True Devotion to Mary
“If you put all the love of all the mothers into one heart it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary for her children.”
Pope St. John Paul II had a strong love for Mary.
When he was nearly fatally shot during his papacy, he credited the intercession of the Virgin Mary, specifically Our Lady of Fatima, with the miraculous saving of his life.
Growing up, Pope John Paul II was influenced in his faith by his local parish and the nearby Carmelites. He also had a very faithful father who regularly took him on pilgrimages to local Marian shrines.
As a young adult, he singled out one overwhelming influence with whom he says changed his life. He developed a strong devotion to Mary because of a book by Saint Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary.
This book had such a lasting influence on him that when he was elected Pope, he chose his papal motto, Totus Tuus, from words written by St. Louis De Montfort:
“As is well known, (in) my episcopal coat of arms … the motto Totus tuus is inspired by the teaching of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. These two words express total belonging to Jesus through Mary: “Tuus totus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt.” (“I am all Yours, and all that I have is Yours.”).