We Are One Body:

Remembering World Youth Day 1993

August 10-15, 1993 | Denver, Colorado, USA 

This month marks the 30-year anniversary of the first (and only) World Youth Day in the United States in Denver in August 1993. St. John Paul II came to Denver and invited youth and young adults “to enlighten the world and to show it the path to life” and to “not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops!” (Homily, Aug 15, 1993, Cherry Creek State Park, no. 5, 6). 

• Check out Denver Catholic’s retrospective articles and images from WYD 1993 here. The Denver Catholic is the official media outlet for the Archdiocese of Denver.

Now, 30 years later, many leaders in the Catholic Church in the United States were formed by that international encounter – and the ministerial field itself was and continues to be transformed. We invite you to pause and pray in thanksgiving for this moment of grace, and that God continues to pour out that grace to the current generation of young people and pastoral leaders, including those who have just returned from WYD 2023 in Lisbon.

Special Conversation with Catholic Recording Artist Dana

USCCB Associate Director Paul Jarzembowski had the opportunity to sit down with Catholic recording artist Dana Scallon (popularly known just as “Dana”), who created and sang the WYD 1993 theme song, “We Are One Body” on the story of that song and how the music can still inspire WYD veterans and youth and young adults today.

Watch their two-part conversation below!

Watch Part 1 here!

Watch Part 2 here!

Looking Ahead: World Youth Day Future

The World Youth Day legacy continues. At the conclusion of the 2023 WYD in Lisbon, Pope Francis said that “the next World Youth Day will take place in Asia: in South Korea, in Seoul in 2027!” (Angelus, Aug 6, 2023, Parque Tejo). Prior to that, the Holy Father will convene a Jubilee for Young People in Rome in 2025, the Jubilee Year. Details on both events are not yet available but it means that the legacy of this incredible moment in the life of the Church, begun by St. John Paul II in 1986 and brought to the USA in 1993, lives on for present and future generations. The USCCB will keep you posted as more details emerge regarding both the 2025 Jubilee and the 2027 WYD in Seoul. 

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth 

3211 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC 20017

Ph: 202-541-3042. Fax: 202-541-3176

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