St. Stanislaus Kostka Church is a mission church to serving the Polish community of Adams. It belongs to Saint John Paul II Parish. The bust of Saint John Paul II is located outside the northeast corner of the church.
The bronze bust of Saint John Paul II depicts the Pope from the chest up. His head is turned towards his right shoulder. He is wearing zucchetto, an ecclesiastical skullcap, a clerical collar, and robes of a Pope. On his chest is a large cross.
The bust is set on a 4' high square granite base which is inscribed in English and Polish:
SAINT
JOHN PAUL II
APRIL 27, 2014
SWIETY
JAN PAWEL II
Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18. 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. He was secretely educated in a seminary in Kraków during World War II and was ordained as a priest on November 1, 1946. He then studied in Rome obtained a doctorate in theology in 1948. He was appointed Bishop of Ombi, by Pope Pius XII, in 1958, archbishop of Krakow in 1964, and was made a cardinal, by Pope Paul VI, in 1967.
He was secretly educated in a seminary in Kraków during World War II and was ordained as a priest on November 1, 1946. He then studied in Rome obtained a doctorate in theology in 1948. He was appointed Bishop of Ombi, by Pope Pius XII, in 1958, archbishop of Krakow in 1964, and was made a cardinal, by Pope Paul VI, in 1967.
After the sudden death of Pope John Paul I, on September 28, 1978 after only 33 days in office, Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyla was elected Pope by the conclave of Cardinals , as a compromise candidate, on the eighth ballot. He took the name of two of his predecessor John Paul II. He was the 264th pope according to reckoning of the Catholic Church and the first non-Italian in 455 years to be elected Pope.
As Pope, John Paul II was politically active and a strong advocate for human rights. Being highly regarded in Poland, he used his influence to hasten the fall of communism in Poland. He opposed the apartheid policy of south Africa and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
John Paul II died in Vatican City on April 2, 2005. On July 5, 2013, the Roman Catholic Church announced that John Paul II would, within 16 months, be canonized as a saint.