Book Excerpts:

SpiritSite.com is pleased to offer excerpts from the following books.  You may click on a book's cover to begin, or on the links below:

Selections from Gift and Mystery:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Selections from Crossing the Threshold of Hope:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

His Holiness Pope John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in 1920 at Wadowice, Poland. After developing a deep love of Polish language and literature, he began studying secretly for the priesthood during the German occupation of
Poland.  He earned a doctorate in theology in 1948 at the Angelicum in Rome, Italy. 

He later served as a parish priest and then returned to study philosophy at the Jagiellonian University at Krakow. Pope Pius XII appointed Karol Wojtyla an auxiliary bishop in Krakow in 1958 and Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Krakow in 1963.  In 1978, Archbishop Wojtyla became His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

Gift and Mystery

Gift and Mystery (review or buy) is a work which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of His Holiness John Paul II’s priestly ordination. In a personal spiritual testimony, Pope John Paul II describes his journey to the priesthood, discussing his childhood, education, the years of Nazi occupation that led him to dedicate his life to God, and his ministry within the Catholic Church.

Crossing the Threshold of Hope

In Crossing the Threshold of Hope (review or buy), Pope John Paul II goes to the heart of his personal beliefs and speaks with passion about the existence of God; about the dignity of man; about pain, suffering, and evil; about eternal life and the meaning of salvation; and more. With the humility and generosity of spirit for which he is known, John Paul II speaks directly to all people. His message: "Be not afraid!"