25th Anniversary Celebration of Blessed John Paul II's Visit to San Antonio: A Great Success!

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For JPIICHS, Catholics in the Archdiocese, and even the State of Texas as a whole, animportant milestone has come: the 25th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II's Papal Visit to Texas.  In 1987 -- on 13 September -- Pope John Paul II spent a full day with the city of San Antonio and all who traveled here to be with the future Saint.  John Paul II Catholic High School was pleased to be able to be a part of the celebration of this event, and to recognize those involved in the visit.

On Wednesday, 12 September 2012, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller and JPIICHS hosted the community to a special Mass and Dinner Event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this historic visit.  The event began with Mass at San Fernando Cathedral and will use the readings from the Papal Mass in 1987 and much of the music from that day.

Then, following Mass, there was a dinner at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel.  The event honored the team in charge of the visit: Monsignor Lawrence Stuebben, Sister Charlene Wedelich, and Mr. Robert Aguirre.  (They are pictured above with Andrew Iliff, school principal and Audra Margritz '14.)  Through their remembrances and talk, and along with plenty of images from that day, including many never-before-seen photos, all 450 attendees had a great chance to re-live and remember.  For those in the community who were not there, this was also a great opportunity to learn more about his visit, from the point of view of the three who worked behind the scenes.

Take a look at our photo album from the event!

COMMEMORATIVE POSTER
To the right is an adaptation of the poster issued in 1987.  The school was pleased to send, with the help of Knights of Columbus Council #4183, complimentary copies of this poster to every school, parish, and Knights Hall in the San Antonio Archdiocese.

COMMEMORATIVE PROGRAM
The school also produced a commemorative program for the Mass and Dinner, with the help of Knights Council #6856 (OLPH-Selma).