New York Encounter is a two-day cultural festival organized by Communion and Liberation, the Roman Catholic Movement founded by Msgr. Luigi Giussani more than 50 years ago, and Crossroads Cultural Center. The idea of a "cultural festival" starts from the perception that there is a need for a fresh start in education and a new vibe for cultural initiatives. It also starts from the desire to communicate in New York the remarkable vastness, openness, richness, and profundity of cultural life and the passion for what is human that springs from the education to the Catholic faith taking place in Communion and Liberation.

New York Encounter will feature conferences on topics that are widely discussed in the public arena, as well as artistic performances. Its first edition will take place in New York on January 17 and 18, 2009 and will feature the following events, all open to the public:

On January 17, 2009 at 3:00 pm at The Skirball Center at NYU, "REASON FOR HOPE: A discussion on the rational foundations of hope."

Hope has been a recurring theme in public life during the last year. The reasonableness of hope and the possibility of pursuing an ideal which is not utopian is the topic of the discussion. This is also precisely the subject of the new book by Msgr. Luigi Giussani, Is It Possible to Live This Way?, published by McGill-Queens University which will be presented during the discussion. Fr. Julian Carron who, since the death of Msgr. Giussani in 2005, guides Communion and Liberation will be one of the speakers together with theologian Lorenzo Albacete, Journalist John Allen, and Professor Edward Nelson from Princeton University.

On January 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm at Symphony Space, "AN EVENING WITH BEETHOVEN" -- a Metro Chamber Orchestra concert under the direction of Phillip Nuzzo, featuring Christopher Vath on piano. Beethoven's yearning for the highest ideals of the human heart is the impetus for this inaugural season's concert.

On January 18, 2009 at 3:00 pm at The Skirball Center at NYU, "FINANCE AND ECONOMY AT A NEW CROSSROADS: NEW MODELS OR A NEW VISION?"

Dr. Lewis Alexander, Global Chief Economist at Citigroup, with Professor Seth Freeman (Columbia University and NYU) and Professor Dominick Salvatore (Fordham University), will discuss the lessons learned from the current financial crisis, what went wrong, and what is necessary to do now.

Event Details ---

WHAT: New York Encounter

WHEN: Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18, 2009

WHERE:

Conferences: Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University - 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South, New York City

Concert: Symphony Space - 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, 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 /