Paul VI High School Celebrates the Canonization of Pope Paul VI

Paul VI High School students, faculty and alumni have drawn inspiration from Pope Paul VI since the school opened in 1966. This fall, the school community will celebrate as Pope Francis Canonizes Blessed Pope Paul VI. It is sending a contingent on a pilgrimage to Rome for the momentous occasion. The group departed Paul VI High School at 12 pm today to travel to Newark International Airport for an overnight trip to Rome.

“The Canonization is truly a joyous occasion, which we enthusiastically anticipate,” said Sr. Marianne McCann, principal. The Canonization takes place on October 14th. “Students will engage in a variety of celebration activities throughout the school year.”

The activities include a school-wide celebratory Mass on November 1st, All Saints Day.

Paul VI High School was built under the leadership of Archbishop Celestine Damiano, who was a friend of Pope Paul VI and admired his dedication to Catholic education. When Pope Paul VI accepted Archbishop Damiano’s request to name the school after him, he sent a gift and a letter with prayers for the school. The gift was a statue of Mary holding the child Jesus located in the school’s chapel. Pope Paul VI’s prayers were that the high school would help its students experience the joy that comes from learning; that it should enable the students to distinguish and choose between good and evil, truth and falsehood; and that it should teach its students to serve their neighbor, their country, and God.

About Pope Paul VI

During the early days of Paul VI High School, administration and faculty were inspired that the school was named for the current Pope, which was an unusual occurrence. Pope Paul VI was born as Giovanni Battisa Montini on September 26, 1897 in northern Italy into an influential family. Ordained in 1920, he was quickly appointed a diplomat for the Catholic Church. He rose to become Archbishop of Milan in 1954 before being elected Pope in 1963. After his election, he chose the name Paul, becoming Pope Paul VI. The Catholic Church was in the midst of Vatican II when he was elected. He spent his time as Pope implementing Vatican II throughout the world.
A reflection in the Franciscan Media’s website about Pope Paul VI stated: Blessed Pope Paul’s greatest accomplishment was the completion and implementation of Vatican II. Its decisions about liturgy were the first ones noticed by most Catholics, but its other documents—especially the ones about ecumenism, interfaith relations, divine revelation, religious liberty, the Church’s self-understanding and the Church’s work with the entire human family—have become the Catholic Church’s road map since 1965.

The Road to Sainthood
Pope Paul VI died in 1978. He was beatified in 2014 after a first miracle was attributed to him. This miracle took place in the 1990s in California. It concerned an unborn child who was found to have serious health problem that posed a high risk of brain damage. The mother prayed for Paul VI’s intercession and the child was born healthy. After a person is beatified, another miracle, which takes place after the beatification, must be recognized to advance the cause of canonization. The second miracle also involved an unborn child whose illness threatened both the child and mother’s lives. According to the Catholic News Agency, the mother prayed to Blessed Paul VI at a shrine in Brescia, the Pontiff’s hometown. The baby girl was born in good health. Earlier this year, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved the second miracle needed for the canonization of Pope Paul VI by a unanimous vote.

In announcing Paul VI’s upcoming canonization, Pope Francis referred to him as “this great pope, this courageous Christian, this tireless apostle,” who demonstrated a “humble and prophetic witness of love for Christ and His Church.”

“The Paul VI High School community is blessed to bear the name of this future saint,” said Michael Chambers, President. “Pope Paul VI’s life is exemplified through our Mission in calling students to open their minds and hearts to the truth, to be enlightened and transformed by it, and to proclaim it through word and deed in an ever-changing world.”

Photo caption, from left: Sr. Mary Ann Gecina (PVI Teacher); School Principal Sr. Marianne McCann; Vice Principal Regina Siciliano, Class of ’81; current senior representatives Jack Jablonoski, Olivia Darley, Dan Schmidt, Juliana Sweeney, Gavin Petersen, Sabrina Colclough; Lori Garrison (PVI Teacher) and Daniel Garrison; Mary DelGiorno (PVI Board of Trustees); Colleen Chambers, Class of ’98; and School President Michael Chambers, Class of ’94, gather before leaving for their pilgrimage to Rome for the canonization of Blessed Pope Paul VI.

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Paul VI High School is a regional college-preparatory high school with 18 advanced placement courses, over 100 athletic conference championships, serving over 1100 students from throughout South Jersey. Paul VI is located on thirty-five acres in Haddonfield, New Jersey. The school has forty-five years of academic excellence grounded in Christian values and Catholic doctrine and educates for academic achievement and a total development of spiritual, moral, and social values. Paul VI is a vital presence in the educational community, helping to form young men and women capable of leading us in this century. Excellence in learning, Excellence for Life.