Jesus Youth is an international Catholic youth movement with a charismatic spirituality. We had our beginnings in India, but have now spread to different countries of the world. The strength of the movement is its special focus on a Jesus-centered life, starting with God experience, growing through prayer, Word of God, sacraments and fellowship, and bearing fruit in a life style of sharing the Good News of Jesus with others. Though not a community, we are a wide network of small but strong fellowship groups of youth from different Catholic rites. In our own unique life situations we strive to set apart time for the Lord, answering the challenges of today's world in the power of the Spirit.

Well convinced that youth is a time of great generosity and creativity, young people from all walks of life are encouraged to do something good with the Lord. This has resulted in the various ministries and faith formation projects under the wide umbrella of Jesus Youth. We consider ourselves to be inspired and called by the Holy Spirit in these times, to be at the service of the Church and the world, especially the youth. We believe that we have been individually elected and called by the Lord to be part of this Jesus Youth fellowship. We believe that our individual charisms and gifts will be better developed in this fellowship to be at the service of the people of God.

We believe that youth is the hope of the world and the Church, and that the Lord has specially called us to creatively and positively direct the youth for the building up of the Kingdom. We consider ourselves to be part of that tradition of individuals and communities raised up by the Spirit at various times in history to renew the children of God through their commitment to the Heavenly Father. We achieve this through a faithful following of the Lord, imbibing the Word and in loyalty to the Catholic Church by following the teachings of the Magisterium and the hierarchy.

· Youth reaching out to youth.
· International Catholic Youth Movement.
· Wide network of small but strong fellowship groups of youth.
· Inspired and called by the Holy Spirit to be at the service of the Church

History of Jesus Youth in India

Jesus Youth, an initiative of youth themselves, is all about Spirit filled youth reaching out to other young people and building a network for the Lord. It all began in Kerala, India. This is a special place, the picturesque coastal state in the southern most tip of India, with its rich cultural backdrop and Christian tradition of three different Catholic rites and numerous other churches. A wind of Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) swept through the churches in 1976-77, touching some young people, leading to the formation of scattered youth groups.

By the early 80’s, these groups were already evolving into a vibrant presence. In 1985, the International Year of the Youth, these groups came together with a name, Jesus Youth, and a clearer vision for themselves and for the wider youth reality in the Church.

The movement has grown over the years.

The growth of these young people came through commitment to ministries. An eagerness to share and serve children (Teens Ministry), college students (campus Ministry), those in parishes( Parish Ministry), Nurses , Working Professionals(Professionals Ministry) and the poor and suffering (Outreach) and the like.

By the 90’s, the move had started to spread to different parts of India. Jesus Youth leaders who were active in Kerala reached different places outside the state for job /studies. Only because of their eagerness and zeal to take initiative for the Lord and to bring young people to the Lord, they started prayer groups. Slowly these prayer groups became active ministry / movement in that region. Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, some places in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu developed JY roots over a period of time.

Slowly this move spread to many other places of India. Due to the necessity of a team to co-ordinate all these new pockets or areas, in 1998 the first Jesus Youth National Team was formed. Fr. Abraham Pallivathukal SJ was the pastor and Mr.Manoj Sunny the present international co-ordinator was the co-ordinator of first Jesus Youth National Team. The present national team is headed by Adv.Raiju Varghese.·

Started in Kerala in 1985·
By 90’s reached other parts of the country·
First National Team was formed in 1998 to co-ordinate.·
Active in Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Rajasthan, North-East and South India.

The movement is known for its spirituality that promotes an active Catholic life style that is relevant to a young lay person facing the challenges of today. The six pillars of Jesus Youth life style are:

1.Prayer: A daily quiet time with the Lord leading to an experience of the companionship of Jesus enables one to have a joyful attitude in daily life.

2.Word of God: A regular time with the Holy Scripture helps in shaping one’s life according to God’s will. In this way the person learns a life style of seeking God’s guidance through continuous consultation.

3. Sacraments: Frequent recourse to these channels of grace helps one to lead a life of wholeness and strength. A Jesus Youth advances in holiness and receives power to fulfill the mission through the active participation in the liturgical life of the Church.4. Fellowship: Christian life is a call to live the life of the Trinity in communion with one’s brothers and sisters in Christ through mutual support, encouragement and gentle correction. Informal relationships and groups, cells, prayer groups and various Service Teams are the important forums of fellowship in Jesus Youth.

5.Evangelization:The fruit of an active life with Jesus is a joyful commitment to witnessing, sharing the person and message of Jesus with others. This commitment to evangelization is the touchstone of effective Jesus Youth lifestyle.

6.Service:Readiness to serve the needy and having a preferential option for the poor are hallmarks of a true disciple of Christ. Following the footsteps of the Master, the evangelizer of the poor, Jesus Youth goes out to those suffering from various forms of poverty and to reach out to them with a helping hand

A) Youth reaching out to youth Jesus Youth is a way of life where youth encourage other youth to be faithful to the Lord with the support and guidance of the elders and the Church.

B)Faith formation Of the youth and children has always been the main thrust of Jesus Youth. Through numerous Jesus Youth training programs a very big army of youth and young families have been formed and made available to the Church.

C) Use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Rooted in Charismatic spirituality, Jesus Youth are always encouraged to actively seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and use the Charismatic gifts in personal life, prayer groups and ministry.

D) Missionary commitment Yet another distinguishing mark of Jesus Youth. In every program youth are exhorted to embrace a life of evangelization. Voluntary missionary work is growing as a life style in Jesus Youth, the most vivid example of which is perhaps the One-year Full-timership.

E) Fellowship Group of the committed members is a special characteristic of Jesus Youth. Small cells and prayer groups are in the process of evolving into committed communities.

F) Networking: Close interaction and collaboration among individuals, ministries and fellowship groups is a strong point of Jesus Youth. All with the aid of modern communication and media technologies