JESUS YOUTH | KAIROS GLOBAL | DECEMBER 2018

Author: Dr Edward Edezhath

The Story of the Name ‘Jesus Youth’ 

This movement ‘Jesus Youth’ has now grown and spread around the world. It is present in almost three dozen countries and in all continents. The movement has given rise to a number of fascinating and youth friendly initiatives. For numerous people ‘Jesus Youth’ is a label that they proudly apply to themselves, saying ‘I am a Jesus Youth!’ So naturally people ask, ‘How did this name came about?’ or ‘Who gave the movement this name?’

I tell them, initially the name was that of a conference and we never thought of it as the name of a movement. But after this conference in 1985 those who participated in that gathering started identifying themselves as Jesus Youth and gradually other people associated with the network also called themselves by that name.

To talk a little bit about its back ground – steps to bring together the youth in the Charismatic Renewal in Kerala started in earnest in 1978. For this purpose a team was fromed, and after a few gatherings and trainings, a conference was held at the end of that year. Later the state was divided into many zones with a leadership strucutre. From 1982 a community of leaders with the name ‘First Line Group’ started meeting regularly to envision the building of a growing youth network. When Pope John Paul II announced 1985 as the International Year of Youth, the Frist Line wanted to celebrate it with all colour and enthusiasm and end it with a memorable gathering. 

The ’85 conference was planned to mark the conclusion of the Youth Year and the First Line planned many initiatives in connection with it. But of course, we wanted a good name. Our monthly meetings, in those days, used to be at a fascinating place called Snehanilayam, just outside the city of Ernakulam and there we spent many rounds discussing, among many other details of the conference, a suitable name for the conference. 

In our youthful enthusiasm and eagerness to do something beautiful and unique, all of us used to dream wild about how the conference should be, and every aspect of that conference. We didn’t want it to be like the other usual boring ‘churchy and preachy’ gatherings. So among other aspects, we discussed much about how the name should be. So we agreed upon some of the aspects of the name

:

1. It should mention ‘Jesus’ as we were talking much about the significance of the person and message of Jesus in our lives.

2.  As reaching out to young people was our central mission, a mention of ‘Youth’, we thought, shoud find place in the name.

3. ‘Interpreting the signs of the times’ was a constant refrain in our general discussions and so the name has to do with ‘today’ or the ‘present time’, and finally,

4. Focused on the inspirations of the Holy Spirit we used to talk of the importance of ‘dynamism’ or creativity of the Spirit and, so, the name should represent that dynamism. 

   
   

In those days, one of our key members, Ms Alicekutty returned from the USA after attending some of the conferences there. As we listed options for the names her contribution was significant. Though we had a sense of direction about the name, we were not satisfied with any  of the suggesions. And finally the most acceptable proposal came not in the First Line meetings, but in a small gathering of the Program Committee at Trichur.

Six of us gathered at Vimala College, Trichur to finalize the program details of the much awaited Youth Year Conference. Sr Cleopatra and Sr Chrisologa were professors in that College and that was the reason we chose to gather there for an over-night planning meeting. Fr Jose Palatty, Ms Alicekutty, Mr Jose Jacob and myself were the rest of the team. We presented the various suggestions from the First Line group about the conference and then further discussions continued.

I told the others about the proposals for the name and then we had a reflective pause. After a little while Fr Jose Palatty spoke up: “Why don’t we call it ‘Jesus Youth ‘85’? Youth will surely like to chant it like a slogan”. And then raising his right-hand he chanted the name in a sing-song manner. “Je-Sus-Youth-Ei-Ty-Five”. All of us laughted out loud watching him do that in a funny manner. But, of course, everyone of us liked the name he proposed.

All of us agreed that it was quite a suitable name for the conference. I quickly scanned the papers with the other proposals for the program and suggested: May be we should have three themes for the three days of the conference. The first day, ‘Youth ‘85’, highlighting contemporary issues; the second day, ‘Jesus ‘85’, the Lord’s plans for our times; and on the last day ‘Jesus Youth ‘85’ talking on what we are called to do.

With the name of the conference finalized Jose Jacob and his team started working  on various merchendize. First he prepared a logo, the very one we still use. That was the age of letter writing, and we printed and gave letter papers for everyone with that name and logo at the bottom. That year all of us used Jesus Youth Christmas cards that one of our active members designed. And the enthusiasm spread. 

At the beginning of the conference our big mentor Fr Gino Henriques was the one who gave the keynote speech. “You have chosen a very special name for this historic conference and it is beautiful and so meaningful” he began. “But this shouldn’t just be the name of the conference, but ‘Jesus Youth’ should be your name”. Then he made everyone place their right hand on the chest and made them repeat, “I am a Jesus Youth”. The thousand-strong croud shouted out, “I am a Jesus Youth”. He continued, “Turn to your neighbour and say, ‘You are a Jesus Youth’”. They did so. Finally he said, “Let us all hold hands and say, “We are Jesus Youth”’. It was such an overwhelming sight to see the whole community holding hands aloft and chanting enthusiastically, “We are Jesus Youth”.

That sealed it! Out network was christened then and there. From then on people started using ‘Jesus Youth’ to refer to persons and also to groups. Gradually the whole movement came to be known by that beautiful name.