Catholic Organizations Come Together to Prepare Official Centre for English-Speaking Pilgrims at World Youth Day

English-speaking pilgrims will have a home of their own at World Youth Day in Madrid this August. “Love and Life: A Home for English Speaking Pilgrims” will be co-hosted by the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life, and cosponsored by Holy Cross Family Ministries, Salt & Light Television, the Apostleship of Prayer, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.

The Centre will cater to those seeking programming in English and will be located at Madrid’s air-conditioned Palacio de Deportes, the city’s premier site for concerts and sporting events. During World Youth Day it will be transformed into the primary catechesis and youth festival venue for English programs. Events will include concerts, witness testimonies, prayer and Eucharistic adoration, movie screenings, and much more.

From Tuesday, August 16th to Friday, August 19th, Love and Life Centre will provide a full program of engaging programming featuring many internationally recognized speakers and performers each day. In addition to the main arena, which seats more than 15,000 visitors, pilgrims will be able to explore chapels, art exhibits, and informational displays, as well as avail themselves of Eucharistic adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which will be offered continuously throughout the day.

Speakers will include: Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM, Cap.; Curtis Martin; Fr. Robert Spitzer S.J.; Monsignor Eduardo Chavez; Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson; Mother Agnes Donovan, S.V.; Salt and Light CEO and Toronto WYD organizer Fr. Thomas Rosica C.S.B.; Jason and Crystalina Evert; Chris Stefanik; Project Rachel founder Vicki Thorn; Fr. Robert Barron; Prof. Helen Alvare; Fr. Jose Granados, D.C.J.; and many more. Performers will include: Grammy® winning recording artist Alexander Acha; L’Angelus; Scythian; Danielle Rose; the Catholic Underground Band; Luis Alfredo Diaz; and Adoremus Knight.

“We are honored to be involved in creating a home for English-speaking pilgrims at World Youth Day, together with our co-hosts, the Sisters of Life, and our many cosponsors,” said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. “This will be an event filled with graces for many people, and we very much look forward to an unforgettable week and a spectacular outpouring of faith.”

For more information, visit www.wydenglish.org.