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Index Titles Page No 1. Who Are We 3 Jesus Youth: The Movement at a glance 3 History of Jesus Youth in India 4 Spirituality of Jesus Youth 5 Charisma of Jesus Youth 6 2. How we work 7 Infrastructure 7 Ministries 9 Full time Volunteers 12 3. Milestones of Jesus youth movement 13 4. Impressions on Jesus youth by church leaders 16 5. History of Jesus youth in Hyderabad 18 Activities 19 Central Prayer Group 19 Various Programs organized in Hyderabad 19 A Jesus Youth Initiative Page 1 of 53

About Jesus Youth

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Page 1: About Jesus Youth

Index

Titles Page No

1. Who Are We 3

Jesus Youth: The Movement at a glance 3

History of Jesus Youth in India 4

Spirituality of Jesus Youth 5

Charisma of Jesus Youth 6

2. How we work 7

Infrastructure 7

Ministries 9

Full time Volunteers 12

3. Milestones of Jesus youth movement 13

4. Impressions on Jesus youth by church leaders 16

5. History of Jesus youth in Hyderabad 18

Activities 19

Central Prayer Group 19Various Programs organized in Hyderabad 19

6. Working with Youth Director’s Office, Hyderabad Arch-Diocese 20

7. Involvement in Parish Activities 22

8. Jesus Youth Ministries in Hyderabad 23

9. Guidance, Support and Authorization 25

10. Future Plans for JY in Hyderabad and AP 27

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11. Full Time Animator 30

12. Reports of Various Programs 31

Arising 2006 32Outreach at Orissa 36Koinonia 39Leadership training at Bangalore 44Family gathering 2005 47Family gathering 2006 51One - Day Program in Vijayawada 60One day Program for Nursing Students 65

13. Prayers, Encouragement and support from His grace 65

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WHO WE ARE

Jesus Youth: The Movement at a glance

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

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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

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Spirituality of Jesus Youth

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

Prayer Word of God

Sacramental Life Fellowship Evangelization Service

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Charisma of Jesus Youth

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 formationOf 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

Youth to Youth Formation

Charismatic Missionary Fellowship Networking

HOW WE WORK

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Jesus Youth has grown over the years as a grass-root initiative by ordinary youth, with the active support and encouragement of bishops, priests, religious and senior lay-leaders in different places. Since the growth of the movement has been spontaneous, very often responding to the pressing needs of the times, a unique set of coordinating offices and structures has come up in the movement.

Cell groups – In Jesus Youth, young people and families are encouraged to come together regularly in small groups for prayer and fellowship. Such a steadily growing Cell is the most effective platform for spiritual growth and preparation for an evangelistic life style. These groups often meet in a friendly atmosphere of the family or workplace. Its frequency varies according to the life situation of its members.

Prayer groups – A group that gathers together every week for prayer, teaching and fellowship creates a favorable environment for personal growth and ministry building in Jesus Youth. A Prayer Meeting could comprise of an informal but lively time of praise and worship, a spirit filled Bible teaching/sharing and a time of intercession and interaction.

Service Teams – Jesus Youth coordinating teams at different levels are known as Service Teams. Each team consists of a Coordinator, a Pastor (priest), one or more lay Animator/s and members.

Zonal, Regional, National and International Service Teams – For effective fellowship and better coordination Jesus Youth leadership, initiatives, ministries and groups are networked at various levels.

A Zonal Service Team is formed from among the leaders of the Jesus Youth groups and ministries of a specific area and this team attends to the spiritual needs and activities of Jesus Youth in that zone.

When there are different zones in a region the leaders of these zones come together to form the Regional Team.

The National Team oversees these different regional teams and its coordination and other national level initiatives.

Jesus Youth has an International Team (JYIT) monitoring its global growth as well as the effective growth of Jesus Youth teams in each country.

Core Teams – The coordinating team of a Prayer Group or a Ministry is known as a Core Team.

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Coordinator – The head of a Jesus Youth team (of an area or ministry) is the coordinator. The head of the core group of a Prayer Group is known as a Prayer Group Leader.

Animator – Jesus Youth has a specific focus on youth. Youth initiative is the characteristic of the movement. At the same time the presence of experienced senior persons is extremely important at all levels. Whether they are personal mentors or team animators, they facilitate effective functioning of these youth as individuals and groups.

Pastor – A priest animator is always looked upon to fulfill certain special roles in Jesus Youth. In addition to the general roles of an animator, a Pastor ensures a mature sacramental life of the individuals as well as the Jesus Youth teams, thus helping them in their growth in holiness. The pastor is an active link between Jesus Youth leadership and the local church, especially the hierarchy.

Episcopal Advisor – As an active Catholic movement Jesus Youth works under the guidance of the Bishops. Unless other arrangements are made, the Jesus Youth as a movement in a country or a region relates to and receives guidance from the Episcopal conference through the Episcopal advisor.

MINSITRIES

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With the vision of sharing the faith and building a witnessing Christian community, Jesus Youth have formed themselves into various ministries. A Jesus Youth ministry usually begins as the initiative of an individual or a small youth fellowship, to share Jesus in a specific context using some special talent or charism. From a simple initiative this grows step by step into an organized movement and it gets accepted as a formal ministry of Jesus Youth. While helping young people to come together and grow in fellowship, a Jesus Youth ministry prepares youth to practice a life style of evangelism.

A simple evangelistic initiative when becomes accepted as a ministry it will have a ministry coordinating team and a regular set of formation and outreach programs. In Jesus Youth there are a number of ministries focusing on different areas and at different stages of growth. Through different ministries, Jesus Youth reaches out and engages in faith formation of youth in different fields. There could be a variety of fields for ministries and related ministry categories based on I) FormationII) Life situationIII) Talent and IV) Reach out.

I) Formation A few examples under this category are:

HISTORY MAKERSA 4-day Jesus Youth life style orientation for teenagers (14-16 yrs.)

DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING PROGRAMMEA 7-day training programme for youngsters.

