WATCH: 9NEWS looks back at WYD 1993 in Pilgrimage to the Peaks Plus 30 special

(L: Courtesy of 9News | R: Photo by James Baca/Denver Catholic Register)

It was this week 30 years ago that Pope St. John Paul II arrived to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993. To this day, it is the only World Youth Day that was held in the United States, and it sparked a transformation of the Church in the U.S. which, even now, is still bearing fruit.

To commemorate the occasion, 9NEWS aired a special program on Aug. 12 taking viewers back to August 1993 when Pope St. John Paul II and more than a half million visitors came to Denver for World Youth Day. It was the largest event ever hosted by Denver, and arguably the biggest spotlight ever put on Colorado.

WATCH THE SPECIAL BELOW:

9News reporter Gary Shapiro and photojournalist Manny Sotelo covered it too, and now they are looking back.

How did Colorado pull it off?

What did it all mean to Catholics and non-Catholics?

Did the summer of violence in 1993 affect the Pope’s visit?

Looking back 30 years, how did the event change the Archdiocese of Denver and the state?

The special features exclusive interviews with Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, Cardinal James Francis Stafford, and more! Be sure to tune-in and relive the event that changed the Archdiocese of Denver forever.

TUNE IN: KUSA (Channel 9) 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 12 KTVD (Channel 20) 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 13

Also available to watch online starting August 13 at 9NEWS.com, 9NEWS YouTube channel and 9NEWS Plus Streaming service.