Jesus Youth History - Years 1976 to 1985 - An Interview (BJMM043)

Jesus Youth - the Initial Phase (1976-85)

(Dr. Edward Edezhath was interviewed by Navin at the JY International Office in 2010 to document and publish a write-up on JY's history in connection with the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the movement. But the work still needs to be completed.) 

Navin: Dr. Edward, could you share the memories you still cherish about the beginning of the JY Movement, before 1978, the initial phase of the Jesus Youth Movement?

Dr. Edward: Yes, in one way, the movement's formal beginning is the All-Kerala Charismatic Youth Convention, organized at Thevara, Cochin, in December 1978. Though JY got its name in 1985, the network was formed in 1978. For many of us, the beginnings were in 1976. I can share about the 1976 experience.

In 1976, I finished my pre-degree (today, Plus two). I had a lot of faith conflicts at that time. My faith life was transforming, with many doubts and questions. At the same time, I was also very active in a Catholic youth group at a place called Thoppumpady, near Fort Cochin. This group was part of ICUF, called TCSA, the Thoppumpady Catholic Students Association. It was an active group with many activities and good leadership training. Franciscan Fathers used to give us a lot of training, and we used to have a lot of social outreach programs; we used to go to slum areas and coastal areas and work with fishermen and rickshaw pullers. So, we had a very intimate, friendly, and joyful group in many social activities. That was my background. We had three or four ministry groups, and I oversaw the liturgy group then. This was in 1975-76. I was the Coordinator of the Liturgy group. So, when our youth group got a letter from Alwaye saying there would be a seminar on Charismatic Renewal in St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam, the group said some of us in the Liturgy group should go. This was one reason I went to this 1976 Charismatic Seminar about Charismatic Renewal, the first time organized in this part of India.

There was another background, also. Because of my faith confusions and questions, one seminarian, Joseph, directed me to a Spanish Carmelite father, Fr. Dominic Fernandez, OCD. He was the President of the Pontifical Institute of Alwaye, the Mangalapuzha Seminary. He was the rector of a big seminary, a famous researcher, and a learned priest. I used to go to him for guidance and talk about my faith crisis and things like that. 

He already gave me a couple of books to read. One book was a collection of essays called, I still remember, ‘Standing on the Promises of Christ’, published by that seminary press. This was a collection of essays on the different aspects of Charismatic Renewal. So, even before meeting with the Charismatic Renewal, I had read about it. So, with all this background, and as he was the organizer of this Charismatic Seminar, I attended it. The preachers were from Bombay, Fr. Rufus and Fr. Fio, and a priest from Mangalapuzha seminary, Fr. Marcelino; these three priests were the speakers for the Seminar. This was the end of June 1976, a four-day Charismatic Seminar. 

There were a couple of Bishops, many priests, and many sisters, and few lay people were attending. Some of us from this youth group attended this seminar. But to my surprise, I met two other people who became my companions in the early days of Jesus Youth. One was my own cousin, Ms. Stephani Papali, who was staying in Ernakulam, and the other was her friend from college. Her friend's name was Alicekutty. So Alicekutty told Stephani that a seminar was coming like this because Alicekutty had attended a retreat that the same team had done during the previous week in Calicut Christ College. Alicekutty had already attended a program by Fr. Fio, Fr. Rufus, etc., so she joined us in this seminar. So, there were three of us: my cousin Stephani, Alicekutty, and myself. We met in this Charismatic seminar organized at St. Teresa's College in June 1976.

In some ways, this was the beginning because, through Stephani, my cousin, all three of us used to come together during the Seminar. Later, we also continued the informal sharing and other things. Meanwhile, after the seminar, we started a prayer group at the same college. My youth group, the College Student's youth group, also started a prayer meeting.

Navin: What was your experience of this Charismatic Youth Seminar in 1976, as you were very new to Renewal?

