Watch Videos of the 2013 Speakers here.
Theme
We live in a time of uncertainty. We like to think that we live in a peaceful, ordered society, but again and again we have discovered that the darkness of blind violence can envelop us at any time, like in Newtown or in Boston. We take comfort in our general prosperity, but we have an uneasy feeling that the current economic crisis, with its high unemployment rate, is different from others in the past, and that things may get worse rather than better. We cherish our freedom, but we worry about the manipulation of democracy by powerful, apparently invincible forces. Such uncertainty seems to cast a cynical doubt on the ideals that define a human culture: the exaltation of the person, the pursuit of happiness, the commitment to build, the pride of belonging to a people.
How can we fight back?
“When... the grip of a hostile society tightens around us to the point of threatening the vivacity of our expression, and when a cultural and social hegemony tends to penetrate the heart, stirring up our already natural uncertainties, then the time of the person has come.” (Msgr. Luigi Giussani)
What is the person? Who are we, really? What do we cry for? Who can answer?
New York Encounter invites you to a weekend of public discussions, exhibits, presentations and live performances exploring the nature of the person and the flourishing of that person in belonging to a people. Our hope is that New York Encounter itself can give witness to the life of a people whose heart has been reawakened by an encounter with a human presence.
At a Glance 2014:
- 6:45 pm | "Life Belongs to Something Greater" (Msgr. Luigi Giussani) The human heart’s cry in witnesses, poetry, and music, with opening remarks by Msgr. Lorenzo ALBACETE, theologian, and a staged reading by Tony HENDRA, writer and author.
- 8:00 pm | Guided Tours of Exhibits
- 9:00 pm | "We the People..." A historical journey through the American experience of being a people, with music, readings, and images, featuring Tony HENDRA, writer and author, and David HOROWITZ, musician and composer.
Friday, January 17, 2014
- 9:30 am | New York Encounter Opens. Guided tours of exhibits 10:00 AM, Noon, 1:00 PM, 7:00 PM
- 10:00 am | Hoping Against Hope An eyewitness account by Fr. Samir Khalil SAMIR SJ, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Saint Joseph, Beirut, about the current suffering and challenges of Christians in the Middle East, and the role of Christian people in overcoming hatred and division.
- 11:30 am | Václav Havel: Champion of the Heart, Builder of a Nation. Homage to the playwright and first President of the Czech Republic with Martin PALOUS, President of the Václav Havel Library Foundation.
- 2:00 pm | Is it Possible to Work this Way? A presentation of a new approach to work, business, profit and competition, with Michael NAUGHTON, Director of the John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought, University of Saint Thomas, and Bernhard SCHOLZ, President of Compagnia delle Opere, an international network of 35,000 profit and non-profit entities.
- 3:30 pm | Lost? A discussion on youth alienation and the need for education in the wake of the Newtown and Boston tragedies with Fr. Jose’ MEDINA, teacher and U.S. coordinator of Communion and Liberation, and Pedro NOGUERA, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, New York University.
- 5:30 pm | That Hidden Companionship, Stronger than Loneliness. A conversation on the essence of personhood, with Fabrice HADJADJ, writer and philosopher, and David SCHINDLER, Dean Emeritus of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute at Catholic University of America.
- 9:00 pm | “A Choir is the Place Where the ‘I’ and the People Meet” (Msgr. Luigi Giussani) An evening of traditional and folk songs performed by choirs from Italy, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, and the Ukraine. Paid admission, open seating.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
- 9:00 am | New York Encounter Opens. Guided tours of exhibits 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, NOON, 1:00 PM, 7:00 PM
- 9:00 am | Holy Mass. Celebrated by Archbishop Carlo Maria VIGANO', Apostolic Nuncio to the United States; with the Choir of Communion and Liberation.
- 11:00 am | "Go Out, Head for the Periphery” (Pope Francis). A public conversation with Sean Card O’MALLEY, Archbishop of Boston, on his experience of the Church and her love for the human person, led by Msgr. Lorenzo ALBACETE.
- 2:00 pm | Abraham: The Birth of the I, the Birth of a People. A Jewish and Catholic perspective on the relationship between belonging and individual identity, with David FLATTO, Associate Professor of Law, Religion, and History at Penn State Law, and Fr. Rich VERAS, Pastor of the Church of Saint Rita, New York.
- 3:30 pm | Ferenc Fricsay: The Greatness of the Person. A screening of conductor Ferenc Fricsay’s last rehearsal of Smetana’s “The Moldau”, recorded shortly before his death, presented by Jonathan FIELDS, musician.
- 5:00 pm | From “I” to "We”: The Time of the Person. The Origins of a People. Fr. Peter CAMERON, O.P., Editor-in-Chief of Magnificat, engages Fr. Julián CARRÓN, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, on this year's New York Encounter theme.
- 9:00 pm | Big Sound Juice. A musical celebration to end the New York Encounter weekend. A night dedicated to all NYE attendees and volunteers and to the joy of making music. Featuring the NYE House band and Saxophonist “Blue” Lou Marini.
