NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2016 /
Christian Newswire/ -- The 2016 New York Encounter, an annual three-day public cultural event featuring panel discussions, artistic performances, and exhibits, will take place January 15-17 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan on 215 West 18th Street.
The Encounter's 2016 theme, Longing for the Sea and Yet [Not] Afraid, is pertinent to our world today. In the journey of life we are spurred on by a great desire and promise of happiness, yet fear of the unknown can cause us to hesitate, to think our dreams unreachable. This year's Encounter will highlight a diverse array of speakers from all walks of life: artists, educators, scientists, lawyers, musicians, authors, doctors and even an astronaut, all who followed their heart's desires, unafraid.
Highlights of the 23 events:
· Friday, January 15, 2016, 6:30 pm: Spurred on by the Promise of Happiness. The Encounter opens with a conversation with Christian WIMAN, poet and senior Lecturer, Yale Divinity School, and Gregory WOLFE, Editor of Image.
· Saturday, January 16, 2016, 6 pm: Setting Out on the Long Path of Renewal. A reflection on Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si. Speakers: Sean Cardinal O'MALLEY, Archbishop of Boston, and Jeffery SACHS, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
· Sunday, January 17, 2016, 4 pm: "Your Love is Better than Life" Eyewitness accounts on the life of Christians in the Middle East by Archbishop Amel NONA, exiled Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq, Fr. Pier Battista PIZZABALLA, Custos of the Holy Land, and a refugee family in Erbil, Kurdistan (video)
· Exhibit: "A People, a Face, a Newness in Everyday Rubble" An Encounter with Christians in the Middle East.
· Sean Cardinal O'MALLEY will celebrate the Holy Mass on Sunday, January 17th at 9 am.
Founded in 2010 by members of the Catholic lay ecclesial movement, Communion and Liberation, the Encounter's goal is to give witness to a new, flourishing life, generated by faith. The Encounter, supported by the work of 300 volunteers, is a vibrant meeting point for thousands of people from different beliefs, traditions and cultures, striving for reciprocal understanding, broadened perspectives and the possibility for friendship.
All events, except for the Saturday night performance, are free of charge. No registration necessary. Credentialed media are welcome. Contact for interviews:
press@newyorkencounter.org or (916) 505-6989.
"A life changing experience." (Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics)
