Relics of Pope St. John Paul II visiting Des Plaines

Relics of former Pope St. John Paul II - including his blood, a lock of hair and a personal rosary - will be on display Wednesday in Des Plaines.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe will honor the 100th anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima - when three children reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary in Portugal - with the display of relics and a Mass.

John Paul II credited the Virgin of Fatima with saving his life during an assassination attempt on her feast day in 1981. He was pope from 1978 to 2005, when he died at age 84.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, William Thomas, a professor of Mariology at Newman College Ireland and director of the Pope Saint John II Institute of Marian Studies, will give a presentation on "The Apparitions of Fatima."

The Rev. Esequiel Sanchez will preside over Mass at 7 p.m., with a blessing and veneration of the relics between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The presentation and Mass will be in English and Spanish. The event is free and open to the public.