PILGRIM GUIDE Polish Polski PL English Angielski Arabic EN Chinese Japanese Italian Italiano IT Portuguese Português PT Spanish Español ES French Français FR German Deutsch DE Russian русский RU Slavic Slavic SL Slovenian Croatian HR Slovak SL Tchaco CS Ukrainian український UK Hungarian HU Lithuanian Lietuvos LI Romanian RO Vietnamese LI INTRODUCTION DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS! With great joy I welcome you to Krakow, the beloved city of the founder and patron of World Youth Day – St. John Paul II. I am pleased that, after three years of preparation and waiting, we can meet here in the capital of Divine Mercy devotion, in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, to create a large community of witnesses of mercy and to enthusiastically proclaim the truth of God’s love, which never tires of forgiving, longs for us, and continues to seek the path to our hearts. Welcoming you is a city of many saints and blesseds, a city of two apostles of Divine Mercy: St. John Paul II and St. Sr. Faustina. It is here that the Lord Jesus, through the humble nun, reminded the world of the message of God’s infinite love, for it is from here that for 80 years, since September 13, 1935, an unceasing prayer for Divine Mercy has flowed over the world, rising in the simple words of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, dictated to St. Faustina by the Lord Jesus. Here, Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, spent 40 years of his life as a student of Polish studies, worker, seminarian, priest, bishop, and car- dinal – until the day he went to Rome for the conclave in 1978. It is in Krakow that he entrusted the world to Divine Mercy so that mankind will find in it salvation and the light of hope. 4 | wyd krakow 2016 I invite you to an unforgettable journey in the footsteps of these two witnesses and apostles of Divine Mercy. The streets of Krakow on which they traveled and the churches in which they prayed will lead you to Łagiewniki – to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary, where the Merci- ful Jesus waits to touch your hearts and overcome their deepest fears, longings, and desires. Do not be afraid of this encounter with His love! We want to put in your hands the spark of God’s love that is coming out of Krakow. Take it and spread it in your communities: in your fami- lies, at school, among friends, at work, and when you rest. Make a real “mess of mercy,” a revolution of God’s love that is so needed in today’s world, which is absorbed in the confusion of values, lives in fear of terrorism, is shaken by wars, experiences injustice, and neglects the weakest and neediest. I firmly believe that these extraordinary days will fill you with hope and strength, that they will be a source of joy and an experience of living faith for the youth of the Church. Let us pray together – during World Youth Day and beyond: “Allow the spark of God’s love that you have enkindled within us become a fire that can transform hearts and renew the face of the earth!” With all my heart, I bless you for the duration of World Youth Day in Krakow, and I pray that our meeting will bring into your life the most beautiful fruits of faith, hope, and love. Bishop Damian Muskus OFM General Coordinator World Youth Day Krakow 2016 Local Organizing Committee THE ABCs OF WYD KRAKOW 2016 THE ABCs OF WYD KRAKOW 2016 WHAT IS WORLD YOUTH DAY? COLOGNE PARIS 2005 | 1,2 million 1997 | 1,1–1,2 million 1989 | 0,6 million 1991 | 1,5–1,8 million 2002 | 0,8 million ROME 1985 | 0,3 million 1986 | 0,35 million 2000 | 2–2,5 millions 1993 | 0,5–1 million MADRID 1995 | 4 millions 2011 | 2 millions RIO DE JANEIRO 2013 | 3,7 millions 2008 | 0,5 million 1987 | 0,9 million Previous World Youth Days World Youth Day is an international meeting of youth from all over the world who gather together in one place with their catechists, priests, bishops, and the pope in order to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. The founder and first host of the event was Pope St. John Paull II, who gathered young people from all over the world ten times: in Rome (1984, 1985, 2000), Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Composte- la (1989), Częstochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), and Toronto (2002). When St. John Paul II passed away, this dialogue between the Church and the youth was continued by Pope Benedict XVI, who presided over the meetings in Cologne (2005), 8 | abcs | wyd krakow 2016 Sydney (2008), and Madrid (2011). Pope Francis met with youth in Rio de Janeiro (2013), and it was there that