TRUMBULL—George Weigel, New York Times bestselling author and St. John Paul II’s biographer and personal friend, will visit the parish of St. Catherine of Siena for a talk and book signing on Saturday, October 21.
The event will take place in the McClinch Family Center at St. Catherine’s, beginning at 5:30 pm. It is open free of charge to all.
In conjunction with the book signing, a First Class Relic of the still-liquefied blood of St. John Paul II will be present at all Masses at St. Catherine’s on Saturday, October 21, and Sunday, October 22. The relic will be available for public veneration following the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday. Mass times are Saturday: 4 pm and 7:15 pm; Sunday: 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:30 am, and 12 noon.
“All Masses during this weekend will be Memorial Masses of St. John Paul II, by special permission of Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport,” said Father Joseph Marcello, pastor of St. Catherine. “We’re honored and excited that Mr. Weigel’s only Connecticut appearance will be at St. Catherine’s. This is an event that is open to the entire diocese and we welcome all.”
Weigel’s book, Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II (Basic Books; September 19, 2017), is a book of stories about a saint who bent the course of human history by the biographer who knew him “from the inside.”
In this new book, distinguished Catholic scholar George Weigel amplifies his bestselling two-volume biography of John Paul II by offering an album of memories that reveals the rich personality of the emblematic figure of the second half of the twentieth century and sketches his own journey to becoming the Pope’s biographer and friend. Weigel recounts significant encounters with people who, through their influence and insight, shaped his own perspective on foreign affairs and human rights and, most importantly, his admiration and respect for John Paul II.
The relic of St. John Paul is similar to one displayed at the April 27, 2014, canonization of Pope John Paul in Rome. It consists of a vial of his blood that was entrusted to the Knights of Columbus for the Saint John Paul II National Shrine by his longtime personal secretary Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow. It is normally housed at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, which is administered by the Knights in Washington, D.C. The site was designated a national shrine by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It features a 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the art exhibit on John Paul’s life and legacy.
(For more information, visit the St. Catherine website: www.stcathtrumbull.com or call 203.377.3133.)
Photos by Amy Mortensen