Dr. Edward: For me, it was not a very emotional experience, but rather, a new exposition of the Word of God was very beautiful to me. I was already reading the Word of God a lot, from an intellectual point of view, because we had a lot of social exposure in our youth group. I had already attended a one-week social concern seminar by a French Canadian priest, John Deroche, of Social Institute, Bangalore. All that was from an analysis of the social aspect, social concern, or social commitment from a Biblical point of view. I was coming from that point of view to the seminar, and naturally, this was a new insight for me. Though I was already reading the Bible a lot, this gave me new insight into the Word of God. A new kind of appreciation of the work of the Holy Spirit, all that. And one thing, after the four days seminar, one of the speakers of the seminar, Fr. Marcelino, another Spanish Carmelite father, volunteered to continue the spirit of the seminar through a

'Life in the Spirit Seminar,' in St. Teresa's itself. So, after this initial seminar, for about two months, every Sunday, we used to have a talk, a Holy Mass, for a group. About 15 of us used to come regularly every Sunday for one talk, sharing, prayer, etc. And I really got deep in Charismatic Spirituality through this 'Life in the Spirit Seminar' in 1976. After this, we started a prayer group at St. Teresa's College.

Fortunately, this St. Teresa's college prayer group became a focal point of youth fellowship and the youth network's growth for many years, from 1976-77. It still continues, even after 30-31 years [now almost 50 years], it still continues. But in those early days, especially at the beginning of the Jesus Youth network, we always had a very vibrant youth fellowship. Whatever we now talk about in Jesus Youth, we already had experimented it in our

own groups. We had deeper sharing and committed groups; we used to have youth outreaches, we used to visit slums every Sunday, we used to have intercession groups every Saturday, and then there were many things like that. We used to regularly have training programs, so this Prayer group became a very focused area for us to grow, and many programs that followed St. Teresa's prayer group became a foundation.

Some of the early people were, of course, my cousin Stephani was there; the core group of people was Kochurani; she is a nun now in Snehanilayam; she later joined Home Science And the Convent. So, Kochurani, Stephani, and I were the first core group. And quite a few sisters and a few others were there.

Later, many other people joined, like Mathachan, who passed away; C.O Augustine, who is still there in the prayer group; P.V. Marykutty, who was a good initiator of Christian programs; so many, many people like that were there in that prayer group. Fr. Marcelino and Fr. Dominic regularly supported and guided us in the prayer group. I mentioned only a few early ones, later people like Ravi, V.J Antony, Reena Antony, C.O. Antony, and many First Line members. All these First Line members were part of St. Teresa's prayer group.

Navin: Can you share about the formation of First Line?

Dr. Edward: Yes, First Line came only in 1981. Before that, the 1978 First Youth Convention of about 800 youth from all over Kerala came, and even before the 1978 Convention, there were many training programs. For example, in 1978, Onam vacation was a very vibrant time, for many Retreats and Leadership trainings and Intercession retreats all took place in St. Albert's School in 1978. All these were a real seeding time, seed laying time for Jesus Youth. All this is organized by the St. Teresa's prayer meeting.

Navin: As you mentioned, the 1978 Youth Convention was a pathbreaking event in JY history. Can you tell us about the preparations before this Convention and other details?

Dr. Edward: First, our prayer group was actively growing, especially through the Core group and many messages that we used to receive; it was a very charismatic group, very vibrantly using Charisms, many messages coming from the Lord and prophesies. So, through all these steps, the group moved into something like a core community in the group itself. A very committed sharing and mission-oriented community was there. We used to meet every Tuesday, and the prayer meeting was on Wednesday, but imagine, all of us were youth, and there were no priests and sisters with us. Most of us were students, but we were very beautifully growing. And as I mentioned, intercession was very important for us; every Saturday, we used to have intercession. Social concern was very important for us, and many of us used to visit slums or coastal areas, and such things were there. A very firmly growing, committed group was formed in St. Teresa's prayer group.

In February 1978, the first All Kerala Leader's Conference was held in Manjummal, a Retreat center. This was an initiative of the retired Kollam Bishop Jerome Fernandez. Bishop Jerome Fernandez attended a Charismatic Retreat in 1977, and he wanted to give proper formation to the growing Charismatic Renewal in Kerala. Thus, in February 1978, about 100 leaders were listed and brought together. I was also involved in all these activities for the First Leaders' Conference. In this, Youth and Elders were all present.