he announced where the next World Youth Day would take place: Krakow, Poland in 2016. The established objective of World Youth Day is to experience the great community of the universal Church, listen to the word of God, and celebrate the sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance, as well as to joyfully proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. World Youth Day is a multiday meeting. Since 1997, it has consisted of two parts: the first – “Days in Dioceses,” during which the youth stay in different areas of a host country, and the second called “Main Events” – a one-week stay in the primary host city. World Youth Day lasts two weeks. However, it is important to remem- ber that the meeting requires both long spiritual and organizational preparations. Therefore, the real period of World Youth Day begins when the decision is made to participate and finishes when the mis- sion of the meeting bears desirable fruits – even if this is long after the actual meeting. wyd krakow 2016 | abcs | 9 THE ABCs OF WYD KRAKOW 2016 WYD SYMBOLS World Youth Day is represented by two symbols – the Jubilee Cross (World Youth Day Cross) and the Icon of Our Lady Protectress of the Roman People (Salus Populi Romani). During the World Youth Day celebrations, the symbols are present on the site where the Main Events take place, and during the period of preparations for the event they are carried throughout the host country as well as neighbouring countries by WYD advocates. Carrying these symbols points out the main purpose of WYD – getting to know Jesus better in the Mystery of Redemption and surrendering our lives to the pro- tection of Our Lady. THE WORLD YOUTH DAY CROSS The wooden cross was made in 1983 on the occasion of the beginning of the Holy Year of the Redemption. At the end of the Holy Year’s celebrations, on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984, the cross was passed on to youth by the Holy Father. He asked them to carry it throughout the world as a proclamation of their faith. This was the beginning of its journey around the world and the herald of World Youth Day. First, the cross made its way to the Catholic Days in Germany (1984), and then further to other European countries. In 1987, the Cross was taken outside Europe for the first time – to Buenos Aires, where it stayed during the 2nd World Youth Day. To date, the cross has been present on all continents, including in countries facing wars and conflicts. THE ICON OF OUR LADY SALUS POPULI ROMANI The painting of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani (dating back to the 6th cen- tury) rates among one of the most venerated images of Mary in Italy. The title “Protectress of the Roman People” refers to the miraculous protec- 10 | abcs | wyd krakow 2016 tion of Rome from the Bubonic Plague. Today, the Icon of the Mother of God, renowned for its graces, is located in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which the Romans visit on pilgrimage. Starting and finishing apostolic journeys at “Saint Mary Major” is also a custom of Pope Francis. Our Lady appeared in this image at World Youth Day for the first time in 2000, when a copy of the icon was displayed on the papal altar at Tor Vergata. Three years later, during the Days in Dioceses, the pope handed the copy over to the youth so that they could carry it around the world. This was also when he passed his testament “Totus Tuus” onto the youth. wyd krakow 2016 | abcs | 11 THE ABCs OF WYD KRAKOW 2016 THEME The theme of the 31st World Youth Day in 2016 is: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). At the meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis told the youth: “Read the Beatitudes, it will do you good” (the meeting with young Argentinians in the Metro- politan Cathedral of St. Sebastian, Rio de Janeiro, 25 July 2013). As a motto for the meeting in Krakow, he has chosen the fifth of the eight Beatitudes, given by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In his sermon, Christ highlights the importance of happiness in the lives of Christians and of the heart of the Kingdom of God itself. All of the World Youth Day meetings – according to the idea of their founder and patron, St. John Paul II – have focused on one biblical thought, which often refers to the spirituality of the particular host city. Not only does the main topic accompany young people at the preparatory stage, but it is also discussed during the Main Events – at catechesis with the Bishops and in the messages and homilies deliv- ered by the Holy Father during the Main Events.