Pilgrimage to Poland and Lithuania September 23 October 06, The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy

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1 Pilgrimage to Poland and Lithuania September 23 October 06, 2011 The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy Mercy as the Source of Hope Krakow, Poland October 01 05, 2011 Tel: 323/ Oficyna Wydawnicza WYBÓR ul. Kard. Wyszyńskiego 2 lok Białystok

2 Pilgrimage to Poland and Lithuania The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy Day 01 Departure to Poland Day 02 Arrival Warsaw Transfer to Bialystok. Dinner and overnight in Bialystok Day 03 Bialystok Bialystok - the City of Mercy. The City is closely connected with Divine Mercy. Blessed Father Michael Sopocko, Spiritual Director of Saint Faustina, lived and worked here. We will visit Sister Faustina's Chapel in Poleska Street, Home where Father Sopocko lived and worked, Sanctuary of Divine Mercy - prayers at the tomb of Blessed Father Michael Sopocko. Dinner and overnight in Bialystok. Day 04 Vilnius, Lithuania Morning departure to Vilnius. Lithuania. Here Saint Faustina met Blessed Father Michael Sopocko, her Spiritual Director. In Vilnius the first Image of Merciful Jesus was painted Day 05 Vilnius, Lithuania - Bialystok After Breakfast visit Old Town, Cathedral Church, the Chapel with the miraculous Image of Holy Mother of Mercy. Visit the Convent of the Sisters of Holy Mother of God's Mercy. Here, in September 13, Jesus dictated to Saint Faustina the Chaplet. Prayers and Holy Mass in the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, where the first icon of Merciful Jesus is. Afternoon departure to Bialystok. Day 06 Bialystok Warsaw - Plock Morning departure to Warsaw capital of Poland. We will visit Old Town, including King s Palace, Churches from 14th and 15th Century and Warsaw Ghetto. Holy Mass and prayers in the Convent of the Sister of Our Lady of Mercy, where Saint Faustina began her monastic life in Afternoon departure to Plock. Dinner and overnight in Monastery in Plock Day 07 Plock Plock. Here, on February 22, 1931, Saint Sister Faustina had her revelation of the Merciful Jesus. Prayers and Holy Mass in the Chapel. Visit the Old Town and Cathedral Afternoon departure to Czestochowa. Overnight in Czestochowa Information and Reservations: Tel: 323/ or 323/

3 Day 08 Czestochowa - All day with our Most Blessed Mother Czestochowa, the most holy place for Polish people. There, we will see the famous Black Madonna, which is believed to have been brought to Czestochowa from Jerusalem on August 31, The city of Czestochowa is the principal center of the Catholic religion in Poland for the last 600 years. Take some time to explore on your own before dinner. Overnight: Czestochowa Day 09 - The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy Czestochowa Krakow - Lagiewnik Morning departure to Krakow. Today's sightseeing includes an Old Town, Market Square, Wawel castle and more p.m. Congress inauguration. (Please see Congress Program) Day 10 The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy a.m. Eucharist under the guidance and with the homily of Rev. Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. After Angelus with the Holy Father Benedict XVI and the Pope s message for the Congress participants we will visit Wieliczka the oldest Salt Mine in the World. Return to Krakow to continue our participation in Divine Mercy Congress. (See Program) Day 11 - The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy. Krakow-Lagiewnik - KL Auschwitz-Birkenau (Oswiecim) 9.00 a.m. to 2: 30 p.m. Congress in Krakow (See Program) 3.00 p.m. Transfer to the KL Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum; Walk around the camp in silence. Prayer for peace and mercy. Day 12 The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy. Krakow Wadowice 9.30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Congress in Krakow ( See Program) 3.00 p.m. Transfer to Wadowice the birthplace of Blessed Pope John Paul II. Ecumenical prayer on the Market Square in Wadowice for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II for the mercy to the world Day 13 The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy 9.30 a.m. Conference summarizing the Congress a.m. Eucharist under the guidance of Rev. Cardinal Christopher Schönborn, homily by Rev. Cardinal Péter Erdő (Hungary, Head of the European Bishops Conferences). Final speech by the Metropolitan Bishop of Krakow Rev. Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz. Act of entrustment of the world to the Divine mercy. Sending Apostles to the Divine Mercy. Adoption of the light of mercy. Closing of the Congress Day 14 - Departure to US Information and Reservations: Tel: 323/ or 323/ faustinum@aol.com

