City of Saints with George Weigel

George Weigel, New York Times best-selling author of Witness to Hope and the preeminent biographer of John Paul II, presents a spiritual travelogue that further illuminates the life and homeland of one of the most influential Catholic leaders of all time.

Weigel’s latest book, City of Saints: A Pilgrimage to John Paul II’s Krakόw (on sale Oct. 27), takes readers to Krakόw, the site of World Youth Day 2016, to learn the dramatic story of how a city and a man interacted in ways that changed the course of contemporary history.

In City of Saints, “the story of Karol Wojtyła, St. John Paul II, and the story of Krakόw are interwoven in a chronological pilgrimage through the life of a saint that reveals, at the same time, the richly textured life of a city where a boy grew into a man, priest, a bishop—and an apostle to the world,” writes Weigel.

Part travel guide, part history book, and part biography of St. John Paul II, City of Saints is the perfect resource for those wishing to learn more about John Paul II, the city that shaped him, and their impact on the history of our times.

“To follow Karol Wojtyła through Krakόw is to follow an itinerary of sanctity while learning the story of a city,” writes Weigel.

With over 100 stunning photographs by Stephen Weigel and historical notes on the city’s principal sites by Carrie Gress, City of Saints offers an in-depth look at a man and a city that made an indelible impression on the life and thought of the Catholic Church and the 21st century world. Additionally, it is a must-have guide for pilgrims traveling to Krakόw for World Youth Day 2016.

World Youth Day was founded in 1985 by Pope John Paul II as a worldwide encounter with the Pope for young people that draws millions of participants from around the world. The 2016 World Youth Day is especially significant because it will take place in Kraków, the longtime home of its founder.

As Weigel notes, “In 2016, World Youth Day will come to the city where, in a sense, this remarkable innovation in the rhythm of global Catholic life first started – in young Father Karol Wojtyła’s remarkable chaplaincy to university students who became his lifelong friends.”