PARISH/PRAYER GROUP LEADERS’ TRAININGTraining for effective youth leadership in the context of a parish.

Quotation: Need for TrainingSince the laity participates in the Church’s mission in a way that is their own, their apostolic training acquired a special character precisely from the secularity proper to the lay state and from its particular type of spirituality.… In this way the layman actively inserts himself deep into the very reality of the temporal order and takes his part competently in the work of the world. At the same time, as a living member and witness of the Church, he brings its presence and its action into the heart of the temporal sphere. (Vatican Council II, Lay People, 29)

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II) Life situations A few examples under this category are:

PARISH MINISTRYJesus Youth Prayer groups and Small Communities (Cells) form the backbone of this ministry. Parish youth conferences attract thousands and give them strong impetus to be leaven in the parish life.

CAMPUS MINISTRY Jesus Youth is highly effective among this fast paced, trendy segment of the society. A number of initiatives and training modules have grown out of this ministry among university and college teachers and students.

Quotation: Campus MinistrySchools and colleges and other Catholic educational institutions should foster in the young a Catholic outlook and apostolic action. If the young do not get this type of education, either because they do not attend these schools, or for some other reason, all the greater is the responsibility for it that devolves upon parents, pastoral and apostolic bodies. (Vatican Council II, Lay People, 30)

HOSPITAL MINISTRYThis is a very active network of nursing schools and hospitals involving both students and staff. Organizing conferences and a number of training programs has been a regular function of this ministry.

III) Talent

A few examples under this category are:

MUSIC MINISTRYProvides training for church choirs and conducts music retreats for musicians. This helps and trains young men and women with musical abilities to make use of those talents for the glory of God and His Kingdom.

AUDIO VISUAL Theatrical arts are used for youth formation and evangelization and to communicate the message of Jesus, through skits, mimes, choreography, video productions etc.

Quotation: Being RelevantEvangelization loses much of its force and effectiveness if it does not take into consideration the actual people to whom it is addressed, if it does not use their language, their signs and symbols, if it does not answer the questions they ask, and if does not have an impact on their concrete life. (Pope Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 63)

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IV) Reach outA few examples under this category are:

AMONG CHILDREN (JY Teens Ministry)Here we have the older brothers and sisters providing positive role models and friendly Christian guidance to the younger ones. When active youth conduct out reach to schools through retreats and training programs they are highly effective.

YOUTH FOR LIFE (Jesus Youth Pro-lifers)Jesus Youth pro-life ministry trains many ‘life volunteers’ to take a stand against the ‘culture of death’ and to challenge others to take a stand for the same. Jesus Youth campaign against abortion has been highly effective.

Two ministries that are the back bone of all our activities:

INTERCESSION MINISTRYThis is the powerhouse of the Jesus Youth Movement, active through fasting, prayers, chain prayers, night vigils and intercession retreats.

FINANCE MINISTRY Jesus Youth raise funds with the aid of commitment cards, tithes, and voluntary donations.

Quotation: Variety Among MovementsGreat Variety is to be found in apostolic associations. Some look to the general apostolic end of the Church; others aim specifically at evangelization and sanctification; others work for the permeation of the temporal order by the Christian spirit; and others engage in works of mercy and of charity as their special way of bearing witness to Christ. First among these associations to be given consideration should be those which favour and promote a more intimate unity between the faith of the members and their everyday life. (Vatican Council II, Lay People, 19)

FULL TIME VOUNTEERS

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The Full Time volunteers are graduates who take a one-year commitment to evangelize youth and help them grow in faith. The Fulltimers set aside one-year right after graduation – a very important period in terms of securing a career- for sharing their experience of Christ and forming discipleship groups wherever they are placed. These young people are given an intensive 40 days training before they are placed in their area of ministry in the various parts of India. During their year of commitment, they animate youth prayer groups and build young Christian leaders in the areas they are placed.

Today, more than ever, young people are conscious of survival in this fast paced world. The process of preparing oneself for a career begins quite early in life and every bit of energy is focused on attaining a lucrative position. Each priority in life becomes centered on this goal – a goal that seems perfectly compatible with the success oriented glitzy world.

Yet the Holy Father has always spoken of his faith in the generosity and commitment of young people. And the full timers ministry, a path breaking initiative that sparked off from the Jesus Youth Campus Ministry is, in a sense, a testimony to the fact that young people with a genuine personal experience of Jesus can stand up to the challenge of being different, of not being swept away by the deceiving currents of the world.

The fulltimers set aside one-year right after graduation – a very important period in terms of securing a career- for sharing their experience of Christ and forming discipleship groups wherever they are placed. These young people are given an intensive 40 days training before they are placed in their area of ministry in the various parts of India. During their year of commitment, they animate youth prayer groups and build young Christian leaders in the areas they are placed. Including the present 12th batch, more than 500 youth have become a part of this continuing revolution. A mature, qualified group of Jesus Youth leaders including elders and animators closely monitor and assist the developments of every single individual.

Returning to their academic pursuits after a year of commitment, these young people who have given God the best have invariably found that they are blessed more than ever in their spirituality as well as in their careers. Over 20 boys and girls from different batches of full timers have also identified their vocations after this year of formation and are in various stages of formation in congregations and religious orders across the country.

Fulltimership - this one year commitment is definitely a formation for lifetime commitment.

MILESTONES OF JESUS YOUTH MOVEMENT

1976

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Charismatic Youth activities begin in Kerala. Building up of youth groups.

1978 The Kerala Service Team (KST) of the CCR organizes a convention for youth. First Youth Team - First Charismatic Youth Convention (Around 800 participants).

