Opportunities: study abroad, pilgrimages for students, families
LINCOLN – The John Paul II Project will visit Nebraska the week of St. John Paul II’s feast day.
The mission of this new non-profit organization is to build a civilization of love and truth, in the example and teachings of Saint John Paul II. Founders Joe and Corinne MacDonald and their family will attend all the Sunday Masses at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln Oct. 27.
Their hope, Corinne said, is to “invite communities to join us in celebrating and preparing for the ‘Year of John Paul II’ in 2020. Polish Parliament declared this as a nation to commemorate his 100-year birthday coming up in May, and we’re following suit! It’s prime time to bring alive John Paul II’s legacy, so needed in the culture today.”
The Newman Center at University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host America’s first pre-premiere screening of the new documentary, “I Like to See the Sunrise,” at 8 p.m. Oct. 28. It is the first work that focuses on John Paul II as a humanist, philosopher and theologian. It features newly released video archives, experiences, and interviews from guests such as biographer George Weigel, personal secretary Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, and his “Środowisko” mentee, Teresa Malecka. Viewers are taken through a journey into the life of a pope steeped in love with the arts, people, and most fundamentally, Christ. There is no cost to attend.
MacDonald said Nebraskans will learn about opportunities to be immersed in John Paul II’s example and teachings, following his footsteps in breathtaking Krakow, Poland. Year-round, The JP2 Project offers Catholic study-abroad programs in the saint’s city, where pilgrimages, outdoor adventures, community life and growth in virtue are all part of a holistic formation experience.
Though the programs are new, currently serving 37 students, the young people represent 21 states, spanning from New York to California, and 21 different universities, drawing from Benedictine College to Ohio State University. The visit to Nebraska has been organized by 21-year old Nebraska City native, Leah DeFreece, who participated in the project’s first full-semester program, volunteered for their Young Families Program, and is eager to spread this experience to diocesan citizens.
The John Paul II Project expanded to run 10-day pilot programs in the summer to serve young people in various age groups: high school educational pilgrimage, young adults Theology of the Body program, and a pilgrimage designed for families with young children. These will be repeated in 2020.
To meet with the founders or bring them to a community while they’re in Nebraska, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
