Pope John XXIII Feast Day

Pope John XXIII is one of the few saints whose feast day is not on his or her death day or canonization day. Instead, his feast day is October 11, the day the Second Vatican Council began.

Good Pope John's sense of humor:

John XXIII, when asked "How many people work in the Vatican?" replied, "Probably about half".

When a cardinal complained that a rise in Vatican salaries meant a particular usher earned as much as the cardinal, the pope remarked: "That usher has 10 children; I hope the cardinal doesn't."

"It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about the serious problems afflicting the world and I tell myself, I must talk to the pope about it. Then the next day when I wake up I remember that I am the pope."

A skeptical Vatican official cautioned the pope that it would be “absolutely impossible” to begin the Second Vatican Council by 1963. “Fine, we’ll open it in 1962,” he countered. And he did.

Some articles on Pope John XXIII: http://www.4catholiceducators.com/johnXXIII.htm