1979 Bible camps and retreats. 1981 KST discussion on the need for a focus and strategy for youth. Second

Youth Team1982 Youth leadership formation programs. A strong First Line group

emerges.1983 First Kerala Youth Central Team (KYCT). First program for children.1983 Know Your-self programs to train youth for leadership1985 International Youth Year. 'Jesus Youth 85' - Jesus Youth gets its name. 1986 Jesus Youth work in Colleges streamlined - Central Campus Ministry

formed 1986 Second Line leadership formation programs. 1987 'Jesus Youth 87': "Evangelisation our goal". Beginning of Ministries.1988 First large get together of Campus students - 'Campus Meet 88':

"Arise Shine Out", over 1500 students participate.1989 'Jesus Youth 89': "Prayer & Evangelisation" - 'Campus Meet 89': "Our

God Reigns". Christeen 89: (teen-agers for Christ), around 2500 children come together - First Young Professionals' conference - 'The Rex Band' is formed.

1990 'Campus meets': "Come and See" held in 5 different places followed by a 'Campus Conference', "Fullness of Life" - 'Parish fest 90'- 3000 youth from parishes come together - Rex Band music album "Sing to the Lord" - Jesus Youth song book "Sing Halleluiah" first edition - Intercessors' Conference "Sehion Meet."

1991 Campus conference - "Sing Halleluiah" Second Edition1992

'Jesus Youth 92': conference with the theme "Build with the Lord" - First batch of 27 graduates (17 boys + 10 girls) take one year full time commitment to serve the Lord in campuses - First Outreach camp at Puthuvaipu - 2 albums by The Rex Band 'We Declare' and 'Nathantekoode'.

1993 'Talent 93'- 46 weekend training programs in 9 different fields spread over seven months - The Rex Band outside Kerala - Second batch of full time volunteers (35) - 'Samaria 93' in Thalassery - 'Snehapoorvam,' bi-monthly private news circular. The first Jesus Youth convention out side Kerala - in Bombay - 800 youth participated.

1994 'Jesus Youth 94': Christ Centred Lifestyle - 'Campus conference 94' - 'Parish fest 94' - JETT: Junior Evangelisers Trainers Training Program - SETT - Senior Evangelisers Trainers Training Program - ' We Belong To Thee' Audio cassette by The Rex Band - Third batch of full-timers

1995 Bible courses - Discipleship formation Programs - 'Jesus Youth 95' - 'Feel': the video Album - 'Campus Meets' in 4 places, 4000 participates - ' Sing Hallelujah' third edition with chords - 'The Visuals' takes new name 'The Living Vision' - Fourth batch of Full-time volunteers

1996 'Campus Meets': theme "Life" at 8 places - Bible correspondence course - 'Professionals' Conference': "Thy Kingdom Come" (350

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participants) - Sing Halleluiah 4th Edition - Fifth batch Full-time Volunteers (34) - New Malayalam Cassette 'Anuranjanam' - New KYCT formed - First Pro-life Training Program - The first book on Jesus Youth vision, 'JesusYouth- Oru Yuvajana Vismayathinte Katha'.

1997 Pro-life programs - New batch of JETT - History Makers - post High School programs - Nurses Conference, training - Sixth batch of full-time volunteers - 14 Inter Zonal Campus Meets with the theme 'Jesus Christ'. Rex Band visit to Goa and to Delhi 'Youth Alive' - Living Vision at the Mumbai Jubilee Charismatic Convention - National visits for group animation - Jesus Youth on the Web (www.jesusyouth.org) - English cassette "Quiet Waters" - Jesus Youth 97 'the family gathering', Stress on Evangelization of Mission fields of India.

1998 Dedication of Jesus Youth to the Holy Spirit, the four-step program, Holy Spirit Seminar for Leaders; Novena and Pentecost Celebration; Zonal Conventions; and Leaders' Dedication Session - Sports Animation - Easter program on Doordarshan by the Rex Band and Living Vision - Rex Band English cassette 'The Spirit of Holiness' - Doctors' Conference - Nurses Training - Regular evangelization training and part-time volunteering -- 7th batch of volunteers and Mission Volunteers - 'Kairos' magazine with KYCT guidance - National Co-ordination set up 'Jesus Youth National Team (JYNT) was formed.- Joynet, Jesus youth email fellowship launched.

1999 Jesus Youth National Office 'The Ark' - NCDT, National Campus Discipleship Training at Bangalore - 'Professionals' Conference 99' - 'Abba Seminars' in different zones - 8TH batch of Fulltimers - Campus Meets in 14 zones - 'Roses in Winter' 11th album of the Rex Band - 'Grace Land', 8day Jesus Youth Mega Exhibition with stalls and evening shows at Ernakulam - National Campus Meet at Bangalore - 1000 students from all over India participated - Youth Convention in Gujarat - First Youth Convention in UAE.

2000 Asian Youth Conference co-hosted by Jesus Youth; 9th batch of fulltimers. "Maranatha 2000" North Indian youth conference in Delhi - "Missionaryakunna Oru Yuvajanamunnettam", a book in Malayalam on Jesus Youth as a missionary movement - NCDT in Ahmedabad

2001 'Jesus Youth 2001' mega gathering of Jesus Youth - 4500 participated. Cultural Exchange Program brings 350 tribal youth to Kerala for one month. First Bible Calendar was printed. Two books published - 'Jesus Youth- Charismatic Prayer Groups' and 'Motivated by Love' (an account and activities of Jesus Youth full time volunteers)- 10th batch of fulltimers - Rex Band Live video album - Month long earth-quake relief work in Gujarat by the professionals' team

2002 Divya Jyothi (Intercession prayer campaign around the candle) inauguration at the CBCI -second Cultural Exchange Program with 240 tribal youth -- Jesus Youth Bible Calendar -one year long Thejus Bible study project - book on Rosary with Intercession prayers including new Luminous Mysteries -first Jesus Youth convention in Rajasthan (500 youth participated)- First National fulltimers training in Delhi and 11th batch of fulltimers - International Jesus Youth gathering at Toronto (250 participated) - Formation of JYIT, the international team - Rex Band trip to US, Canada and UAE - Rex Band becomes the first Indian group to perform on the main stage of World Youth Day- First Youth Convention in UK and Singapore. International Office at Cochin.

