The St. John Paul II Institute welcomes special guest Bishop-elect Slawomir Oder, best known for his work as the Postulator for the Canonization of St. John Paul II. He will speak at the Saint John Paul II Lecture Series on “An Intimate Look into the Canonization Process of St. John Paul II,” which is a personal conversation about his magnificent and humbling experience evaluating St. John Paul II’s sanctity for canonization.  The talk and Q&A is from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, in Jones Hall, 3910 Yoakum Blvd.

The St. John Paul II Institute will host this event. This lecture is open to the public. Registration is required at SJP2Lecture.EventBrite.com.  A suggested donation of $20 is welcome. A reception with light refreshments will follow the talk.

Bishop-elect Slawomir Oder, Postulator for the Cause of Canonization of John Paul II, Postulator for the Cause of Beatification for Emilia and Karol Wojtyla (parents of St. John Paull II), is the author of “Why He is a Saint – the Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization” (Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2010). 

Pope Francis recently appointed him the new bishop of the Diocese of Gliwice, Poland, succeeding Bishop Jan Kopiec. 

Bishop-elect Oder was one of the first Polish priests ordained after the collapse of Communism for the Diocese of Pelplin, Poland, in 1989 and was incardinated in the Diocese of Torun when St. John Paul II created it in 1992. 

After earning his doctorate in Canon and Civil Law from Lateran University, he began his work for the Diocese of Rome, serving as deputy director of the legal office, chancellor of the Court of Appeals, and president of the Court of Appeals.

In 2005, he was appointed to serve as the Postulator of the sainthood cause of St. John Paul II by Pope Benedict XVI. He was given clear instructions to work fast but to work well.  This opportunity allowed him to oversee the investigations into the life of John Paul II that led to the beatification and canonization of Pope John Paul II (completed in 2014).  

For more information, email sjpiiprograms@stthom.edu or call 713-525-2112.