About the Church
The chapel of St John Paul II in Kaunas is one of the more recent examples of religious architecture in the city, built in 2015. It stands in the Šilainiai district and belongs to the Diocese of Kaunas. Its establishment became necessary because the single Holy Spirit church could no longer meet the needs of all the faithful in this rapidly growing district.
Before the chapel was built, services were held temporarily in the assembly hall of the Jonas Paulius II Gymnasium in Šilainiai and in the chapel of the 2nd Clinical Hospital. However, these premises did not meet the community's spiritual and cultural needs, so it was decided to build a permanent chapel.
The parish was established in 2013 and was assigned part of the territory of the Kaunas Holy Spirit parish and the Raudondvaris St Thérèse of the Child Jesus parish. The parish priest became Fr Andrius Alminas, who had previously worked in the Kaunas Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis parish and served as chaplain at the Kaunas university clinics.
Construction of the chapel and the community house began in July 2014. The building was designed by the noted architect Algimantas Kančas and covers an area of 253 square metres. The first stage was the chapel's foundations, laid in September 2014, and the first Mass was celebrated here as early as March 2015, on Palm Sunday.
Plans were then made to build a large church and a monument called "Called to Freedom". On 5 July 2017 a time capsule for the future construction was buried on the grounds of the parish chapel. The church's construction was planned to be completed by 2022, but no information is currently available on whether this plan was carried out.
This shrine not only reflects contemporary sacred architecture but also symbolises the spirit of an active community and its aspiration to create a space where people can gather for prayer, fellowship and spiritual growth.
Before the chapel was built, services were held temporarily in the assembly hall of the Jonas Paulius II Gymnasium in Šilainiai and in the chapel of the 2nd Clinical Hospital. However, these premises did not meet the community's spiritual and cultural needs, so it was decided to build a permanent chapel.
The parish was established in 2013 and was assigned part of the territory of the Kaunas Holy Spirit parish and the Raudondvaris St Thérèse of the Child Jesus parish. The parish priest became Fr Andrius Alminas, who had previously worked in the Kaunas Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis parish and served as chaplain at the Kaunas university clinics.
Construction of the chapel and the community house began in July 2014. The building was designed by the noted architect Algimantas Kančas and covers an area of 253 square metres. The first stage was the chapel's foundations, laid in September 2014, and the first Mass was celebrated here as early as March 2015, on Palm Sunday.
Plans were then made to build a large church and a monument called "Called to Freedom". On 5 July 2017 a time capsule for the future construction was buried on the grounds of the parish chapel. The church's construction was planned to be completed by 2022, but no information is currently available on whether this plan was carried out.
This shrine not only reflects contemporary sacred architecture but also symbolises the spirit of an active community and its aspiration to create a space where people can gather for prayer, fellowship and spiritual growth.