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2003 In India 15 professional students spend one month in mission areas preaching the Word of God; 12th batch Fulltimers training in English; Hindi Fulltimers training in Delhi; JY International Team meeting in Rome; Professionals Conference 2003 in Trichur participated by 961 from 72 colleges; Third Cultural Exchange Program with 456 tribal youth takes place in Kerala.

IMPRESSIONS ON JESUS YOUTH BY CHURCH LEADERS

Mar Jacob ThoomkuzhiArchbishop of Trichur “JesusYouth – I know them well. They are full of missionary spirit because it is the Holy Spirit that leads them. They give supreme importance to prayer and spiritual life. There was a time when we all thought it impossible to do any thing constructive in our educational institutions. Today, they have not just conquered our campuses for Jesus but have built the kingdom of God there.” 

 Bishop Peter CelestineBishop of Jammu “The presence of Jesus Youth was a great help for our dioceses. Besides, the prayer life, penance and good behaviour of the Jesus Youth have edified our people.” 

 Mar Joseph Pallikaparambil

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Bishop of Pala “This generation listens to you because you are from among them. When you professionals, active youth speak to them in their language about Jesus they are eager to listen. This is some thing that is impossible for us to do.” 

 Bishop Sebastian VadakkelBishop of Ujjain “They are doing an excellent aposolate.” 

 Bishop Jacob MananthodathBishop of Palakkad “I deeply appreciate the noble ministry of preparing the youth for Jesus. Those who benefit by the full timers training are a choice leaven for their families, church and society.” 

 Fr. Rufus Pereira  “I am happy to see you growing to an ecclesial maturity.” 

 Fr. Augustine Valooran V.C.Director, Divine Retreat Centre, Muringoor “I believe that it is through Jesus Youth that the face of the church is going to be transformed. They submit to discipline and are ready to take up challenges.” 

 Sr. Emelene, CSSTPrincipal, St.Teresa’s CollegeWinner of the “Best Principal of the Country” award for 1998 

“Jesus Youth are people full of compassion and a sense of mission. They show a keen interest in others, are ready for any service and have a high quality of leadership. Jesus Youth programmes are very different, and they influence the youth deeply.”

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History of Jesus Youth in Hyderabad

Jesus Youth had a humble presence in Hyderabad since the year 2001. Few committed members used to meet up at Sanathnagar parish every Sunday for a weekly prayer meeting. Their commitment to regularly meet and pray provided the roots for the Jesus Youth movement in the city. This prayer meeting was conducted with the support and guidance of the then parish priest Fr.Michael. All the members of this prayer group were actively involved in parish activities.

In 2004 few of the Teenagers from the Parish went for a 3 day programme conducted by Jesus youth at Mangalore. These Teens after coming back started a small prayer group. They continue to meet every Sunday after the English Mass.

The Same year Jesus Youth conducted a one day programme for the nursing school students of J.M.J nursing school, Sanathnagar.There after every fourth Sunday of the month a 3 hour programme is conducted by Jesus Youth. This was the beginning of Nurses ministry in Hyderabad. Sr.Alosyan, Sr. Rojamma support and guide Jesus Youth activities in J.M.J nursing school.

Many more Jesus Youth who came to Hyderabad to work/study joined this prayer group at St.Theresa’s. Their presence strengthened the fellowship. They all felt a need to gather all the Jesus Youth in the city for a day of recollection and prayer. They came together on September 2nd at Sathyodayam for Family Gathering 05’.Rev Fr.Pakiaraj S.J and Rev. Fr.Anthony S.J provided us the support and facilities to make this gathering happen.Rev.Fr. Bhaskar O.F.M celebrated the Holy Mass.

The Family gathering brought a thirst in everyone’s heart to serve the Lord more closely. All felt a need of preparing spiritually through a retreat. Again in

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Sathyodayam, 70 – 80 youth, from different parishes gathered for a 3 day growth retreat. This marked the beginning of a blessed time for Jesus Youth in the city.

The need for regular prayer group and fellowship, lead to start a prayer group at St.Francis college,Begumpet.This prayer group is the back bone of all other activities of Jesus Youth.Many activities were initiated by this group like Nurses gathering,Family Gathering 06’,Outreach to Orissa, Koinonia: campus leader’s training etc.

<< Meeting activities>>Sharing the wordIntercessionsPraise and worshipJesus Youth is working very

Introduction of a full timerMissionary Landed in Hyderabad:

By God’s Grace, Hyderabad is blessed with a Fulltimer this year.

Her name is Annette from Jodhpur.

<<Details >>CommitmentActivities as a full timerSponsorshipContributions

Activities

Central Prayer Group This prayer group was started soon after Arising 2006, to follow up

<<Details on CPG>><<Teens prayer group>><<Nurses prayer group monthly once>><<Outreaches whenever required>><<Support to the Youth director initiated spiritual activities>><<Taize mobilization>>

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Various Programs so far Arising 2006Outreach at OrissaKoinoniaLeadership training at BangaloreFamily gatheringILTP at Bangalore

Working with Youth Director’s Office, Hyderabad Arch-Diocese

We were actively involved in the Lenten preparation retreats organized by the youth director’s office. In all the four Lenten retreats we had, Jesus Youth members were present actively. Apart from actively involving in the activities initiated by Youth director’s office; we keep the youth director informed about our activities.

Involvement in Parish Activities

Most of the Jesus youth are actively involved in Parish activities. Also we are supporting the parish by teaching catechism. Also some of us are involved in other initiatives of the parish,

Ministries<<Formation and details>>Music ministryNurses ministryTeens ministryNet Ministry

Guidance, Support and authorisation<<Details on Fr. Vincent>><<Details on Fr. Bhaskar>><<Details on Fr. Packiaraj>><<Details on Sr. Zena and Sr. Alphonsa>>

Future<<Details on Professional ministry>><<Outreach to other parts of Andhra … lead from Vijaywada>><<Strengthen the Intercession ministry>><<Cell group concept>><<Form leaders from members of CPG>><<Forming the official service team>>

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Full Time Animator<<Details on roles and nature of guidance>>

Prayers, encouragement and support from His grace

Arising 2006, Every Bush Afire !!!

