Available for the first time in English, an explanation of the long-neglected poetry of Blessed John Paul II!

Designed to accompany the late Pope’s main collection of poetry, The Place Within, this illustrated, easy-to-use guide focuses on the volume’s first seven poem-cycles which Wojtyla wrote as a seminarian and young priest.

Using this course, the student will gain an appreciation of Wojtyla’s unique poetic style, and his extraordinary use of theologically symbolic language. Moreover, studying Wojtyla’s poetry will help prepare the student for later analysis of his philosophical works and papal encyclicals.

Presenting one poem-cycle per month, the seven-month course has been divided into 45-minute segments for 6–7 days per month, providing the student with ample time to reflect on this profoundly moving and beautiful poetry.

The following features allow the student to explore in depth selected poem-cycles in The Place Within:

• brief summary of Wojtyla’s early life;
• explanation of the poet’s Polish literary heritage;
• theological and scriptural symbolism in Wojtyla’s poetry;
• biographical introduction to each poem-cycle;
• guided discussion exercises with each poem;
• appendix with brief history and map of Poland;
• comprehensive, annotated answer key.

This course analyzing Karol Wojtyla’s poems will give your high-school student a unique chance to reflect upon and interiorize the fundamentals of Catholic theology and spirituality which are embodied so beautifully in the poetry of the late Pope:

• necessity for spiritual union with God;
• Mary’s interior life of prayer;
• Christ’s mission of evangelization;
• articulating thoughts of God into speech;
• the salvific nature of work;
• the Christian response to political injustice.

Wojtyla believed poetry is the “companion of religion and a guide onto the road to God,” so let this extraordinary poetry direct your student to that ‘place within’ each of us, that quiet inner place where we commune with God.

Generously illustrated and annotated, this self-directing study guide is ideal for use by high-school students and can be easily adapted for use by study groups or in classrooms.

93 pgs. E-BOOK: 3.36 MB download.