Saint John Paul II National Shrine

History

Although they are two separate projects, the building which now is the Saint John Paul II National Shrine historically housed the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. The idea for the center originated at a meeting between Pope John Paul II and Adam Maida, then Bishop of Green Bay, in 1989. Maida had proposed an institution similar to a U.S. presidential library be built in honor of the pope; the pope instead suggested a center for exploring interfaith issues. The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center was envisioned as a museum and Catholic think tank which would explore the intersection of faith and culture through interactive displays, academic discussion and research, and museum exhibits.

In 1990 Maida was appointed Archbishop of Detroit, and made a cardinal, and he set to work raising funds. About $50 million was raised from several thousand donors. The Archdiocese lent $17 million directly to the center and also guaranteed its $23 million mortgage. Construction of the complex cost $75 million. The center was opened to the public in a ceremony in March 2001, attended by President George W. Bush, several cardinals, members of Congress and other dignitaries.

While academic discussions and special events were reportedly successful, the Center struggled. Its mission and focus were unclear. The size of the center, its high-tech exhibits, and its lavish customized installations had been expensive to build and to maintain. Despite the costly construction, however, it was not fitted with a modern art gallery, making other museums reluctant to lend it works to exhibit. Vatican artworks promised to donors to be on display thus never materialized.

Financial forecasts had projected 200,000 to 500,000 visitors a year paying $8 admission. Despite changing the fee to a $5 suggested donation, the Center received only about 80,000 visitors in 2005. Attendance also suffered due to a general downturn in visitors to the Washington, D.C. region following the September 11 terrorist attacks just six months after opening, and then an economic recession. The Center came under scrutiny after a February 2006 National Catholic Reporter article reported on its difficulties; the Archdiocese of Detroit was itself was struggling financially amidst the economic decline of the City of Detroit, and its seemed doubtful the Center would be able to pay off its $36 million debt to the Archdiocese.

The center eventually closed except by appointment, although maintenance continued to be billed to the Archdiocese of Detroit. By 2011, the Archdiocese was owed $54 million After Maida's retirement in 2009, the Center was put up for sale. In 2010, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist indicated a desire to purchase the building for a house of studies, but the plan fell through as it would have been too costly to renovate.

Knights of Columbus Acquire the Building

The Knights of Columbus, who had contributed $3 million to the initial project, entered negotiations to purchase the Cultural Center. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced on August 2, 2011 plans to purchase it to create a shrine and permanent exhibit honoring the life of Pope John Paul II, and eventually a museum on the history of Catholicism in North America. The Knights paid $22.7 million, of which $2.7 million went to the Catholic University of America and $20 million to the Archdiocese of Detroit

Following the acquisition, the Knights initiated a series of renovations, during which time the Blessed Pope John Paul II Shrine, as it was designated, held seasonal exhibits. On March 19, 2014, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated it as a national shrine, citing the love of American Catholics for the late pope. It formally reopened as the Saint John Paul II National Shrine on April 27, 2014, following the canonization of Pope John Paul II earlier that day in Vatican City.