Arising 2006,Growth Retreat for JY Hyd

In an effort to reach out to the thirsty youth of Andhra Pradesh. The Jesus Youth of

the Twin Cities gave to them Jesus through ‘Arising 2006’ “he who drinks of me shall

never thirst”. Arising 2006 was a long standing dream for the JY family which got

materialized after months of prayers and intercessions of many. The final result was

the three day retreat from 27th April ’06 to 30th April ’06.

Arising 2006 was a growth retreat for all the Catholics and a time for them to move a

step forward in their spiritual lives. As the scripture says,“Therefore let us go on

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towards perfection, leaving behind the basic teachings about Christ…and we will do

this if GOD permits.”(Heb 6:1-3) A team from the ministry of, “ Association of

Crusaders for Christ with Mary” was kind enough to commence this retreat for Jesus

Youth. The team of six led by Bro. Edmund were a blessing for all those who had

attended this retreat. This was certainly a life changing experience for everyone

present there.

From the day one after the welcoming team had felicitated the group, Bro. Edmund

made it clear that they were here to witness Christ as the scripture says, ” You are

the witnesses…” (John 24:49). All during these three days witnessed the presence of

the Trinity among the people present. On 27th the session began at 6:30pm with the

word of God and then followed by praise and worship. After dinner the day ended

with the Rosary interceding to our Blessed Mother for her guidance for the next 3

days.

28th April ’06 – Friday 6:15 am

The day starts with a “Hail Mary” followed by praise and worship and then by the

word of God shared by Bro. Edmund. He took us through various slides of our lives,

which made us question ourselves where we stand as a Christian? Whether we are

“Cold Christians”, “Lukewarm Christians” or “Hot Christians”? All were quick to

realize that most of them present were “Lukewarm Christians” who partially obeyed

GOD like “King Saul”. For as the scriptures says,” For whoever keeps the whole law

but fails in ONE point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2: 10)

After the brief session by Bro. Edmund, Bro. Jose Mathew shared his testimony. The

whole day’s events included lots of Praise & worship, the holy mass celebrated before

lunch and again a brief session with Bro. Edmund from where he had left before. In

between there were Counseling Sessions going on for those interested. The day

ended with a Rosary interceding to Our Blessed Mother for her guidance and prayers.

(But the counseling session went on late night till 11: 30)

The whole day was observed in silence. Everyone returned to their respective rooms

for the night as the day ahead was an important one.

Day ended at 9:45pm

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29th April ’06 – Saturday 6:15 am

The day began with a “Hail Mary” followed by praise & worship. Today was an

important day. Bro. Edmund preached the word of GOD followed by the testimony of

Musician of Bro. Edmund Team. Then Bro. Edmund told everyone the importance of

Confession, quoting various scripture verses. “No one who conceals transgressions

will prosper, but one who confesses them and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

(Proverbs 28: 13)

Bro. Jose gave a small talk on confession as well. As the scriptures says, ”If you love

me, you will obey my commandments.” (John 14: 15) After which, “The Blessed

Sacrament” was exposed in the chapel and was silently worshipped followed by a

heart-felt confession by all present (The Priest themselves witnessed about the

confessions later). This was followed by a Holy mass.

Anointing of the Holy Spirit:

Now came the most important part of the day’s session, “Adoration of the Blessed

Sacrament and for receiving the Holy Spirit’s grace.” The people were asked to split

in groups of Fives and recite the Rosary, interceding to the Blessed Mother. Before

each decade was recited one of the five knelt in the center and was prayed over by

the other four for the Holy Spirit to descend on them. After the Rosary everybody

entered the hall, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and adored, clippings from the,

“Passion of Christ” were shown in between. Everyone was prayed over by the team

members during the anointing session. Everyone was touched by the Love, grace and

mercy of our precious Lord and master Jesus Christ. The session ended with a Hail

Mary.

Everybody retreated in silence for dinner and later to their rooms.

Day ended at 10: 00pm

30th April ’06 – Sunday 6:00 am

The day began with the, “Hail Mary”, followed by praise & worship. Then another Bro.

of the team shared his testimony. Today was the day to prepare ourselves not only to

go out in the world and light every bush we come across but to face every temptation

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and overcome it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Bro. Edmund preached the Word of

God after which Bro. Jose took a session on prayer and its importance.

After the testimony Bro. Edmund gave his testimony in which he poured out his

whole life story. Everybody present there was all ears to all the testimonies. After

lunch Bro. Edmund discussed the role of mother Mary in our spiritual growth. That

Mother Mary was there to guide us always to her Son Jesus Christ. And anyone who

sought her help was never left unaided. By the scripture passage from the gospel of

Luke 1: 39-45 the grace with which the Lord bestowed Mother Mary is clearly stated.

The Holy Spirit’s role was also made cleared. The difference between being filled with

the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit was explained with the scripture

verse, ” Jesus full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the

Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.”(Luke 4: 1-2)

After being tempted and overcoming the temptations the scriptures says, ” Then

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit returned to Galilee.” (Luke 4: 14) Bro.

Edmund even guided everyone as to how to consult the Lord in all circumstances.

Then after praise & worship it was the time to give testimonies for the participants.

One by one everybody shared their experiences throughout their stay. Though the

experiences were different but there was one thing in common. There was no one

present there in the hall who was not touched and was changed, a change only for

the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ of whom we are all witnesses.

Now the last and the most important part of the retreat had come. This was to let

everyone know about “Jesus Youth.” One of the members of Jesus Youth himself,

Shibu Devasia commenced this session explaining its various aspects. What steps

were being taken and done to reach out the youth for their spiritual growth and every

other aspect was discussed.

The day ended with farewells to Bro. Edmund and his team by Bro. Adolph.

Everybody departed with prayers, commitments and thanksgivings.

After “Arising 2006”, Andhra Pradesh would never be the same let alone Hyderabad.

The retreat was a success and all the glory and thanks be given unto our Lord Jesus

Christ.

