The window depicts Our Lady of Fatima extending her hand, which has light rays coming from it, onto the late Pope John Paul II. The design is meant to signify Mary protecting the pope. The connection between the two is May 13, said the Rev. Robert G. Lynam, who was assigned to the parish in 1995.

"Mary appeared as an apparition to three children in Fatima, Portugal, beginning on May 13, 1917," Lynam said. "Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter's Square in Rome on May 13, 1981. He himself stated that it was a motherly hand that guided the path of the bullet. He believed that Our Lady of Fatima protected him that day."

One year later, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to Fatima. He placed the bullet in the crown of the shrine at the site where Mary appeared to the shepherd children.

The blessing and dedication of the new window will take place during a 5 p.m. Vigil Mass of the Feast of the Pentecost at the Henderson Road church.

Lynam came up with the idea for the window last year, and, after it was approved by the church council, Heimer stained-glass company of Clifton was commissioned to create the window. Lynam said the company used an actual portrait of the pope to create an amazing likeness.

"Pope John Paul touched the hearts of many as he has my heart," said Lynam, who attended Mass in the pope's private chapel in the Vatican and attended the pontiff's funeral. "For many young people, he was the only pope they knew."

In addition to the stained-glass window, Lynam also wanted to create a replica of a marble plaque that marks the spot where the pope was shot. After the replica plaque was created, it was blessed by a bishop from the Vatican, Lynam said. There are only two such markers in the world — the original in St. Peter's Square and the replica in South Brunswick.

The 17-by-17-inch replica plaque sits in front of the Kendall Park church's new stained-glass window. The papal coat of arms is etched in the marble along with the date he was shot. Beneath the marker are relics that Lynam collected from Pope John Paul, including a piece of cloth from his clothing and a coin with the pope's image that was commissioned when Pope John Paul went to Korea.

"There is also a rosary that he gave me after a private Mass," Lynam said. "He blessed it and gave it to me. When people touch the plaque, there will be a sense of the sacred, a sense of the holy, a remembrance of John Paul."

Surrounding the marker are 50 cobblestones from St. Peter's Square, sent by Vatican officials.

Lynam is very proud that McCarrick, the first bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen and the archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Washington, will bless and dedicate the new pieces. Lynam had hoped to have the dedication on May 13, but McCarrick had business in Rome that day.

"He ordained me in 1984, and he also broke ground for this church," Lynam said. "We're very honored that he is coming back to us."