitement that we gathered yesterday to celebrate the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Beatification is the second of three steps in the process of being named a saint in the Catholic church, and we can now refer to our late Holy Father as Blessed John Paul II!

In honor of the occasion, we invited our friends over for a party to celebrate the formal recognition of the man we already knew was a saint. We feasted on brunch food, sweets, and an amazing Pope John Paul cake courtesy of the Cahill family.




Then while the kids ran wild around the house, the adults engaged in an intense game of Pontifical Pursuit! (hat tip to John for the game title...) Men were pitted against women in this Papal version of Jeopardy to answer trivia questions about the newly Blessed pope. I went into the game expecting a civil, respectful test of knowledge, but boy was I in for it! These people are crazy competitive! It was a blast.



As I was the host of the game, I can say completely impartially that the women TOTALLY CREAMED the men! Well, in all honesty, it was pretty close until Final Jeopardy: the men wagered it all, the women were more conservative... and they both got the question wrong. Not exactly a stand-up-and-cheer ending, but a win for the women nonetheless. Go Team Vaticana!

Since it was Divine Mercy Sunday, and Blessed JPII had a special devotion to Jesus' Divine Mercy, we ended the party by praying together the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I think it was the perfect way to end a celebration of the holy, humble, Blessed John Paul II. (Pray for us!)





And now, here's your chance to play a round of Pontifical Pursuit! I've picked out a few of my favorite questions, and you'll have the chance to win... um... my undying love and affection? Leave a comment with your answers, and you CAN'T PLAY if you were at the party!

1. This Italian doctor and mother, beatified by Pope John Paul II, chose to save the life of her unborn child at the risk of her own life.

2. To the closest whole number, how many trips to the moon and back could Pope John Paul have taken with the number of miles he traveled as Pope?

3. How many saints did Pope John Paul beatify: 200, 700, 1300, 2100?

4. What Latin phrase did Pope John Paul use to describe his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary?

5. Name six languages Pope John Paul II could speak fluently?

6. What was Pope John Paul’s favorite movie?

7. Which one of these four items does Vatican City make on its own for the Vatican household: Beer, Honey, Perfume, Butter?