KRAKÓW, Poland, July 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two
of the major themes of Kraków's history are Divine Mercy and
religious freedom. Both of these themes – along with others – will
be highlighted during World Youth Day 2016 at the Knights of
Columbus-sponsored Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena Kraków, which
serves as World Youth Day's international English-language
catechetical and youth festival site.
Programming begins Tuesday, July
26, at 12:00 p.m. CET with the
Kraków "City of Saints" Panel Reflection featuring George Weigel, John Paul
II biographer and senior Vatican analyst for NBC News;
Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, CEO
of Salt + Light Television and English language assistant to the
Holy See Press Office; and Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, superior
general of the Sisters of Life. The relics of Kraków's five most
renowned saints, including World Youth Day patrons St. John Paul II
and St. Faustina, will be made available for veneration prior to
the panel reflection.
Catechesis sessions from July
27-29 will include personal witnesses on the beauty and
sacredness of married love and "School of Mercy" breakout sessions
during lunch, led by prominent Catholic speakers.
A panel discussion on the global state of religious freedom at
3:45 p.m. CET leads Wednesday
evening's programing, closing with the Night of Mercy
celebration.
Kraków provides a fitting backdrop for the religious freedom
panel, July 27. In the 20th century,
Kraków suffered through both Nazi and Soviet domination. It was
ground zero for the Holocaust, and witnessed persecution of the
Catholic Church by both totalitarian regimes as well. Panelists on
this topic will include: Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who has served as the chair of the
U.S. Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty; George Weigel; and Vice President of the
humanitarian NGO, Roads of Success, Jacqueline Isaac, who will share stories from
her visit to war-torn Iraq. An
American of Egyptian descent, Isaac has spent more than a decade
advocating for the rights of minorities and women across the
Middle East, and recently
testified before the U.K. Parliament and U.S. Congress.
The Night of Mercy celebration features Bishop
Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of
Los Angeles and founder of Word on
Fire Catholic Ministries; Joel
Stepanek, director of resource development for Life Teen
International; and eight-time Grammy nominee Matt Maher and Dove Award nominee Audrey Assad. The festival closes out with the
musical performance, CREDO: I Believe in Mercy, by the
Cenacolo Community, a group of young people who have experienced
God's mercy through freedom from addiction.
"We are pleased to be able to provide this center and its
quality programming for the many English-language pilgrims coming
to World Youth Day in Kraków," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.
"Our hope is that those who come to this site will grow in their
faith in a way that helps shape the rest of their lives."
All main stage events at the Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena Kraków
will be broadcast through livestream and made available at
wydenglishsite.org. For more information, please view online
program details.
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/k-of-c-sponsored-mercy-centre-brings-important-english-language-programming-to-wyd-pilgrims-at-tauron-arena-krakow-300303346.html
SOURCE Knights of Columbus