John Paul II was raised in a saintly home, led by two virtuous parents who desired the best for their children. His mother, Emilia Wojtyla, was a confident young woman who ran a religious household and was proud of her two sons, Karol and Edmund.

She was especially fond of her youngest child, Karol, whom she affectionally called “Lolek.” According to biographer George Weigel, “Emilia walked him in a pram through Wadowice and told her neighbors, ‘You’ll see, my Lolek will be a great man someday.'”

While Emilia would only live to see her little Lolek reach the age of almost-9 years old, John Paul II believed she left a lasting impact on him.

John Paul II’s memories of his mother were few, but he stated later in life that her contribution to his religious upbringing “must have been great.”

Emilia’s motherly intuition turned out to be more than true — after all, many since John Paul II’s canonization have labeled him “John Paul the Great.”

Her deep devotion to God and the Blessed Mother was successfully passed on to her son, providing a fertile ground for the root of the Gospel that would one day grow into an enormous tree of faith.