Born Karol Wojtyla in Poland in 1920, St. John Paul was a man who loved people and the outdoors. He worked at a rock quarry, as well as a chemical plant. Prayers was important to him, including daily Mass, a devotion to Mary and studying the Bible. He lost his parents and his older brother before he turned 21. He had a love of performing and helped set up a secret theater group to perform in homes and stores when the Nazis occupied Poland during World War II. He soon left to study for the priesthood in an underground seminary. He was elected pope in 1978, becoming the first non-Italian priest in over 450 years. He suffered from Parkinson's disease later in life and died in 2005.