World Youth Day In Rio De Janeiro To Host English-Language Site

WASHINGTON—World Youth Day facilitiesin Rio de Janeiro, July 23-28, will include a special Welcome Center forEnglish-Speaking Pilgrims. The site will feature prayer and worshipexperiences, music, media and videos, motivational speakers, culturalpresentations and networking activities.

TheCenter will serve as a hub of activities during World Youth Day, which revolvesaround prayer and meetings with Pope Francis, catechetical sessions andliturgies with bishops from around the world.

TheWelcome Center is located at Vivo Rio, a performing arts facility in theeastern Flamengo area of Rio, on the shores of Guanabara Bay, not far fromother World Youth Day activities around the city. The facility is accessible bythe city's metro system, making it convenient for World Youth Day pilgrimstraveling in from around the area.

MostWelcome Center programs will take place in the afternoons and evenings fromWednesday, July 24, to Friday, July 26.

OnWednesday, July 24, the United States will hold a special gathering for U.S.pilgrims in the evening hours. In addition, Australia will hold their nationalgathering in the early afternoon of July 24, and Canada will have their programon Thursday afternoon, July 25.

Artists such as Steve Angrisano,Jesse Manibusan, the Jacob and Matthew Band, and Danielle Rose will be performon stage throughout the week.

TheCenter also will include a "Vocations Festival," where English-speakingpilgrims can connect with bishops, priests and religious brothers and sistersfrom around the world to address questions and concerns about pursuing theirvocational call.

Throughoutthe week, Canada's Salt + Light TV and New York's The Catholic Channel (Sirius XM) willbroadcast from the Welcome Center and conduct interviews with pilgrims in Rio andyoung people tuning in from around the world.

TheWelcome Center is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Australian CatholicBishops Conference and the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, aswell as organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, Holy Cross FamilyMinistries, Salt + Light Catholic Television Network, The Catholic Channel, theNational Religious Vocations Conference, The Jesuit Conference USA, OregonCatholic Press and World Library Publications.

TheKnights of Columbus are a major contributing sponsor of the Welcome Center.

Mediarelations for Vivo Rio will be coordinated by Father Thomas Rosica, a priest ofthe Congregation of St. Basil and CEO of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation and WYDcoordinator for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Pope John Paul II initiated WorldYouth Day in 1986 as a way to reach out to young Catholics. It is celebrated inthe Diocese of Rome every Palm Sunday.Internationally it is celebrated in different cities around the worldevery two or three years. The last international World Youth Day was celebratedin Madrid in August 2011.In 1993, itwas celebrated in Denver.Otherinternational World Youth Days have been held in Buenos Aires (1987); Santiagode Compostela, Spain (1989); Czestochowa, Poland (1991); Manila, Philippines(1995); Paris (1997); Rome (2000); Toronto (2002); Cologne (2005); and Sydney(2008).

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Keywords: World Youth Day. Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis,Rio de Janeiro, Knights of Columbus, Steve Angrisano, Jesse Manibusan, theJacob and Matthew Band, Danielle Rose

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Editors: Father Rosica can be reached at @email.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops media contact in Brazilwill be Matt Palmer @email

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