The first KST (Kerala Service Team of the Charismatic Renewal) was formed at the end of this conference. Three of us were in the KST who later became very active in forming the Jesus Youth group: Alicekutty, Fr. Justin Pinheiro (Shelton's Uncle), and myself. There was one Eric; he died a couple of months back. Eric's elder brother was Fr. Justin, who was then a seminary professor. Three of us were in the First KST. 

The providential signal for the building up of the 1978 Youth convention came from Fr Fio. So, Fr Fio wrote a letter to KST in May 1978. Fr. Fio was then something like a National Chairman. Fr. Fio said there is already a service team in Kerala, the KST; perhaps the first area we should look at is youth. Many retreats were already being conducted in colleges and other areas. So why don't we have a convention for youth? We met in Loyola, Alwaye, a Jesuit house. I was also staying there. Three of us were there: Fr. Joseph Kizhakedam, Fr. Paul Lenthaparampil, and myself. I was doing my college studies and staying in Loyola at that time. So, this was discussed in the KST. And the KST already said that we would have a convention, and we scheduled it for December 1978. And they asked me to be the Convener of the convention. I asked them for two helpers, Alicekutty and Fr. Justin. The team readily agreed.  So, three of us were the first team of the Youth team in May 1978.

And the KST asked me to go around Kerala and look into the feasibility program. There was something else also. In early June 1978, a meeting was organized for the Kerala Advisory Council, KAB in Madonna, Nadathara, in Trichur. Now, it is KAC, not KAB. There, this issue of the Youth Convention was discussed. When this was proposed there, everyone opposed it. A lot of youth coming together was not acceptable to them. They said Charismatic Renewal was only beginning to grow in Kerala, which is only one year old. Youth could be a problem group. Especially in colleges and other areas, youth created many problems. So, if we bring youth together, even 100 youths were brought together, that could lead to big problems, and the Bishop and others will get an image that Charismatic Renewal is all confusion, so we shouldn't bring young people first together That was the group feeling. I still remember some of us, Alicekutty, Fr, Justin, and myself, were very much concerned and upset because of this. They couldn't trust us like that. So we all prayed, and finally, Sr. Cleopatra said we would look into what the Lord wants from us. Ask the Lord what he wants. Then we had a prayer session, and the messages were very clear: the Lord wants a youth gathering, and the Lord wants the KST to focus on youth. And a via media was proposed, they said, anyway, if you can have at least 100 youth coming, we will have a conference. So, they asked me to be the Convener, to go to different parts of Kerala, gather youth, and ask them whether they were interested in a meeting like this. So, I was given Rs. 500 for travel expenses as I was only a first-year student. And, they made a travel plan, one meeting in Ernakulam, one meeting in Trichur in Vimala College, another in Calicut Nirmala hospital, and so on; something like a Kerala Yatra, Yea, I had a real Kerala Yatra, then one meeting in Pala Alphonsa College, and the fifth meeting in Kolam Infant Jesus School. So, five meetings were held. My mission or my brief was to gather youth in these five places, and I had to have a consultation, asking them if we had at least 100 people we would get. It was the first time an effort was made to bring youth together, not for a retreat but for a consultation. That was a revolutionary step at that time. We were only bringing them together; this was in one place, and we brought them together, then something like a prayer session. Then, I would propose this: in December, the charismatic youth from different parts of Kerala can come together.  But the first question is, Is something like that possible, or are you interested? Secondly, how should it be? What should be the nature of that gathering? Thirdly, how can we plan it? What should be its style?

In all these five places, I repeated these questions. As you can imagine, the response was overwhelming. The first meeting was organized at Trichur Vimala College, where Sr. Cleopatra organized that meeting. The youth were enthusiastic; I remember this gathering at the Vimala College Auditorium at the back. They were very enthusiastic, said we should definitely have it, and had already proposed how we should organize it. Then, in Calicut, I think, Fr. Augustin Thuruthimattom organized it. In Pala Alphonsa College, Fr. Gracian, OFM Cap. organized it. Bishop Jerome organized in Quilon. Pala Alphonsa was the biggest, with about 250 people gathered there. Our target was only 100 for the conference. They said we are already 200 for the Conference and can expect a very big group. There was an overwhelming enthusiasm. They already asked me to visit different places and areas for youth gatherings. There was a big fire already spreading. We readily formed ministries; we started working. 

