Contact: Olivetta Danese, 212-337-3580 ext 101

NEW YORK, Jan. 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- New York Encounter is a two-day cultural festival open to the public, organized by Communion and Liberation, the Roman Catholic Movement founded by Msgr. Luigi Giussani more than 50 years ago, and Crossroads Cultural Center. New York Encounter is centered around conferences on topics that are widely discussed in the public arena, as well as artistic performances, exhibits (with guided tours), and information booths introducing a variety of charitable, cultural, and work related initiatives. This year it will take place at the New York Marriot Marquis in Times Square on January 16 and 17, 2010.

New York Encounter will commence on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 8:30pm, with a keynote speech by John Sexton, President of New York University, on the topic "LIVING FAITH IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE." The theme will then be developed by eyewitness accounts of the "Rimini Meeting for Friendship among Peoples," the largest week-long public cultural Catholic event in the world. Speakers are Brad Gregory, Associate Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, Emilia Guarnieri, President of the "Rimini Meeting" Foundation, Daniel Sulmasy, Professor of Medicine and Ethics at the University of Chicago, and Joseph Weiler, University Professor at NYU.

On Sunday, January 17, 2009 at 2:30pm, "CHARITY: IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE THIS WAY?": A discussion about the nature and goal of Christian charity in light of Msgr. Luigi Giussani's new book Is It Possible to live This Way? Vol.: 3 Charity, published by McGill-Queens University. Fr. Julian Carrón, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, will be one of the speakers together with author and columnist Lorenzo Albacete, and Stanley Hauerwas, theologian at the Divinity School of Duke University.

On Sunday, January 17, 2009 at 8:00pm , "THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC," a unique presentation of C.T. Dreyer's silent film accompanied by the Metro Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Phil Nuzzo, and the Communion and Liberation choir directed by Christopher Vath performing R. Einhorn's Voices of Light

Event Details---

WHAT: New York Encounter

WHEN: January 16-17, 2010

WHERE: New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square, 1535 Broadway, New York City

WHO: Various speakers and artists (see program on the New York Encounter website)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK THE NEW YORK ENCOUNTER WEB SITE AT WWW.NEWYORKENCOUNTER.ORG.