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National Catholic Youth Leaders’ convention to be held in Mangaluru from January 18

MANGALURU: National Youth Convention of Catholic youth leaders from India will be held from January 18 to 22 at St Joseph Engineering College, Vamanjoor. 

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

 He told reporters on Monday that over 3,000 youth leaders from across India will attend the convention. The theme of the convention is, ’Touched by Jesus, Walking His way’ and the focus would be on - ’preparing tomorrow’s leaders today’. Organized by the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) under the auspices of the Youth Council of the CBCI, the tenth national convention will be hosted by the Karnataka Region and Mangalore Diocese in collaboration with the dioceses of Udupi, Belthangady and Puttur, he said. 

 The convention will be inaugurated by minister for Bengaluru development and town planning K J George and presided over by most Rev Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bangalore. Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, MLA JR Lobo, MLC Ivan D’Souza and others will be guests. Noted educationist of Rayan Group of Institutions Grace Pinto will deliver the keynote address. President of CBCI Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Major Archbishop of Ernakulam, Cardinal George Alencherry, and President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) and Archbishop of Bombay Cardinal Oswald Gracias will address the youth. Meanwhile, over 8,000 youth 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, he added. 

 "ICYM is the largest Premier Catholic Youth Movement. It is spread over 170 dioceses in India and across 627 districts in India. Started in 1999, ICYM strives to promote integral development of youth through formation, fellowship and action. ICYM caters to varied needs of the holistic development of its young members with its motto - ’to Lead, to Serve, and to Shine" for the youth of India. The National Youth Convention was started in 1989 and it is held once in three years in any one of the fourteen Ecclesiastical Regions of India. The triennial event helps the youth to evaluate, and chalk out plans for the coming years.