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Penetecost Outreach – Orrisa Program Report.

June 4th – June 5th , (Semliguda – Orrisa)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that who believes in him

may not perish but may have eternal life.” John3: 16.

When the Lord calls us all we have to say is “Yes Lord”, for God has already planned

everything for us. The same could be told about this mission that Jesus youth of

Hyderabad had taken up. The call for the one and half day prayer camp in Orrisa

came at such short notice that all we could say is just a yes. The Jesus Youth of

Hyderabad were asked to commence the session in Hindi, which not many knew. So

a team of three comprising of Shibu Devasia, Annie George & Prashanth Kumar

started for Orrisa after many prayers on Jun 3rd.

“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God

prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Ephesians2: 10.

After a hectic journey, the team reached Semliguda, Orrisa – a town amidst

mountains and hills, our destination. With everything surrendered to the Holy Spirit

as it was the day of the Pentecost we the team were excepting for the presence of

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the trinity right from the beginning. We were expecting the grace of the Holy Spirit as

not all could speak proper or fluent Hindi. We constantly reminded ourselves of what

had happened 2000yrs ago to the apostles when they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we reached Jeevan Jyothi School, the mother superior, Sr. Jhansi, received us

warmly. Fr. Francis the Youth Director organized the camp along with Fr. Joy the dean

of the parish and Fr. Pious the parish priest of Semliguda. Later on Pratap, a full timer

of JY in Orrisa joined the team from Hyd.

June 4th, 12: 30 pm. Sunday

“Time for action for the Lord.”

The day was a special one as it was the day of Pentecost. The program started off

with the Holy Mass. After the mass the lunch was served which was followed by,”Ice

Breaking” where the team introduced themselves and some activities were done so

as to introduce everyone to everyone. Then for sometime praise and worship was

done. After which Shibu shared the word of God where in he conveyed the message

of God’s abundant and everlasting love for his children that is we. He gave such

simple examples that the youth anticipated it well. Of the many verses from the

scriptures that he quoted was,

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world

so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he

loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1John4: 9-10.

After the brief session with Shibu, the youth were assigned various tasks as part of

games which had them on their feet all the time. Then they were asked to enact

various situations in the gospels. The youth put in their ideas to make it very lively. A

skit on Sin was performed with a few volunteers from the youth who were attending

the camp. After which Shibu took a session on Sin and repentance. He showed them

through examples how we turn away from God’s love and sin against him. Even

though we sinned still God will forgive our iniquities if we ask for forgiveness with a

repentant heart. For God’s mercies are so great that he allows nothing to separate us

from him.

As the scriptures says,

“Nor heights, nor depths, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us

from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans8: 39.

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The session ended with the importance of confession and the impact it has. After

almost everyone had done his or her confession Annie & Prashanth led the youth in a

touching adoration of “The Blessed Sacrament” where the presence of the Holy Spirit

was overwhelming throughout the adoration. It was as if it had been on the day of

Pentecost. Holy Spirit was filling everyone in the hall with his presence. The priest

went around and prayed over all the youth anointing them. Everybody departed in

silence for the day

June 5th 6:45 am. Monday.

The day started with praise and worship by Prashanth and Pratap in the native

language and Hindi. After breakfast, praise and worship was done followed by a skit

on the power of the Holy Spirit when He is with us. Then Annie inspired the youth by

the session on how we could remain in the Lord without indulging in the ways of the

world in our day-to-day lives. How by living in the word we can stay pure for it is

written,

“I treasure your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” Psalm119: 11.

Various scripture portions were quoted where in the marks of a true Christian are

written. And if we are in the Lord how he would teach us everyday? How we all have

been set free from the bondages of sin? Through the passion and crucifixion we have

been released from the clutches of evil.

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to

a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5: 1.

And if God stands with us then there would be nothing to be feared. And that we can

take Christ with us wherever we go, carrying him in our hearts everyday of our lives.

That by walking in righteousness they could be a living example of Christ himself. We

should all attain this attitude as the scriptures says,

“If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord.” Romans14: 8.

After the session there was Panel Sharing – Testimonies by the JY team (Pratap,

Prashanth, Annie, and Shibu.) The day ended with the Holy Mass.

Every prayer camp has its own complaints about what should have been done and

not done. Even this prayer camp had one. “Why had the camp been organized for

such a short time only?”

This only showed their thirst for the word of God. Their beaming faces told their

whole story that they carried Christ within them. Jesus Youth set afire all those who

were present. And never again will the churches of Orrisa be the same after,

“Pentecost –Outreach”. And God’s people said, “Amen”.

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This retreat was a success entirely because of the constant presence of the Holy

Spirit and the intercessions of our Blessed Mother Mary. All thanks be to God and His

Son Jesus Christ who reigns forever and ever.

Koinonia - Campus Leaders Program June '06

Participants of Koinonia :

S.Vijaya Rajitha Reddy , Anusha Marian , D.Jyothsna , Tony Thomas , V.Shanthi ,

T.Mary Sucharitha , Arpana Diana , V.Stephen George , Callista Francis , Jane

Scholistica , Preethi Madhuri , Lilly shalini , Angela , Rita Clement , Crescentia Thomas

Lourd Anthony , Elizabeth Lilliy (Dolly) , D.Vandana , Candice Ceasar , Roseline ,

M.Sujeet Deepti , Sneha Abraham , Sharon Mathews , D.Deepthi , Rincy Sara Luka ,

Sonum Suzan , M.Sandeep Kumar , V.Prem Kumar , P.Joseph Benarjee , K.M.J. Uday

Raj , Gino George , Jarald , Shibhu , Sr. Alphonsa , Sr. Brediget

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LTP – Banglore 16th -18th June

Leadership Training Programme – Bangalore 16th -18th June

(Hyderabad Perspective)

June 17th

Onward Journey

We (Prasanth, Milinda..) started on June 16th in the evening, reached Bangalore

around 3 p.m the next day, after our patience was tested to the max. by the bus

driver. The moment we reached B’lore the JY group was there to welcome us, serve

lunch & help us get right in time for our first session.

