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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS In Service to One. In Service to Al l .

In his last public visit before leaving Poland, Pope Francis met with 12,000 WorldYouth Day volunteers at the Knights of Columbus-sponsored Mercy Centre at Tau-ron Arena Kraków on Sunday, July 31.

Pope Francis, who was accompanied by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Kraków(right) and Auxiliary Bishop Damian Muskus, O.F.M. (left), the coordinator-gen-eral of WYD Kraków, was privately greeted and welcomed by Supreme ChaplainArchbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore upon his arrival.

Archbishop Lori, together with Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch and SzymonCzyszek, who led the Knights of Columbus organizing team, were among those sit-ting on stage with the Holy Father throughout the event.

“Preparing the World Youth Day is an adventure, a real adventure,” said PopeFrancis in spontaneous remarks. “I wish to thank all you volunteers for all you’vedone, for those hours you sacrificed for prayer.”♦

Pope Francis Visits Mercy CentreSupreme Chaplain welcomes the Holy Father to K of C-sponsored World Youth Day venue

From July 26-31, during the week preceding the 134thSupreme Convention, staff and volunteers of the Knights ofColumbus welcomed tens of thousands of young people to

an international English-language catechetical and youth festivalsite at World Youth Day 2016. The Tauron Arena Kraków, one ofthe largest entertainment and sports venues in Poland, becameknown as the K of C-sponsored “Mercy Centre,” offering youngpilgrims an inspirational program of events. Programming includedcatechetical sessions led by Vatican-assigned bishops, concerts fea-turing globally-renowned musicians, talks by prominent Catholicspeakers, witnesses to persecution of the Church in the Middle East,and a series of exhibits and liturgical celebrations.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap, of Boston, Cardinal LuisTagle of Manila, Philippines, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan of NewYork, each a member of the Knights of Columbus, led catechesisand celebrated Mass for pilgrims on Wednesday, Thursday and Fri-day respectively.

On Wednesday, July 27, the 18,000-seat arena quickly filled tocapacity for a “Night of Mercy” youth festival with performances

KNIGHTS PLAY MAJOR ROLE IN WYD 2016Order sponsors international English-language catechetical site for World Youth Day pilgrims in Kraków

Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil, Iraq, addresses young people filling the TauronArena Kraków during a panel on religious liberty July 27.

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by acclaimed musicians matt maher andaudrey assad, a moving eucharistic pro-cession, and a reflection by Bishoprobert Barron of Word on fire min-istries. The evening concluded at an out-door stage with a dramatic biblicalperformance titled “I Believe in mercy”by Cenacolo, a community serving youngpeople who have suffered addiction.

Panel discussions focused on Kraków’sown saints who inspired a young KarolWojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, topursue his vocation, and on religious free-dom, especially as it relates to the perse-cuted Church in the middle east.

Throughout the week, young pilgrimshad the opportunity to participate in eu-charistic adoration, go to confession, meetwith priests and religious in a “VocationsCafe,” and venerate relics of saintly Poles:WYD patrons St. John Paul II and St.faustina Kowalska, St. albert Chmielowski,St. maximilian Kolbe and Blessed JerzyPopiełuszko. In addition, exhibits featuredtopics such as the diocesan priesthood, Di-vine mercy, Poland’s road to freedom, St.John Paul II and the Solidarity movement,and auschwitz.

Joining the Knights of Columbus asco-sponsors of the mercy Centre were theSisters of our Lady of mercy, the SaintJohn Paul II National Shrine in Wash-ington, D.C., and the Sisters of Life.

also partnering with the Knights wereSalt + Light Television, Holy Cross familyministries, the Dominican Liturgical Insti-tute, the National religious Vocation Con-ference (NrVC) and the National Councilof Diocesan Vocations Directors (NCDVD).

for more information, as well as photosand videos of the mercy Centre events,visit wydenglishsite.org.♦

Tuesday, Aug. 2 8-9 a.m. Official Registration of Delegates Supreme Secretary’s Office

Lower Concourse – Sheraton Hall C

8:30-9:20 a.m. Confessions Lower Concourse – Osgoode Ballroom

9:30 a.m. Opening Mass Lower Concourse – Grand Ballroom

7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Adoration Chapel Second Floor – Churchill

1-4:15 p.m. Opening Business Session Lower Concourse – Grand Ballroom& Supreme Knight’s Report (Open Session – Families Invited)

5-7 p.m. Shuttles to States Dinner Sheraton Hotel Lobby (Convention ID required)

6:30 p.m. Doors open States Dinner Allstream Centre – Ballroom(7 p.m. Dinner) (Shuttles will return attendees after dinner)

College Knights Participate in JPII Pilgrimage

a grouP of 30 young Knights ofColumbus representing colleges and semi-naries throughout the united States,Canada, mexico and Poland joined theirbrother Knights in Kraków and its sur-rounding cities as volunteers at WorldYouth Day 2016.

In the days leading up to the event, thecollege Knights, together with members ofthe Sisters of Life, went on a pilgrimage inthe footsteps of St. John Paul II. upon ar-riving in Poland July 21, they traveled tothe city of Wadowice, where they visitedthe childhood home of Karol Wojtyła.

The same evening, the Knights touredthe former Nazi concentration and exter-mination camps of auschwitz-Birkenau.The following day, the group traveled tothe Shrine of our Lady of Ludźmierz — animportant place in the life of John Paul II

and the site of the order’s first admissionDegree ceremony in Poland 10 years ago —before continuing to Zakopane, in theTatra mountains of southern Poland.

after two days of hiking, prayer and re-flection, they returned to Kraków, wherethey visited the Divine mercy Sanctuaryand neighboring St. John Paul II Sanctuaryin Kraków-Łagiewniki; had a tour of thecity led by papal biographer george Weigel;and attended a mass celebrated by SupremeChaplain archbishop William e. Lori atthe arka Pana (Lord’s ark) Church inNowa Huta, Kraków’s easternmost district.

The college Knights concluded theirtime together by volunteering at the mercyCentre at Tauron arena Kraków and byparticipating in the main World YouthDay events, including the Vigil with Popefrancis July 30.♦

Above: College Knights, Sisters of Life and chaplains are pictured July 22 during their pilgrimage in the Tatra Mountainsof southern Poland.

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