OFFICIAL NAME
Jesus Youth
ESTABLISHED
1985
HISTORY
Jesus Youth is an International Association within the Catholic Church with a focus on evangelising young people and nurturing their missionary initiatives. It had its beginnings in Kerala, India, and evolved as an active part of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the state in the late 1970s. In 1985, the International Year of Youth, a number of youth groups came together under a single name, Jesus Youth. Gradually, it spread to different parts of India and to a number of other countries. Following on from the canonical recognition received from Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur on 8 April 2007 and Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil of Verapoly on 20 August 2007, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India recognised Jesus Youth as a national association of the faithful on 29 October 2008. On 20 May 2016 the Pontifical Council for the Laity issued the decree of recognition of Jesus Youth as an international association of the faithful.
IDENTITY
Jesus Youth is an international private association of the faithful of all states of life, with juridical personality. The name Jesus Youth represents the association’s emphasis on living the joy, vitality, and fullness of life discovered in Christ, and sharing the Gospel in contemporary life situations. The progress of a Jesus Youth is ensured through a lifestyle of spiritual discipline of the association called six pillars. Jesus Youth carries out the work of evangelisation by fostering individual apostolates, facilitating group apostolates and engaging in formal missions and projects in various parts of the world. Jesus Youth is missionary in nature and has a special focus on evangelising today’s youth, promoting an active Christian way of life, and commitment to mission.
ORGANISATION
Jesus Youth is organised on a geographical basis with areas governed by Jesus Youth Councils. Local households are coordinated by the Zonal or Regional Council. Zonal Councils are coordinated by a Regional Council. The National Councils coordinate the Regional Councils. The National Councils are accountable to the International Council. A Jesus Youth Region usually coincides with an Ecclesiastical Region (CIC, can. 433). The higher council demarcates and forms a Region considering the number of Jesus Youth members in that area.
There are three categories of membership in Jesus Youth: Regular Members, Associate Members and Honorary Members. Regular Members are Catholic faithful from all states of life: clergy, religious and laity, and include deacons, seminarians and celibates for the Kingdom. They are those in the Committed, Confirmed and Covenant Phases of the formation. Associate Members are those who desire to accompany the association, but are unable to fulfill the requirements of Regular membership. Catholics and non-Catholic Christians can become Associate Members. Honorary Members are Catholic bishops who accompany and advise the association.
WORKS
Jesus Youth offers a wide range of formation programmes: faith formation, formation for leaders and animators, talent oriented formation, formation through reach out programmes; regional, national and inter-continental conferences: Campus Meet, Nurses’ Meet, Teens’ Meet and others.
PUBLICATIONS
Kairos, Kairos Global (monthly magazines); Jesus Youth Newsletter (quarterly magazine); Rex Band (audio cd’s), formation materials.
WEB SITE
HEADQUARTERS
Jesus Youth International Office,
Navodaya Studio Complex,
Thengod P.O, Kakkanad,
Cochin - 682030, Kerala
India
Phone: +91 484 2983327
E-mail: jyglobal@jesusyouth.org
