John Paul II: Path to Sainthood

Jack Morris
Senior Division
Individual Website
Process Paper: 498 words

Process Paper
I chose this topic due to my Catholic faith and my respect for Pope John Paul II. When I
learned that this years NHD topic was Leadership and Legacy, it seemed natural for me to do my
project on something related to my Catholic faith. I knew I would be able to find somebody to
interview at my church, such as my pastor, Monsignor Joseph Luca. Due to John Paul II being a
relatively recent pope, there would be plenty of information available online to help me in my
research. In order make my project unique, I decided to analyze what made the pope worthy of being
a saint.
I first looked through a book I already owned, Crossing the Threshold of Hope by John Paul
II, taking notes on the points he made about controversial topics and subjects related to the Catholic
faith. Then I hopped on the internet to find general information on John Paul IIs life and his impact
on the rest of the world. After getting a better idea of who the pope was, I began to research his
personal and spiritual lives in order to discern what made him worthy of being a saint. I also looked
into peoples opinions of John Paul II, and how the rest of the world viewed him as a religious and
world leader. After gathering most of my information I began my annotated bibliography, and then I
scheduled an interview with Monsignor Luca. During the interview I asked him about his perception
of the pope, and what he personally thought was his lasting legacy. Soon, all of my research was
completed, and I began to create my website.
I went to the weebly site for NHD and created a website, choosing a simple theme that would
allow me to tailor-make it to fit my project perfectly. Then I began to find images that would make a
good background for the homepage and also created blank pages to plan out the structure of my site,
which would center around a page for each of my subtopics. I quickly entered in the title, research
question, and thesis on the first page, deciding on fonts as I went along. Crafting the introduction
carefully was a big step, as was taking my researched information and turning it into paragraphs on
my pages. Lastly I added in the audio recording of my interview and my annotated bibliography, and
then I was finished with my website.
My project relates to the theme of Leadership and Legacy through Pope John Paul IIs role
as a world leader and the head of the Catholic church. As somebody who was deeply involved in
changing many aspects of the church during the Second Vatican Council, he certainly left a legacy of
change for Catholics. His stance on controversial issues would influence debates on those subjects
for years to come, and his activism against oppression and communism would change the lives of
millions of people across the country.
(498 words)