9 Mercy Pope, the Marians continue their task in the third millennium to make it known that, in the words of Jesus to St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy” (Diary, 300). On Oct. 22, 2012, the Marian Fathers unveiled a new entrance near the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, the “St. John Paul II Plaza.” A life-size bronze statue of St. John Paul II with outstretched arms stands before the entrance as a gesture of welcome to all. This plaza is a reminder of the task the Holy Father entrusted to the Marian Fathers and those who assist them in their mission. Pilgrims may venerate a first-class relic of St. John Paul II inside the Shrine. It’s encased in the marble pedestal to the right of the high altar in front of a statue of the beloved pontiff. Saint John Paul II has proven himself a powerful intercessor in Heaven. The miracle that led to his beatification concerned a French nun, Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre, who was healed from an aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease after her congregation prayed for her to John Paul II following his death in 2005. The miracle that led to his canonization involved Floribeth Mora Diaz of Costa Rica. She was healed from a cerebral aneurism on May 1, 2011, the very day of John Paul II’s beatification in Rome, which was Divine Mercy Sunday that year.
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