4 THE SECOND WORLD DIVINE MERCY CONGRESS WACOM 2011 Kraków-Łagiewniki From 1-5 October 2011, the Second World Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy (WACOM World Apostolic Congress on Mercy) will be held in Kraków. This time, the place of the encounter of the worshippers of Divine Mercy from all over the world will be the Sanctuary in Kraków- Łagiewniki, where Saint Sister Faustina Kowalska spent the last years of her life and where today the world center of the devotion of Divine Mercy has found a home. The first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy was held in Rome on the 2-6 April 2008; it was organized from the initiative of Cardinal Krzysztof Schönborn and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz. In the Organizing Committee there were, among others: Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Francis Arinze, President of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, Cardinal Philip Barbarin from Lyon, Cardinal Audrys Baczkis from Vilnius, Cardinal Peter Erdö from Budapest. The Congress sessions took place in the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran. On the last day of the Congress, on a White Sunday, also known as the Sunday of Mercy, the participants of the congress took part in Holy Mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter s Basilica in the Vatican. At the close of this ceremony, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz invited everyone to take part in the next Congress on Divine Mercy which was to be held in Kraków in the year Kraków the host city of the Second Congress on Divine Mercy is the historic capital of Poland, and the home city of His Holiness Pope John Paul II; it has been named the Capital of the devotion of Divine Mercy, as it was here that St Sister Faustina Kowalska, the Apostle of the Divine Mercy had lived and operated. In Kraków-Łagiewniki there is a Convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, where on the 5 th of October 1938 Sister Faustina died and was buried in the convent cemetery. In the year 1963, from the initiative of the then Archbishop of Kraków Karol Wojtyła, there began a process of Sister Faustina s beatification; this process was conducted by the Kraków Archdiocese until Sister Faustina s beatification in the year 1993 and subsequently her canonization in the Jubilee Year Sister Faustina s Diary, in which she described her mystical experiences and her mission to proclaim to the world the message of Divine Mercy, entrusted to her by the Lord Jesus through her spiritual experiences, was kept here in the Kraków convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. In his encyclical letter entitled Dives in Misericordia (1980), the Holy Father John Paul II had made the mystery of the Divine Mercy the leading motif of his pastoral teaching. He emphasized that Mercy, understood as God s attribute, constitutes the key to the understanding of God s presence in the world which in the course of the XX century had experienced the First and Second World War, the terrible October revolution, Hitler s Nazism, the genocide of the concentration camps and the communist system which extended to vast areas of our globe. According to John Paul II, mercy also constitutes the key to the understanding of the contemporary man who seems to have lost his way among the various philosophical concepts which are not able to explain to him the sense and purpose of life. In the situation of an ideological confusion, John Paul II pointed to the Divine Mercy as a sign of hope for the entire humankind. In the Divine Mercy, contemporary people can discover the true face of God and the true face of man. Thus, bringing this mystery closer to the contemporary man constitutes one of the Church s main tasks: The Church of our time must become more particularly and profoundly conscious of the need to bear witness in her whole mission to God s mercy, following in the footsteps of the tradition of the Old and the New Covenant, and above all of Jesus Christ Himself and His Apostles.