Session I – Time Management

(CC Joseph Chetan – Ex. National Coordinator of JY India)

Joseph Chetan elicited to us that we should use time effectively by long term

planning, always anticipate & prevent problems, empower others around us which

would lead to a personal self development.

He also stressed that communication with people is imperative, always being

prepared, better planning & organizing, taking better care of oneself, seizing new

opportunities, personal development, and empowerment.

One striking example that mentioned was of a football game happening with out goal

posts. Nobody would enjoy such a game. The same way each of us should have a

goal in life & work towards it & channelize all of our time and effort in achieving it .

This session made us realize that as a leader time is precious & we have to use it

wisely & make good use it of every minute.

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Session II – Understanding the world & its views on religion

CC Joseph Chetan

In this session, Joseph Chetan spoke about religion in general and what & how the

world reacts to it. He put before us various examples like in Palestine religion meant

Relationship, in Greece it was Philosophy, Rome its Institutional, Europe its Culture,

Traditional Christian its Programmes, 3rd World its Projects, America its

commercialized & in today’s world Religion is Entertainment.

Following this, the entire audience was then divided into small groups & we discussed

about what religion & God means to today’s youth.

We had debated on questions like

Is Religion getting dad to worse?

Is religion becoming anything of the past?

Is today’s youth becoming less religious today?

Is God no more?, Is God a creation of man?

Do youth think they still need God?

Is it difficult to talk about God among youth?

Do the youth try God as they want to try something new???.

This discussion really helped & gave us time to sit back & think what our friends &

others around us thought about religion. We could hear so much of the young blood

talk, during this session. It was the voice of the youth & the ideas & thoughts, the

barriers we face in talking about religion to today’s youth.

Finally, we concluded on the note that there is an apparent lack of meaning,

permanent conflict, hunger for hope in the modern culture, & there is an undenying

religious search in today’s world.

Session III – Discipleship - (Fr. Trevor)

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As the theme suggests, Fr. Trevor spoke to us about leaders and disciples. He

explained to us that followers ought to be like the master & follow him in everything.

Session IV – (Christian Leadership – CC Joseph Chetan)

In this session, Joseph Chetans mentioned to us that as a leader we should always

remain focused on the following laws in order to bring Jesus to the people..

These include:

Law of the Lid : One has to realize that things can be done ONLY with the help of

our Helper the Holy spirit & to put one’s thinking in line with the Lord.

Law of Vision : It mentions about how vision gives the power & motivation to march

ahead.

Law of process : It is about being patient, work on oneself & let God work in you,

which is a complete process.

Law of Solid Ground : Its about character and the foundation of Leadership

(Walk the talk)

Law of Magnetism : “Who you are is who you attract?” so keep doing a self check

on who you are attracting & if we need to improve ourselves anyway.

Law of empowerment : It speaks about a leader’s ability to empower his people. It

mentions that the people’s capacity to achieve is the leader’s ability to empower

them.

Law of Reproduction : It takes a leader to raise up another leader & one should not

be threatened as they see other leaders coming up.

Law of Priorities : A leader knows what to give importance to & what not too.

Law of Sacrifice : It speaks about how a leader should sacrifice certain things to go

up.

At the culmination of this session we could foresee a lot of young JY members as

“leaders” in the making.

Camp Fire - (A spirit of Togetherness)

A camp fire organized for the group by the JY tribes who welcomed the group with

foot tapping music and dance, fire displays & shouts in the tribal language singing

praise to the King of Kings and God acknowledged this by sending the rains. The

group then joined in for dinner & later dispersed for the night.

June 18th

The day began with praise & worship followed by adoration.

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Later we had Manoj Chettan(JYIT Coordinator) interacting with the group &

speaking to them about the JY group. Counseling sessions were happening

simultaneously.

Following this there was a question/answer session.

Riju Chetan(National Cordinator), Manoj Sunny & CC Joseph Chetan were

fielding the questions while the audience (young leaders in the making), were the

ones throwing at them their queries.

All the answers were straight from the hearts of the leaders, were practical and real

life time experiences, just showing interest & passion in overcoming the barriers they

face every day in becoming better leaders.

The day ended with mass offered by the Bishop of Bangalore

June 18th

Return Journey

Burning with the Love for Christ

&

To set Hyderabad on Fire we packed ourselves to hit our Mission Field.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this leadership program was a real inspiration for all the “wannabe

leaders” for the sake of Christ’s evangelical work.

All thru the program we had enjoyed lotsa games, good entertaining music,

informative and encouraging sessions & talks and above all a good fellowship.

This leadership program enriched, all its participants, encouraged the young minds,

nourished and equipped them with some of the tools they could utilize in

accomplishing their “Bigger Goal” for Christ.

In Christ,

Milinda Perez.

Jesus Youth, Hyderabad.

Hyderabad Jesus Youth Family Gathering - 2005

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Theme of the Programme:

"Promote the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you; pray for it to the LORD,

for upon its welfare depends your own." Jeremiah 29:7

No. of Participants: 28 , Male: 19 , Female: 9 , No. of Days: 1

Region/Country: Andhra Pradesh

Venue: Sathyodaya retreat house, Secunderabad.

Programme Co-coordinators: Eabin Antony & Rodney Pereira

Main Sessions

Resources

100% commitment to Jesus and his kingdom - Tomas Michael

Fellowship groups - Rodney Pereira & Adolph Goldwyn

Jesus Youth in Hyderabad – initiatives, challenges and dreams

Rodney Pereira

Inspiring events/insights/incidents:We could feel God’s grace from the time when we

dreamt about this program.

The way we got the venue, the resource person everything was a miracle…

We thought of a venue first which turned out to be expensive, in our search for a

cheaper venue we got in touch with Fr.Pakiaraj S.J who helped us to get a venue at a

cheaper rate than its usual rate. We gave him the International newsletter to

introduce Jesus Youth; it was our news letter that helped us to introduce Jesus

Youth.Also we were in search of a resource person. We heard that Bro.Fritz is in the

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city for some other programme.So we dreamt about getting his help. But he was too

busy those days so we didn’t get him. Then we came to know that Tomas chettan

from Thiruvananthapuram is in the city for some official purpose. It was by the grace

of God we got him. And his sessions touched all of us. He came and put the fire in our

hearts to work for Kingdom of God.