Then, there was a set back again. When we had formed all ministries, registration, food, volunteers, and different ministries, we were actively meeting and having gatherings in Ernakulam and preparing. And then many elders told us, you can't do it alone. Youth cannot be trusted with big responsibilities. I was the Convener, and there was immense support. From the initial time we were given a free hand to organize, there were people like Sr. Cleopatra, and many people were behind us. And, with the new turn, to support us, the youth, there was a meeting held; I remember it was held at a posh residence, Chakola's house, it was held. Many businessmen and very important people were brought together to help us to organize this program. My painful experience was that I was only in the second year of my degree. And I was brought to this meeting of important people, big businessmen, and others because a big youth meeting would be organized. So, youth cannot organize it alone. They said you cannot organize it alone; we will organize groups, and you will be just volunteers. It was a traumatic experience; whatever we had planned for many months and many ministries were overlooked. Many committees have been formed already. There was a big dinner and big planning in this meeting, but nothing came of it; no committees were gathered afterward. Finally, after all these confusions, we were all brought back again, and we, the youth, organized it.

Another beautiful step in preparation for the 1978 Convention was that the KST and youth planned a series of retreats. All Kerala Retreats were held parallelly in English and Malayalam in St. Albert's School, Ernakulam. So, there were two growth retreats, one in English, by Fr. Marcelino and Br. Fritz, parallelly one in Malayalam. By that time, Fr. Abraham Pallivathukkall became very active; that year, Fr; Pallivathukkall came into the Charismatic Renewal. Once, we were having a meeting in Loyola, Alicekutty, myself, and many others. That was training for conducting the Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) offered by Fr Joe Kizhakedom at Loyola Alwaye.

Fr. Pallivathukkall had recently come to stay in that Jesuit Community and interacted with the training participants. He was very much interested. Though he was not very actively Charismatic at that time, but he was very eager to help youth. That's how he came into contact. His major entry into the network was this retreat organized in St. Albert's School in 1978, before the conference. In preparation for the conference. We had two growth retreats, one in Malayalam, led by Fr. Abraham Pallivathukkal, Fr. Justin Pinheiro, and others. The other was an English one by Fr. Marcelino and Br. Fritz Mascarenhas. After that, there were two initiation retreats, one in English and the other in Malayalam, by the same team. Many significant people in the Charismatic Renewal group came through that. Fr. Mathew Naikamparampil had already attended a retreat, and he came into a very active role after that. Adv. A. M. Mathew first attended this retreat. Many big preachers and others had attended these retreats targeted to youth, but all attended. For the first time, we were preparing the food with a lot of confusion. We did the planning and everything, and a big difference happened through these retreats; parallelly, an intercession retreat was also there. So, 5 major programs were there, and many hundreds of youth and elders were attending these programs. The organization of these retreats brought in an all-Kerala platform of leadership, which helped in the December big Youth Convention.

Navin: Being involved in many activities at that time to organize these programs, how did your family support you? What were some of the other struggles you went through?

Dr. Edward: As you know, I lived in Kumbalanghi then. There is no bridge also; fortunately for me, my family had no difficulty in whatever activities I was getting into. Most days, I reach home by 1 o'clock. With one or the other meetings, things would get delayed, and I would miss the last bus, and then the last ferry would be gone. Then, I had to wait at the ferry for the small boats, or I would call them the little country boats. From Ernakulam, I would get onto one or more buses, reach the ferry very late, and usually reach home at 1 o’clock. But, at home, they had always seen me very much involved in Church activities. Even in my school days, I was very active in the Church Choir; from 6th  standard onwards, I organized the church choir, taking them out for different practices and trips. I was also very active in the Legion of Mary, so most of my time was in the Church, in the parish. So, they have seen me as a very active person in the parish, and there have been no problems or complaints against me; no one has asked me to study, as I was very good at my studies and very committed to these things. Because of these, there is not even a single problem for me. 