5 The Church must bear witness to the mercy of God revealed in Christ, in the whole of His mission as Messiah, professing it in the first place as a salvific truth of faith and as necessary for a life in harmony with faith and then seeking to introduce it and to make it incarnate in the lives both of her faithful and as far as possible in the lives of all people of good will (Dives in Misericordia, VII). The Church refers to and implores God s mercy in the face of all the manifestations of evil, before all the threats that cloud the whole horizon of the life of humanity today. As the Holy Father John Paul II emphasized in his canonization homily delivered on the 30 April 2000, through the testimony of the life of St Sister Faustina, God entrusted to the humankind the message of the Divine Mercy: By Divine Providence, the life of this humble daughter of Poland was completely linked with the history of the 20 th century, the century we have just left behind. In fact, it was between the First and Second World Wars that Christ entrusted his message of mercy to her. Those who remember, who were witnesses and participants in the events of those years and the horrible sufferings they caused for millions of people, know very well how necessary was the message of mercy. Through private revelations, the Lord Jesus communicated to Sister Faustina: Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy (Diary, 300). Thanks to this Polish nun the message of Mercy became a gift which brought a special light to our times. The Light of the Divine Mercy allows us to better comprehend the sense of this world and make sense of the changes that are taking place in it; it allows us to perceive the role we Christians have to play in the XXI century, as witnesses of God s infinite love that lights up the roads of the contemporary times. The Second World Divine Mercy Congress whose main motto is Mercy as the Source of Hope wishes to bring together the worshippers of the Divine Mercy from all the continents of our globe and to create for them an opportunity to share their experiences of mercy in life and proclaiming it to the world. It will also be a time of interpreting the message of mercy in the context of a new evangelization and of looking for new methods of testifying about the God of mercy before the world. The participants of the Congress would also like to express their unity with the Holy Father Benedict XVI and through this unity to become a sign of hope for the whole Church and the world. The Kraków Archdiocese and WACOM would like to invite everyone most cordially to take part in the Second World Divine Mercy Congress which is going to be held in Kraków next year. Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz Metropolitan Archbishop of Kraków Cardinal Krzysztof Schönborn Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna

6 SECOND WORLD APOSTOLIC CONGRESS ON MERCY WACOM 2011 At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Cracow Lagiewniki October, 1-5, 2011 Divine Mercy source of hope After the first WORLD APOSTOLIC CONGRESS On MERCY which took place in Rome last April 2-6, 2008 as presented by CHRISTOPH Cardinal SCHONBORN to His Holiness, Pope BENEDICT XVI wherein we received the Pope s blessing and encouragement, we now proceed to the preparations for the 1st October (Saturday) Congress Program p.m. Lunch (Łagiewniki) 2.00 p.m. Congress inauguration (presentation of countries by continents, flag entering, initial testimonies and greetings) 2.45 p.m. Welcoming speech to the Congress participants by the Metropolitan Bishop of Krakow Rev. Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz 3.00 p.m. Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy; Conference of Rev. Cardinal Christopher Schönborn 4.30 p.m. Break 5.00 p.m. Preparing the liturgy 5.30 p.m. Eucharist 7.00 p.m p.m. Supper (Łagiewniki) 8.00 p.m. Special Concert Divine Mercy for the World (Łagiewniki) 8.00 p.m. Prayer meetings in Krakow s parishes 2nd October (Sunday) 9.00 a.m. Morning prayer 9.45 a.m. Preparing the liturgy a.m. Eucharist under the guidance and with the homily of Rev. Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko (broadcast on TVP 1) p.m. Angelus with the Holy Father Benedict XVI and the Pope s message for the Congress participants p.m p.m. Lunch (Łagiewniki) 3.00 p.m. Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy (in language groups at Krakow s churches around the Main Market Square) 5.00 p.m. Transfer to the St. Mary s Basilica (street evangelization) 6.00 p.m. Mystery Mercy as a Source of Hope (Light and sound program at the Market Square in front of the St. Mary s Basilica) Supper served in the form of lunch boxes p.m. Prayer meetings in Krakow s parishes

