16 The other is St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the 17th - century French Visitation nun and mystic to whom Jesus appeared several times over a span of 18 months, revealing and encouraging devotion to His Most Sacred Heart. She is depicted in a stained-glass window on the right of this chapel, and her first-class relic is in the kneeler. The chapel also includes a glass case within which are relics of St. John Paul II. Pope St. John Paul II offered this zucchetto (white skull cap) to the National Shrine on June 2, 2000. It was worn by His Holiness in 1980. The Rosary beads have an interesting story. They were in the hands of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. On May 13, 1982, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, the Holy Father was in Fatima, Portugal, giving thanks to the Mother of God for his survival despite the attempt on his life made in St. Peter’s Square one year prior. After praying before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, the Holy Father replaced the Rosary in Our Lady’s hands with a more elaborate one as a gift. The Rosary is between the relics of St. Faustina Kowalska and St. John Paul II in this side chapel, opposite the Shrine’s very own statue of Our Lady of Fatima. In a spiritual sense, the Rosary has come full circle. For the whole story, click here. A statue of St. Michael the Archangel is located above the alcove that displays the statue of St. John Paul II. The Book of Revelation tells of a war in Heaven where St. Michael leads a fierce battle, casting the devil down to earth, where the devil still tries to lead the world astray (12:7-9). The Marians and the pilgrims often recite the Prayer of St. Michael at the end of Masses and at the end of the Rosary at the Shrine.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==