Steubenville, Ohio, Apr 3, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Emily Stimpson, a graduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, was 25 when she first read Karol Wojtyla (who would soon to be Pope John Paul II)’s book, ‘Love and Responsibility.’
“Through his eyes,” she says, “I saw for the first time just how precious and how miraculous each human life is. I also came to understand my own dignity, not just as a person, but as a woman. John Paul II opened my eyes to a world of beauty and truth that I never knew existed.”
Known for his tremendous love for young people, many in the U.S. are remembering Pope John Paul II, who died Saturday at the Vatican, for the profound strides he made in reaching out to the youth of the Church.
Fr. Michael Scanlon T.O.R., chancellor of Ohio’s Franciscan University of Steubenville, said that he credits the pope’s proclamation of the “New Evangelization” as one of the key inspirations for the University’s development over the years.