India: Catholic youth meet to promote leadership

National Youth Convention of Catholic youth leaders is being held from January 18 to 22 at St Joseph’s Engineering College, Mangaluru, India. 

Bishop Henry D’Souza of Bellary, chairman of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Youth Council, said the convention will focus on promoting leadership among the youth.

Over 3,000 youth leaders from across India are attending the convention. The theme of the convention is ‘Touched by Jesus, walking His way’ and the focus will be on ‘preparing tomorrow’s leaders today’.

Organised by the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) under the auspices of the Youth Council of the CBCI, the tenth national convention is hosted by the Karnataka Region and Mangalore Diocese in collaboration with the dioceses of Udupi, Belthangady and Puttur.

Meanwhile, over 8,000 youths will hold a peace rally on January 22. The peace march will begin from Rosario Cathedral Church and culminate at St Aloysius College grounds, where Justice Kurian Joseph, Supreme Court judge, will address the youth on constitutional rights and duties – youth responsibility.

ICYM is the largest premier Catholic youth movement. It is spread over 170 dioceses in India spread across 627 districts of the country. The National Youth Convention started in 1989 and it is held once in three years in one of fourteen ecclesiastical regions of India.(UCAN)