Brief Description of the programme:

The aim of the programme was to bring the first line of Jesus Youth in the city

together at one place, to dream, plan and pray for the Jesus Youth activities in the

city. We aimed at spiritual nourishment at individual and group level along with it.

We started of with music on 2nd Friday evening at Sathyodaya, Secunderabad.After

initial introductions and sharing Prakash gave the key note. Then we had a time of

spiritual input from Tomas chettan. Slowly we were led to a mood of prayer followed

by Eucharistic adoration.

On 3rd morning we started praising and worshiping our dear Lord, Vijay Anthony lead

us.

Then Tomas chettan shared the message of 100% commitment to Jesus and his

kingdom. He shared his own experiences. His testimony and message put all of us

back on fire. We all could feel that we need to be more committed in building in His

kingdom.

Then we split into Emmaus groups to share our personal God experience and our

spiritual needs. Then we had a session on Fellowship groups, their importance and

how do they work by Rodney Pereira. It was followed by a time of intercession before

Blessed Sacrament for various needs of Jesus Youth in the city and state. Fr. Bhaskar

celebrated Holy Mass for us, with the touching sermon on how important it is for us to

be touched by our Master.

Afternoon we had a time of understanding the initiatives in the city and planning.

Everyone felt a need of such family gatherings. We decided to focus on following

areas in the coming months.

1. Intercession (Prashanth took the responsibility)

2. Fellowship groups

3. Ministry building

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4. Formation of Leadership

We decided to have a retreat for all the Jesus Youth in the city soon as the next step

towards achieving these goals for the Glory of God.

Get Connected - JY Hyd Family Gathering '06

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"They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles' and to the fellowship,

breaking of bread and prayer Acts 2:42

"Family gathering 06' Jesus Youth Family of Hyderabad gathers for a whole day of

fellowship.

"Connected to God, Connected to each other - Through Jesus our Lord" - Get

Connected!

One - Day Program in Vijayawada

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Venue: St.Peter’s Cathedral Auditoriam, Vijayawada.

Date: 5th February, 2006

No. of participants: 50

Programme:

Though the programme was meant to be a follow up for cultural exchange

participants, it turned out to be a gathering of Jesus Youth of various parts of Andhra

Pradesh. The presence of participants from Vijayawada, Gudiwada, Khammam and

Hyderabad mad the event a beautiful time of fellowship. Key focus for the entire

programme was on Jesus Youth spirituality and life style.

The programme started off with a powerful and anointed praise and worship session

by Stella Maria College Jesus Youth members. Miss. Velankani, their prayer group

coordinator was the mc for the day. Sanju, the fulltime volunteer for Vijayawada was

the programme coordinator. Santhosh from Vijayawada Jesus Youth helped him in

organizing the event.

After a warm welcome and a few songs there was a spiritual session by Prakash

George from JY Hyderabad. This was followed by a wonderful group session were we

had the presence of Jesus Youth leaders with different groups. It was wonderful to

have the presence of people like Marina (National Campus coordinator), Vignandas

Gangula, Rodney Pereira and Prakash from JY Hyd, Vijay from the National Campus

team, Linto and Stephen (ex-full timers), Sr. Jacinta (Animator, Stella Maria’s prayer

group), Sr. Sherlin (Youth coordinator, Khammam diocese) along with the various

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groups. After lunch we had an inspiring session on Jesus Youth by Mr. Rodney Pereira.

It was followed by Eucharistic celebration led by Rev. Fr. Jayraj, the Youth director of

Khammam diocese. Surprisingly he spoke on the constants and Jesus Youth lifestyle

in his homily.Fr Jose helped us in confessions and gave us a motivating message. Leo

Tom from JYNT and Maju from Full Time Volunteers Formation Team were also

present during the programme.They conducted the screening for the upcoming

fulltime volunteer’s training. We were also blessed by the hospitality, support and

presence of elders like Mr.Pailee, Mr.Martin and Ruby (ex-fulltime volunteer - IIIrd

batch).Vignan and Rodney Pereira helped with songs in Telugu and English

respectively. Vignan helped in the translation of the sessions into Telugu very

efficiently apart from the support in music.

On a whole the programme served many purposes:

A get together for Jesus Youth of various parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Follow up for the cultural exchange program participants

Full Time Volunteers Screening

Strengthening of Campus ministry in Vijayawada.

Spiritual recharging and formation for all participants and leaders.

This programme left us with dreams and hopes for similar get-togethers in future

One Day program for Nursing Students :

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No. of Participants: 120 , Male: 8 , Female: 112 , No. of Days: 1

Theme of the Programme:

Preparing the way for Jesus in our lives – A Christmas Preparation.

Region : Andhra Pradesh

Venue: JMJ Nursing School, Sanathnagar, Hyderabad.

Programme Co-coordinator: Besto Sebastian.

Brief Description of the programme:

The adoration and Christmas preparation lead by Rodney Pereira and the music

ministry lead by Adolph Goldwyn was really touching. Everyone was spiritually

touched by the one hour with Jesus.

Then we had a Skit which was prepared instantaneously. We thought of a skit based

on a theme on how people would look at the birth of Jesus if he takes birth in our

days.

We were few so we were about to drop the idea then we came to know that the

students of the nursing school already are ready with a live crib(with a new born boy

child acting as Child Jesus).We clubbed the skit and the crib and it was graceful to

see how Holy Spirit co-ordinates the skit . J Eabin Antony and Shibu Devasia put their

creativity on stage to make the skit more attractive and interesting.

All credit goes to Sr.Alosian, Sr.Rojamma and Besto who coordinated the entire

programme.

Prayers, Encouragement and support from His grace

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