Jesus Youth (JY) ended its silver jubilee celebrations resolving to expand the spiritual movement across the globe. Around 20,000 bishops, priests, nuns and young people from 29 countries attended the five-day program that ended with a vigil on New Year Day. The celebrations helped participants return home “renewed and radiant,” said Manoj Sunny, general convener of the organizing committee. After the jubilee celebration, some 200 delegates addressed the movement’s future at a two-day international colloquium. Raiju Varghese, JY’s new international coordinator, said the colloquium decided to take the movement to more countries and mission areas. “We would make our presence felt among youths and campuses and reunite them in the Holy Spirit,” said the 30-year-old lawyer. He said the Church’s “full faith in us” would help them in their mission. Sunny said the movement helps members grow through a five-stage process. First, it makes a youth a seeker, then a believer and later a disciple. The fourth stage allows the youth to become an apostle and finally a builder of God’s Kingdom on earth. “We have decided to turn to the Lord with great fervor for guidance and blessing to respond to His call, to go to the ends of the earth with the message of love, to build His kingdom,” Sunny said. Earlier, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, urged the young participants to utilize their newfound energy to build the Church. The cardinal’s valedictory keynote address expressed happiness that a movement that originated in his Ernakulam archdiocese in Kerala, has spread globally. “I’m very happy in its growth within a short time,” he added. JY, which began with 15 college students, now has more than 50,000 young people around the world. The cardinal noted the JY’s strength is its members’ deep-rooted spirituality and reminded them that their celebrations would become meaningless if they ignored the spiritual life. Related reports Cardinal opens youth jubilee in IndiaCatholic youths march for peace IA12694.1635