Perhaps the only little problem was my dear Uncle Bishop staying at home at that time. Bishop Alexandar was not very positive about the Charismatic Renewal. He died in 1979. So, when all these things were happening, Bishop stayed with us at home. There was a chapel at home where, every morning, he offered the Holy Mass. Bishop was not concerned about my timings but was skeptical about this emerging new spirituality. we used to have a healthy sharing and discussion about the new movement. That was the only little difficulty. But otherwise, my timing was no problem. I could go any time and return anytime; such freedom was there always.

Navin: What was the main thing that motivated you to actively get involved in building up the Lord's kingdom among youth through Charismatic Renewal? What were the insights or convictions that strongly pushed you to go forward again and again to take up this mission?

Dr. Edward: Even from the early days, I was very committed to Church. From the time I remember, my family has been involved in the Church choir; my father organized the Church choir, so all of us were very active in the church. So, most of our free time is spent in the parish. People used to call us to give training in Church music. Then, my aunty was at home. She was a Headmistress, but she used to give classes for church organizations. We were active in the Legion of Mary. 

Then came this charismatic experience. Charismatic Renewal experience only gave a new dimension to my church involvement. Just before that, I had a lot of doubts and confusion, but with the charismatic experience and prayer meeting, the commitment in the church became much more than an experiential; much more of a vision-clarified commitment. That's what helped me. Even otherwise, I was very happy about the church and wanted to be active. But then, with charismatic experience, a deeper dimension came from this commitment. This also helped me have the freedom to get involved. But with the Charismatic Renewal, the idea of the Holy Spirit, and the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit, all that became very powerful and insightful. Also, the Bible's beautiful passages have always motivated me. Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2, Chapter 4 - the end part, is about the sharing, caring, joyful, mission-filled community. So, at the beginning of the youth ministry, I would have been a different one. Whatever youth group we came across had a lot of freedom. There was sharing, and we were so beautifully sharing everything. More than anything, whatever group we encountered were deeply committed, deeply caring, sharing groups. Naturally, it was a great joy to be in these communities.

Navin: One of the beautiful things about the Jesus Youth Movement, everybody says, is that it shows the joyful face of the Church or gives a joyful spirituality to the youth. Was it there initially, or how did it evolve through the years in the Movement?

Dr. Edward: when we look back, it is there now, or sometimes, the senior ones would complain that it is not enough now, as it used to be. In every generation, I hear it. So, I often share that this joyful spirituality, that informal and joyful attitude and relationships, has always been there. One reason was that some of us came from some organizational setup, and with Charismatic Renewal, we thought this was a new kind of freedom where there were no organizational structures, no rigid hierarchies, but being led by the spirit, and freedom for sharing. The Holy Spirit also guides this, the group's prime thing. These influenced a lot of intimate sharing and freedom among these groups. So, with all these, the beginning of Charismatic Renewal and the beginning of these Youth groups were characterized by very intimate relationships, something like a euphoria of joy, freedom, and praise, and using of Charisms; all these were helping in these intimate relationships. Looking back, this has continued very much. It must have sobered a little with the coming of more rigid structures in recent times. But still, I see that freedom. and intimacy everywhere in Jesus Youth or our youth groups.

One thing is sure: even now, people marvel at the informality, deep relationships, and personal concern they find in Jesus Youth groups. We don't see this in many other groups. And there is a sincerity and purity of intention. also, here, people are not selfish or self-centered, but they have a deep sense of freedom and personal relationships, enduring relationships beyond sex, culture, and nationality. In Jesus Youth, this kind of freedom and relationship is there. Earlier, as it began in our areas, this was because of the similarity of culture. But now I can see that it's not because of the similarity of culture; people from very different cultures also get together very well in the movement, which is spreading. But of course, this is not taught but caught. Nobody teaches about it, nobody speaks about it; rather, it is imbibed in an atmosphere, in a culture where people discover this and take it in.

Navin: Jesus Youth got its name in 1985 through the Jesus Youth '85 Conference, but even before that, many of the Core identities, core values, basic styles, or the so-called Jesus Youth Lifestyle—the six pillars—were formed or took shape in the very beginnings. Can you comment on that?

