Meet Ven. Jan Tyranowski: John Paul II's Youth Minister

You never know what your particular ‘yes’ to God can do: Maybe transform a family, a community, a parish. Maybe lead someone else to the Faith. Maybe introduce the healing journey to a wounded heart. Or maybe, just maybe—form the soul of a future pope.

In the middle of the madness of Nazi-occupied Poland, with priests sent to concentration camps and youth in desperate need of connection and spiritual nourishment, a simple tailor with a mystical bent volunteered to step into the breach and lead youth ministry at his parish. Jan Tyranowski’s simple holiness, genuine love, and zeal for the Lord would prove transformative to a young student-worker there named Karol Wojtyla. The future John Paul II would be introduced to the writings of St. John of the Cross by this unassuming layman—and from that point on, his personal spirituality would take on a particularly Carmelite charism.

Learn more about both of these men and the fascinating story behind their relationship in a brand-new SpiritualDirection.com webinar on Venerable Jan Tyranowski with Simone Rizkallah, the Director of Program Growth for Endow Groups, at 7 PM Central on Thursday, December 10. Pour yourself a cup of tea or cocoa and listen in as we discuss how one layman’s sincere desire to be a saint would bear unforeseeable fruit in his youth ministry, in the future of his country, and in the lives of millions around the world.

Here’s one opportunity to set the sale ads aside, ditch the store lines, and slow down this Advent—for an hour, at least—and be drawn into a story set in motion by one man’s ‘yes’.

So say your own ‘yes’ and register today! It’s free. We’ll send you the link before the webinar begins on December 10th.

Register here >>>> https://spiritualdirection.com/events/ven-jan-tyranowski-and-the-carmelite-charism-of-john-paul-ii-webinar <<<<

Email Print

Claire Dwyer

Mom, Wife, Interior Life — that’s it in a nutshell. Claire’s been devouring books and pouring the words back out again longer than she can remember. It’s where her love of God and the Catholic faith finds its fullest expression. Claire graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Theology, has a certification in Spiritual Theology from the Avila Institute, and a certification in Spiritual Direction from St. Vincent Seminary’s Institute of Ministry Formation. Her roles as mother, mentor, spiritual writer, editor of spiritualdirection.com, and lifelong student of the interior life all came together in her first book, "This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity." She is also the author of Blessed is She's Advent study, In Time: Living in the Now and Not Yet" and a contributor to their daily devotionals, and has written a book on St. Edith Stein set to release January of 2027. She has a passion, through writing and speaking, for helping the faithful to see the beauty and possibility of their own interior lives and their unrepeatable place in the Church, and for Catholic writers in particular to be encouraged and formed in their writing journey. To that end, she is co-founder and content director of Write These Words and the PraiseWriters Catholic Writing Membership Community. Most importantly, she has been married for almost 28 years to her husband Delaney and they have six children and two grandsons. Connect and keep in touch with her at ClaireDwyer.com. You can also read about spirituality for the Catholic writer on her Substack, Word and Silence.