2016 World Youth Day, Krakow, Poland, July 25-31

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World Youth Day theme

The theme of the XXXI World Youth Day Krakow 2016 is: ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Mt 5:7). Our Holy Father Francis 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, to show the importance of the Beatitudes which are at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. In his first Sermon, Jesus presents us with eight examples of qualities that bring us closer to the Kingdom of God.

World Youth Day patrons

St. Faustina and John Paul II are the patrons of World Youth Day in Krakow. When in 1938 the 18-year-old Karol Wojtyła arrived in Krakow to begin his studies at Jagiellonian University, 33-year-old Sister Faustina lived in a Krakow Convent. She died on October 5, when Karol began his first semester of studies at the Faculty of Polish Studies. They never met, but Divine Providence tied their fates together in a particular way: it was in fact John Paul II who canonized Sr. Faustina and instituted the feast of Divine Mercy in the entire Church.

These two Saints of Krakow – the apostles of Divine Mercy – patron WYD in 2016. Their lives are examples for us of deep trust in Divine mercy, expressed in the words: Jesus, I Trust in You.

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