Dr. Edward: For me, perhaps, I look from this time of 1976, within a couple of years, such styles are already got solidified, even the preparation groups for the 1978 Youth Convention, we had a very deeply committed, very joyfully sharing and very focused groups already in 1977-78. Because we were already formed, it was not spontaneous itself; after, when people came from a retreat or orientation, we were insisting that they should grow in prayer groups. Then, we had a couple of Bible camps and other training programs already. So, such training and such exposures were already creating such a communitarian dimension, evangelistic attitudes, reaching out, and that creativity and dynamism and what we called Six pillars, we know Prayer, Commitment to the Word of God, Sacraments, Fellowship groups, Evangelization and Options for the poor and other Charismatic elements were already well defined by 1977-78 for me. Only it was spreading and going into other areas later, but for many of us, that experience was already clear and deep in us then.

Navin: Can you recall some early evangelical initiatives, such as Sharing Jesus with others?

Dr. Edward: My most memorable experiences were my 1977-78 years of slum outreaches. Near Thevara railway track in Cochin was a little colony of about 58 little huts. Every Sunday morning, at 8.30, many of us would gather in Ernakulam Basilica Church for many years. We would pray for one hour or one hour and a half, then wait for anointing and a message from the Lord for the day, and then by about 9.30 - 10.00, all of us take a public bus and go to this slum. And that day we would spend there. Till about 2'0 Clock, visiting each house, sitting with them, sharing with them about Jesus, praying with them, we would spend the whole forenoon there with them. The afternoon was when we, the youth from the prayer group, would sit together in another Church, and we would share our experiences of the day and continue with Bible study. Me I can remember the beautiful experiences of sharing the love of the Lord with these poor people, and also, on the other hand, many of us, between 15-and 20, would go together on all Sundays. For me, training these youngsters to a deep commitment to the Lord and a very committed lifestyle, whoever has come to these slum visits, Sunday after Sunday, each person has become a very deeply committed Christian in the later days. I could still remember many people; they themselves, in turn, became instruments of building many new ministries later,

Navin: About the beginning of the Outreach ministry in Jesus Youth?

Dr. Edward: Outreach ministry, as seen now, has no roots yet. It is not; perhaps I would have wished for that level if we had some groups. It was not a seed, but it was a full-grown, beautiful ministry taking place at that time, at the beginning of Jesus Youth. But a going back is needed. Still, only the idea is there. But in Jesus Youth, the youth has a powerful call to be with people in need. They have a strong social consciousness, but it has to be developed. The prayerful word-based reaching out is the best way of formation for young people.

Navin: What were the few initiatives and activities in the last 30 years that all helped build up outreach ministry?

Dr. Edward: Yeah, many things. One good thing I remember is that in 1979, we had a beautiful outreach camp in Bangalore. The place is called Thattukuppe, a little outside of the city. I used to share with others, Chackochan, and others, to start camps to motivate youth. We were in a very poor rural area for one week. Most of the leaders were there, including Ms Alicekutty, Mr. Baby Chacko, and many others in that camp. The forenoons were times of deep study and preparations, and afternoons were time for manual work in the village. Evenings were a time for evangelizing the villagers, the public gatherings, etc. These 8-10 days were a very deepening for all of us, a memorable experience; it is 28 years now, but memories are still very deep in my mind. The kind of formation that we received. I am glad that years later, Chackochan took the initiative, and there were a couple of camps; one such camp was in Puthuvyppu, outside Cochin. Later in tribal areas, one in a slum in Cochin, we had a 5-6 days camp

there. But I had many other experiences also. In most of our conferences, we also had outreaches; for example, after the JY '85 conference, there was a JY '87 conference that was another landmark conference, where the emphasis was on outreach. Or the emphasis was on Cells &evangelization. So, only those in cells could come for the 1987 conference, and during the conference itself, the group was divided into groups of 40, and they went into different areas, slums, hospitals, etc. There was a big gathering. Still, it was well-integrated. Meticulous planning was done to do the outreach and share the good news. There was another conference on Bible study and social concern; Samaria was one of those. Many groups were quite vibrant when working with poor people.

The Samaria conference emphasized Bible study, but it also challenged young people to go out and work with the poor and needy; that was it, more organized by Thalaserry zone; that was also a very beautiful idea that was well implemented.

