Denver Catholic

7 WYD 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION | DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 11-24, 2018 himself, springing forth a renewed sense of unity in the archdiocese. "WYD brought a real unity to the clergy and to the faithful of the arch- diocese. Part of that was through the various talks that John Paul II gave, his emphasis on an encounter with Christ and his words… It brought in a whole new energy into the Church. There was almost a spirit of maintenance, of just keeping things going, and WYD brought in the aspect of a deeper formation, a deeper relationship with Christ, and a deeper living out of the faith in the world," Archbishop Aquila evoked. FERTILE SOIL, ABUNDANT FRUIT The Denver youth responded with an open and generous heart to the Holy Father's calling. They left quite an impression on Pope John Paul II, Cardinal StaŸord recalled. "There were 100,000 young people in the stadium in Denver, and I was standing below him and looked up and there were tears on his face. When he went back to Rome, he was filled with joy and enthusiasm for the people of North America in a way that had not been present before," Cardinal StaŸord said. "When he saw me several months later, it was in a meeting in Rome, and the only thing he said to me was, 'Ah Denver, Denver, una rivoluzione!'± "He was overwhelmed by the mys- tery of the young people in Denver. They are in love with people, they are in love with God, they are a beautiful people because of that." What many Catholics and non-Cath- olics found impressive about WYD '93 was the love, enthusiasm and initia- tive with which the youth responded to God's call put forth by the Holy Father. "I think part of [what made Denver such fertile ground] was the presence of Archbishop StaŸord and his real desire for people to come to know Christ and to really be faithful to him and to the teachings of the Church," Archbishop Aquila said. "When he became Arch- bishop of Denver, he had a wealth of experience in guiding people in service of the poor and really care for the poor, a deep love for Catholic education and a real support for Catholic schools. "There were initiatives that he had begun that helped people be more receptive to Christ and to the Church." A quarter century later, the Arch- bishop of Denver sees that WYD touched the laity the most, a reality he sees evident in the many new aposto- lates that sprung out after '93. Looking at the next 25 years, he hopes that what began with St. John Paul's visit to Denver will deepen and expand as the Church goes out to make disciples in society. "I would hope that the Church would continue to grow and to really go out and witness in her service to the poor, in Catholic education and in our Catholic schools," Archbishop Aquila concluded. "I would hope to see more active par- ishes that are truly rooted in going forth and making disciples — that there would be the kind of fire in Denver similar to the early Church, where many lay people would go out and teach others the faith and invite them to encounter Christ." Aaron Lambert contributed to this report. Adora on Chapel at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish consecrated by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lus ger August 14, 1993 Adora on Chapel at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish Adora on Chapel at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish consecrated by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lus ger Celebrating 25 years of Adoration rivoluzione!' Archbishop Aquila, seen here behind the pope in 1993, hopes the flame started 25 years ago is kept alight for the next 25 in the Arch- diocese of Denver. FILE PHOTO BY JAMES BACA

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