NEW HAVEN, Conn., March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An
inspiring new documentary, World Youth Day Kraków: A Pilgrimage
of Mercy, will enable American viewers to share in the
experience of young Catholics from around the world who
participated in Pope Francis's international World Youth Day (WYD)
in Kraków last year.
The 40-minute film is available for purchase in DVD format at
Ignatius Press and Knights Gear. It will also air on television on
Saturday, April 8, the eve of the
annual World Youth Day with Pope Francis in Rome.
"This documentary captures the spirit of World Youth Day, and
allows those who could not attend to have a window into this moving
event," said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl
Anderson. "It brings to life the spirit of Divine Mercy,
preached by Pope Francis in the town that is the epicenter of this
devotion, and was home to St. John Paul II, his predecessor who
also did much to spread that message."
The WYD Kraków theme, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
receive mercy," united millions of Catholics from around the world
as they traveled in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II and
other great saints of Kraków, discovering new aspects of the rich
heritage of their Catholic faith.
World Youth Day is celebrated with an international gathering
every two or three years. The event in Poland was the 14th such gathering since WYD
was first instituted by St. John Paul II in Rome in 1985. Annually, WYD is celebrated in
dioceses around the world on Palm
Sunday.
On this Palm Sunday, April 9, Pope
Francis will meet WYD delegations from Poland and from Panama, where the next international
celebration will be held in 2019. As part of the ceremony, the
Polish young people will transfer stewardship of the official WYD
cross to their Panamanian counterparts.
The documentary, produced by the Knights of Columbus, includes
exclusive footage of the Night of Mercy Youth Festival, featuring
music from Matt Maher and
Audrey Assad, as well as a spiritual
reflection by Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron and a panel discussion on
religious liberty with Archbishop Bashar Warda from Erbil,
Iraq, and Archbishop William Lori,
the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty at the
USCCB.
The K of C also sponsored the Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena
Kraków, which served as the hub of many WYD activities and hosted
the official WYD cross during Pope Francis's final meeting with the
pilgrims who served as volunteers.
EWTN will air the film on April 8
at 2 p.m. EST, April 10 at 7 a.m.
EST, and April 10 at
4 p.m. EST. The film will also air on
Salt + Light television in Canada
on April 9 at 8 p.m. EST.
For more information, visit wydenglishsite.org/film.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-documentary-on-international-catholic-youth-gathering-coming-to-us-300430593.html
SOURCE Knights of Columbus