Karol Josef Wojtyla (pronounced Voy-tee-wah) was born in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920, to an administrative officer in the Polish army and a former schoolteacher. His friends and family called him "Lolek." As a young man, Karol was athletic. He enjoyed playing soccer as a goalie and took daredevil swims in a flooded Swaka River. He also was an excellent student and he served as president of his school sodality. His childhood was not a happy one however, seeing that his mother died of cancer and kidney problems just before Karol was nine years old. His father, a faith-filled individual, and his older brother, Edmund, who was 21 at the time of his mother's death, were both sympathetic to young Karol's feelings about the devastating loss of his close and loving mother. Even before this tragic event however, the strict Catholic Wojtyla family had suffered another loss, the death of Karol's newborn sister, and now this! It was too much for little Karol, but soon he found comfort in his friends, some of whom were Catholic and others Jewish. The differences in religion did not matter to Karol, he just wanted to have a good time with everyone! He sure did, besides being one of the best soccer players in the town, Karol also was a great dancer and beyond expert skiier.
After a sucessful grade school career, Karol became interested in peotry and theatre. He soon became his high school's leading actor, writer, and athlete. In fact, his peers were son influenced by his actions and accomplishments that they voted him President of their Student Government, a role in which he performed admirably. After a stressful, yet challenging and enjoyable junior year, he and his father recieved a telegram. Upon seeing it, Karol immediately asked, "Papa, aren't telegrams usually bad news?" Shaking, his father opened the yellowed paper and read. Suddenly, Karol's father started crying and told Karol that Edmund, his older brother, had died while treating patients who had scarlet fever. Karol was rocked and fell to the floor in disbelief and gasping for air. Edmund had planned to come home that weekend, and they had already made plans! Throughout the next few months, Karol was not himself. He acted secluded and isolated himself from others, until one of his friends finally found out what happened. Immediately an entire committee of his closest friends gathered and planned how they could help him. Over time their love, compassion and humor fought Karol's depressed state, from which he finally emerged, promising to never retreat into it again. His renewed passion for life and quest for the truth led Karol into the seminary and on November 1, 1946, Karol was ordained a priest. Throughout his several years at the seminary, World War II raged on, but his deep spiritual faith and his knack for getting through the hard times prevailed. He moved quite quickly up the ladder, and on October 16, 1978, Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul II and becomes the 263rd successor to Peter!