Pope Francis visits Knights of Columbus-sponsored Mercy Centre in Kraków

Pope Francis visited the Knights of Columbus-sponsored Mercy Centre at Tauron Arena Kraków on Sunday, July 31, to greet 12,000 World Youth Day volunteers.

In addition to the 10,000 Polish and 2,000 international volunteers greeting the pope, the Knights of Columbus was represented by its supreme chaplain, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore.

The stop was among the Pope’s last stops before departing for Rome Sunday evening.

Mercy Centre served throughout the past week as the international English-language catechetical and youth festival site at World Youth Day from July 26-31. Activities included Eucharist adoration, talks by bishops and leaders of youth ministries and movements, witnesses by young people on the importance of faith, musical and other presentations.
 

Joining the Knights of Columbus as co-sponsors of the Mercy Centre were the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the religious congregation best known for promoting the message of Divine Mercy received by St. Faustina Kowalska, the 20th-century Polish mystic and member of the same order; the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C.; and the Sisters of Life, a New York-based religious community of women that works to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.

Also partnering with the Knights at the Mercy Centre are Salt + Light Television, Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Dominican Liturgical Institute, the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and the National Council of Diocesan Vocations Directors (NCDVD).

The bishops’ conferences of the United States, Canada and Australia also hosted their national gatherings at the Mercy Centre.