While thousands of young people journey to Poland for this year’s World Youth Day, young adults in Washington will have the opportunity to experience pilgrimage from much closer to home, on the campus of Catholic University.

In response to Pope Francis’s call for dioceses around the world to find local opportunities to celebrate, Kraków in the Capital on July 30th will provide opportunities for encountering Christ through the sacraments, catechesis, and fellowship.

Young adults from all different backgrounds will be able to engage in World Youth Day through Kraków in the Capital. The entire event is bilingual in English and Spanish, and prayers will be offered in 10 different languages. There will also be catechesis tracks for people who are deaf and people with intellectual disabilities.

“What sets this apart is you get to experience the vitality and diversity of Church life across the world,” said Jonathan Lewis, the director of Young Adult Ministry and Evangelization Initiatives for the Archdiocese of Washington. “That opens our heart to see God working in new and unique ways.”

To provide a taste of the cultural experience that World Youth Day pilgrims are having, the festival will include Polish dance, music and food. Danuta Konefal, a Polish woman who runs a catering company called Creative European Cooking, will be making around 3,000 pierogies. Ojczyzna, a Polish dance group from Baltimore, will lead Polka dancing lessons.

The day will begin at 1 p.m. with a welcome and an opening prayer. Throughout the afternoon, participants will have options of how to spend their time. They may learn about the life of Saint John Paul II at the exhibit of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, receive God’s mercy through Confession, walk through a Year of Mercy Holy Door, watch a live stream of Pope Francis in Poland, attend catechesis sessions, take time for prayer and adoration, or venerate the relics of Saint John Paul II and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.

During the two afternoon catechesis sessions, there will be 10 options to choose from. They will all touch upon the theme of World Youth Day, which is “Blessed are the Merciful.” Speakers include Father James Martin, the editor of America magazine, Gloria Purvis, the co-host of Morning Glory radio show on EWTN, and Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville.

“People are in such different stages of faith and life,” said Lewis. In order to accommodate such a diverse group of people, he said, it was important to provide a variety of opportunities.

In the evening, there will be candlelight Stations of the Cross, presided over by Cardinal Donald Wuerl. Participants at the festival will do a small pilgrimage as they process from outside of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, down Harewood Road and to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, led by a life size cross and the relics of Saint John Paul II. Once they arrive at the National Shrine, Cardinal Wuerl will celebrate a vigil Mass.

“To bring Christ into the streets with our presence is powerful,” Lewis said.

At night there will be a concert featuring Marie Miller, a singer songwriter who performed for Pope Francis while he was in Philadelphia.

The concert will conclude around 11 p.m., but not everyone will be heading home. There will be campsites set up behind the Dominican House of Studies, where people can bring their own gear and stay overnight for just $5.

The event is being co-hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Diocese of Arlington, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, the Catholic University of America, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, the Dominican House of Studies and the Catholic Student Center at the University of Maryland.

“Not everyone can get across the ocean,” said Lisa Greey, the campus minster at the University of Maryland. “But we have a lot to celebrate stateside.”

To learn more about Kraków in the Capital, or to register to attend, visit wydDC.org.  Registration costs $25 online or $40 at the door. Follow the event on social media at #WYDDC.