7 3rd October (Monday 9.00 a.m. Morning prayer 9.30 a.m. Conference and testimonies a.m. Preparing the liturgy p.m. Eucharist 1.30 p.m p.m. Lunch (Łagiewniki) 3.00 p.m. Transfer to the KL Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum; Walk around the camp in silence 5.00 p.m. Prayer for peace and mercy for the world at KL Auschwitz-Birkenau about 7.00 p.m. Return to Krakow Supper served in the form of lunch boxes 8.30 p.m. Meetings at Krakow s parishes, sharing the experience of Divine Mercy with the residents of Krakow 4th October (Tuesday) 9.00 a.m. Morning prayer 9.30 a.m. Conference and testimonies a.m. Preparing the liturgy p.m. Eucharist 1.30 p.m p.m. Lunch (Łagiewniki) 3.00 p.m. Transfer to Wadowice 4.30 p.m. Ecumenical prayer on the Market Square in Wadowice for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II for the mercy to the world about 6.30 p.m. Return to Krakow Supper served in the form of lunch boxes 8.30 p.m. Meetings at Krakow s parishes, sharing the experience of Divine Mercy with the residents of Krakow 5th October (Wednesday) 9.00 a.m. Morning prayer 9.30 a.m. Conference summarizing the Congress a.m. Break a.m. Preparing the liturgy a.m. Eucharist under the guidance of Rev. Cardinal Christopher Schönborn, homily by Rev. Cardinal Péter Erdő (Hungary, Head of the European Bishops Conferences) Final speech by the Metropolitan Bishop of Krakow Rev. Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz Act of entrustment of the world to the Divine mercy Sending Apostles to the Divine Mercy Adoption of the light of mercy Closing of the Congress 1.30 p.m. Lunch (Łagiewniki)

8 Registration Form The Second World Congress of Divine Mercy Pilgrimage to Poland and Lithuania September 23 October 06, 2011 Price: 2, (The Price includes 100 EURO Congress Registration Fee) All-inclusive Tour Prices: - Scheduled transatlantic flight: LAX - Warsaw - LAX - All Motor-coach Transportation - Accommodations in religious institution or Hotel (Double Room) - Breakfast and Dinner Sightseeing - Taxes - Services of Professional Tour Directors/ Guides - Religious Activities and Daily Holy Mass Not Included: Lunches, Drinks, Insurance, Baggage responsibility, Hotel Rooms before & after Tour and Optional Tours Visas: Non-US passport holders please check visa requirements and obtain visas if needed. Note: Price subject to change. We reserve the right to change the price of this tour at any time prior to the departure. We reserve the rights to change the hotel and itinerary without previous Notice General Terms and Conditions All prices quoted in this flyer are based on airfares, land and exchange rates in effect in May 2011 and on group rates of 35 passengers or more. All prices are subject to change without notice prior to departure due to major currency fluctuations, fuel price increases and/or unforeseen economic conditions. Deposit of $ per person is required at time of booking to secure reservation. Balance is due no later than July 31, Please complete the booking form with full name as it appears on passport, and mail it to us with your check for $ per person. Receipt of your deposit shall act as your agreement to the terms and conditions herein. Cancellations & Refunds: Fees Days Prior to departure $ Registration Fee not refundable $ Days prior to Departure $1, Fees Days prior Days to Departure Prior to departure 100% of total tour $ Days prior Registration to Departure Fee cost not refundable All refund claims must be received in writing by $ headquarters Days prior office to Departure in Los Angeles, California. Once the Tour begun, there will be no-refunds made for any unused or partially used $1, Tour feature or services, including Days hotel prior accommodations to Departure and car rentals. In all cases, cancellation fees will apply and be non-refundable for any reason, including illness or other emergencies. The Tour operator and reserve the right to cancel the tour 100% of total tour 30-0 Days prior to Departure cost Name (as it appears in Passport): Day Telephone Evening Telephone Date of Birth (Month, Day, Year) Male Female I am a U. S. Citizen with valid U.S. Passport: Yes No if no, what Country Passport No. Issued Day Exp. Day Address: City State and Zip Code: Parish: Rooming with: My signature indicates that I have read the General Terms and Conditions of participation and will abide by its contents and that I am physically and emotionally capable of group travel. \ Date: Signature: \ Please mail your application with your deposit to: 419 N. Larchmont Boulevard # 41, Los Angeles, CA Please mail your application with your deposit to: 419 N. Larchmont Boulevard # 41, Los Angeles, CA 90004