Denver Catholic

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF WYD 1993 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER I AUGUST 14, 2013 f 21st-century Catholicism Archbishop to bestow rare blessing at WYD anniversary Mass A diocesan bishop may grant such a blessing only three times a year on a solemn feast. The archbishop decided the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the WYD Mass, is the appropriate opportunity to impart this special blessing with the attached indulgence. What: 20th anniversary celebration of World Youth Day 1993 When: starts 4 p.m. Aug. 15 with music, testimonies and videos; archbishop to celebrate Mass at 6:30 p.m. Where: John Paul II Center, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver Who: All are invited Cost: free; parking available Questions: call 303-715-3230 THE ASSUMPTION of Mary statue at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was donated by Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila's family and dedicated the week of World Youth Day 1993. World Youth Day's top volunteer had time of life Of the nearly 1,250 hours he spent volunteering for Denver's World Youth Day, Mike Egan doesn't regret one minute. His task to find housing for thousands of young pilgrims traveling to the Mile High City in August 1993 was "a great privilege." "In reflection, its right up there with the things I'm most proud of," said 82-year-old Egan at his home in Aurora. His enormous task earned him the title of volunteer with the greatest number of hours served for the 1993 event. James 'Mike' Egan of Queen of Peace Parish was picked for the spot after he responded to an ad in the Denver Catholic Register. The retired Air Force soldier's mission was to find, inspect and coordinate with local cities and fire departments in setting up places for youths to stay. Demands were high and time was short. Egan eventually quit his job at a travel agency to focus on his task, he said. He has more than a few stories to share. During the anticipatory months before the World Youth Day led by Pope John Paul II, Egan and the housing crew left PHOTO BY NISSA LAPOINT/DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER WORLD Youth Day 1993's top volunteer, Mike Egan, poses with his hat and event pass saved from the historic Denver event. no rock unturned in seeking suitable places. They scoured the city for hotels, apartment buildings, parking garages, empty warehouses and gymnasiums that were suitable and code-compliant. Even the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo's stockyards in downtown Denver became the overnight stay for massive numbers. The sisters running Mullen Home for the Aged in Denver offered their expansive lawn for Patroness of WYD '93 inspires layman to use Internet to evangelize BY CINDY BROVSKY Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila will grant a papal blessing with a plenary indulgence at the 6:30 p.m. Aug. 15 Mass marking the 20th anniversary of World Youth Day 1993. The event begins at 4 p.m. with music, testimonies and a video of the 1993 youth gathering. BY NISSA LAPOINT I 13 youths needing a place. When Egan asked the mother superior at the time what would happen if it rained, she replied, "We'll let St. Joseph worry about it," he said. Egan encountered the generosity of the Greek Orthodox community who offered their homes. He also dealt with hotel swindlers trying to charge foreigners higher rates. He and his crew also set rows of cots and lockers inside a parking garage on the Auraria Campus. Other youths slept in church pews, some in the posh downtown Park Avenue West Apartments. Once World Youth Day began, Egan helped to keep track of youths. "There was a crisis with lost kids," he said. All were eventually found. The most memorable moment was watching the pope from the sixth row with his wife, June, and two youngest children, at Cherry Creek State Park. It was a once in a lifetime experience. "I've been very blessed, very blessed," Egan said with tears and a little chuckle. "I'm just grateful, and occasionally emotional, to have had the opportunity." Twenty years ago, the Internet was in its infancy and the term "surfing the Web" was unheard in most households. But for Kevin Knight, 26 at the time, a seed was sown during World Youth Day in Denver to use the new technology to spread God's word. "I heard the call to evangelization," Knight said of the 1993 event. "I felt I could apply that to the Internet." By May 1995, Knight founded the website newadvent.org, which now garners a million individual readers monthly. The name is a direct reference to the 1993 Denver celebration and a quiet, personal tribute to then-Denver archbishop now Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, said Knight, who grew up in Lakewood. It all began in 1991 when Archbishop Stafford saw a St. Ignatius icon created by Denver native Father William Hart McNichols, who had moved to New Mexico in 1990 to be an iconographer. He requested the use of the icon for a prayer card and later asked Father McNichols, the son of former Colorado Gov. Stephen and Marjory McNichols, to create another icon of Our Lady of the New Advent. Archbishop Stafford told Father McNichols he wanted the icon to be a source of prayer for the Denver Archdiocese. In 1992, Archbishop Stafford petitioned the Vatican for an Our Lady of the New Advent feast day and it was named on Dec. 16. The icon Father McNichols created for Archbishop Stafford includes a Columbine flower in the Christ Child's left hand and the Rocky Mountains rising up out of the Colorado plains behind the expectant Mary. Archbishop Stafford sent a photograph of the icon to Pope John Paul II when he asked the pontiff to celebrate World Youth Day in Denver. He also placed the international youth gathering under the care of Our Lady of the New Advent. Archbishop Stafford then asked Father McNichols to create a copy of the icon to be given to the pope when he arrived in the Mile High City. The priest was surprised when the archbishop later informed him that he would present the icon to the pope. "It was a profound moment that changed my life," Father McNichols recalled from his New Mexico studio. "I had an immediate connection with Pope John Paul." After the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, the priest felt the flower in Christ's hand symbolized how Jesus was PHOTO BY JAMES BACA/DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER POPE John Paul II receives icon from Jesuit Father William McNichols. holding the students in his hand. "If you look long enough, an icon can teach and inform and you can learn a lot from them for years," said Father McNichols, who taught at Regis Jesuit High School. The icon also was used in 2009 as art for the Denver Archdiocese's Year of Priests special novena to Mary and an accompanying prayer composed by the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga located in northern Colorado. The teachings and prayer continue through Knight's website whose name is a reflection of Denver's role in the greater Church, he said. Initially, the site was an education tool where people worldwide could access such things as the Catholic encyclopedia, lists of popes and a Catholic library that gives instruction on several things, including how to recite the rosary. "The website allows people to access the material in the privacy of their home," Knight said. "It's a great first step for curious people to click and read about the Holy Spirit." Over the years, Knight has added Catholic columnists and Catholic news to the site. Recently, he posted updated stories on World Youth Day in Brazil and uninterrupted video from the Vatican Youth Channel of Pope Francis addressing the crowds. "Seeing the videos allows the viewers to feel like they are there in person," Knight said. For the last 10 years, Knight has been able to run the website full-time and it has become popular with advertisers. The 1993 World Youth Day continues to influence his life, he said. "It's just amazing the network of friends online from all over the world, some who I have met in person," Knight said. "It's like a perpetual World Youth Day."

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