In a press conference held on Thursday 3 July 2014, the metropolitan archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Stanislaus Dziwisz, presented the logo and the official prayer for the 31st World Youth Day.
Three elements are combined in the symbolism of the logo: the place, the main protagonists, and the theme of WYD. The logo of the 2016 World Youth Day, to be held in Krakow, illustrates the passage from the Gospel according to Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”, chosen as the theme of the event. The image is composed of a geographical outline of Poland in which there is a Cross, symbol of Christ who is the soul of World Youth Day. The yellow circle marks the position of Krakow on the map of Poland and is also a symbol of youth. The flame of Divine Mercy emerges from the Cross, and its colours recall the image “Jesus, I trust in you”. The colours used in the logo – blue, red and yellow – are the official colours of Krakow and its coat of arms.
The logo was designed by 28-year-old Monika Rybczyńska from Ostrzeszów, a small town in the mid-west of Poland. She is a designer and video editor who studied social media at the University of Warsaw. She designed the logo in the Vatican shortly after the canonisation of John Paul II in thanksgiving for the saint’s intercession in her professional life.
In the final phase of perfecting the logo, Monika was helped by Emilia Pyza, a 26-year-old from Garwolin, a town near the capital city of Poland. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and specialised in the graphic design of books.
The press conference on Thursday 3 July also included the presentation of the official prayer for World Youth Day 2016. The prayer has three parts: it entrusts humanity and especially young people to divine mercy, it asks God for the grace of a merciful heart, and it asks for the intercession of Our Lady and St. John Paul II, patron of World Youth Day.
Prayer for World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow
“God, merciful Father,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love
and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
We entrust to you today the destiny of the world
and of every man and woman”.1
We entrust to you in a special way
young people of every language, people and nation:
guide and protect them as they walk the complex paths of the world today
and give them the grace to reap abundant fruits
from their experience of the Krakow World Youth Day.
Heavenly Father,
grant that we may bear witness to your mercy.
Teach us how to convey the faith to those in doubt,
hope to those who are discouraged,
love to those who feel indifferent,
forgiveness to those who have done wrong
and joy to those who are unhappy.
Allow the spark of merciful love
that you have enkindled within us
become a fire that can transform hearts
and renew the face of the earth.
Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us.
Saint John Paul II, pray for us.
1 John Paul II, Homily for the Dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy, Krakow, 17 August 2002.
