WISCONSIN DELLS — St. John Paul II Pastorate will celebrate its patron’s feast day on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with the opportunity to venerate a first-class relic of St. John Paul II.

The relic veneration is part of a joint celebration of the feast day and of the Jubilee Year of Hope.

It will take place after the Jubilee Mass with Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison at St. Cecilia Church, 603 Oak St., Wisconsin Dells, at 6 p.m.

St. Cecilia Church is one of the diocese’s six Jubilee Pilgrimage sites.

About the relic

A relic is a piece of a saint’s body (usually a fragment of bone or tooth) or something used or touched (such as a book, Rosary, or bit of their clothing) that the faithful may venerate.

The relic of St. John Paul II that will be offered for veneration following the Mass is of his blood.

Fr. Paul Arinze, parochial administrator of the pastorate, said that the idea of obtaining a relic of St. John Paul II came from Fr. Piotr Janas, SChr, a parochial vicar of the pastorate and is originally from Poland.

Father Janas learned through his contacts that they would need to write to Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Kraków, Poland.

Cardinal Dziwisz oversees the office in Kraków which maintains all relics associated with St. John Paul II, who was born in Poland and is so far the Church’s only Polish pope.

“I drafted the letter in English and Father Piotr translated it into Polish,” said Father Arinze.

“We sent them in both languages, signed by me and requesting the blood [of St. John Paul II].”

Father Arinze said he and Father Janas were “surprised and happy” when their petition for the relic was approved.

Father Janas was able to receive the relic and its letter of authentication on behalf of the pastorate during his annual vacation in Poland.

The relic now belongs to the St. John Paul II Pastorate and will be permanently housed in St. Cecilia Church in the future.

St. John Paul II’s legacy

The St. John Paul II Pastorate is comprised of St. Cecilia Church in Wisconsin Dells, Sacred Heart Church in Reedsburg, St. Joseph Church in Baraboo, and Holy Family Church in La Valle.

It was formerly known as Pastorate 7 when its four churches were first grouped together in 2023 as part of the Diocese of Madison’s Into the Deep process, and it was given its new name by Bishop Hying in the spring of 2024.

Father Arinze said that the beloved pope, who reigned from 1978 to 2005 and was canonized in 2014, was chosen as the pastorate’s namesake because of his widespread popularity in life and because of the example that he still offers us today.

“In choosing the name John Paul II for the pastorate, we considered the impact of his evangelization work and the universality of his papacy because of the many travels he took,” said Father Arinze.

“[He] was the pope of my era growing up,” he continued. “He has inspired many with his faith, outreach, and his special love for the youth. He taught us how to love, how to forgive after being shot, and how to suffer with faith through his long battle with Parkinson’s disease.”

The pastorate’s name is also a tribute to the Polish population in the Wisconsin Dells area, including many Polish Catholics that the pastorate serves.

The Polish Club of Wisconsin Dells paid for the reliquary that contains the new relic of St. John Paul II.

The reliquary resembles the pope’s hands holding a ferula (papal staff) and is adorned with his coat of arms.

Relic veneration how-to

The relic of St. John Paul II’s blood will be available for veneration immediately following the Jubilee Mass at St. Cecilia Church at 6 p.m. on October 22.

After Mass, the relic will be brought into the sanctuary of the church.

Anyone who wishes to venerate the relic will line up as they would for Holy Communion and will be able to venerate the relic in front of the altar.

The faithful may touch the relic, but are asked not to kiss it.

After veneration, all are invited to a reception at the parish center, located across the street from St. Cecilia Church.