Denver Catholic

6 AUGUST 11-24, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC | WYD 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION T he festivities kicked oŸ Aug. 11 at Mile High Stadium, where the Holy Father was fl own in via helicopter. It wasn't just a big deal that World Youth Day was happening in Denver; it marked the fi rst World Youth Day ever to be held in the United States, which means it was the pope's fi rst encounter with the youth of America in this setting. Cardinal J. Francis StaŸ ord fondly remembers the pope's visit to the Mile High City. It's something he never expected to happen and was just as surprised as everybody else when it did during his episcopacy as Archbishop of Denver. "To see the Holy Father seated in the episcopal chair in the Cathedral — that doesn't happen very often," Cardinal StaŸ ord recalled. "I never dreamed that it would happen." Yet, what many don't know is that this event that would change the course of American Catholicism came in a time of turmoil for the Church in Denver and America as Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila recalls, who at the time was the Director of the O¢ ce of Liturgy for the Archdiocese of Denver. "The Church was in a period of transition with the implementation of Vatican II, the changes in the Liturgy and other changes. Archbishop Staf- ford had come in 1986 and the period of experimentation had come to an end. There were some who were resistant to that. There were others who celebrated, and so the Church was still somewhat divided," Archbishop Aquila said. When WYD came about, the pope invited the faithful to focus on Jesus Cover Story Scott M. Browning sbrowning@lrrc.com 303 628 9540 We join with the Archdiocese in celebrating Pope Saint John Paul II's historic visit to Denver in 1993, and all that Cardinal Stafford, Archbishop Aquila and the people of the Archdiocese did then to make possible this amazing event and gift to our community. "I came that they might have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 BY VLADIMIR MAURICIO-PEREZ vladimir.mauricio-perez@archden.org 'Denver, Denver, una The awakening of Denver after WYD '93 Then-Archbishop J. Francis Sta' ord embraces Pope John Paul II at the Convention Center in Denver. The Holy Father visited Denver in a time of division for the Church and with the guidance of Archbishop Sta' ord, the Church in Denver was revitalized. FILE PHOTO BY JAMES BACA

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