But on the negative side, because of globalization and success-oriented, person-centred, glamorous attitudes, the movement is not sufficiently pursuing specific social-concern initiatives. There is much room for challenging young people to be more socially conscious and active.

Navin: What all things led to the formation of the First line group in Jesus Youth?

Dr. Edward: For me, the third phase of the beginning of Jesus Youth was the Onam vacation in 1981. We had our Kerala service team meeting.

The first phase was the 1976 experience, the initial coming, and the Charismatic Retreats. During this phase, individuals mainly grew.

The second phase was the 1978 convention, its preparation, and its follow-ups.

A third wave started in September 1981, and a national convention was proposed in 1982, the first time held in Cochin.

The KST and Fr. Gino had an important meeting. For me, some priests were behind each wave. First were Fr. Marcelino and Fr. Dominic in 1976, Fr. Fio in 1978, and Fr. Gino Henriques in 1981, and for many years. Fr. Gino met with KST in St. Teresa's college, Ernakulam. Fr. Gino challenged KST that a big national convention is coming, but in preparation, the participation of young people is very important. I still remember something now. Young people are more than 50% of the population. Charismatic Renewals should also have more than 50% young people. But young people deserve more than 50% of the attention, as do the allocation of time and energy. Because the old will always be with us, they may not easily go astray. Still, if they are not attended well, young people will go astray, and if attended, they will bear abundant fruits, so the church, the Charismatic Renewal, should spend a lot of time and energy on young people. He said that the challenge of KST should be discovering a youth-specific spirituality, a youth-relevant spirituality, to which truly young people can relate. In a variety of ways, he was challenging KST. He said that in 1978, you had something big, but as it grew from 1978. Of course, we had a bible camp on St. John and a steady youth movement growth; Fr. Gino was challenging KST.

In that meeting itself, again, I was given a new task.  I was the only typical youth in the KST at that time, doing my post-graduation. I was asked to be the convener once again. And I was asked to select a team. I selected some active people I know well. And in this team, the people I remember are we had a priest with us, Fr. Sebastian Mundancherry, an OCD priest, who is no longer there. He was the director of a retreat center. C.O Augustine from Ernakulam, P.A. Philomena, a teacher, not very active now, from Ernakulam again, and Alicekutty. So, we had this team to work. Our task was to propose spirituality and dynamics to KST to build up youth steadily.

Again, I was given the task of research in a way. So, we planned; Augustine and I gathered young people in different parts of Kerala and asked them, “How should young people be guided today?". “What is the kind of spirituality that young people need today?"  Our surprise was that, so many years back, we had thought of this, starting from a blank page again, not thinking what it is again. That is still in Jesus Youth always. Always asking how and what should be given. It was a new beginning. Many people started praying, and messages were coming; many meetings and consultations were held. Some of the prophecies were there. In my mind, some of them are the images and visions that some people got this. One vision was that there was a large lake, and in the midst of the lake, there was something like a church structure, and into the lake, there were small stones, or some steps were in the water. A young person trying to take one step after another on these stones, and the message of the Lord was," I will lead the movement one thing at a time, little by little, I will lead the movement to big heights, I am building something big, I will lead you step by step." Another one was a big dark church, and inside the church, a candle was being lit. The movement will be a light, a luminous light spreading reality in the church. Various such messages were there, not just messages, with all these things, and we were asking how it should be done.

By the end of this search, in 1981, we did two things. One thing in 1982, January, we planned a leader's conference. in Manjummel, it coincided with Republic Day, January 26, around those days, but many attended that conference now. Most of the early leaders in Charismatic Renewal or in Jesus Youth were there. it was a four-day Youth Leader's Training. Fr. Gino was the main resource person. By that time, I had already submitted my report. In that report, I proposed 14 zones, so with that report, and in each zone, how should be the structure of the coordinator, a team, and an Animator or Pastor? I proposed such a coordinating setup to KST. I proposed an All-Kerala Central Team. My proposal was KYCT (Kerala Youth Central Team), And that team should present early reports to the KST and how it should function, so a series of proposals I have made must be in the KST files now; I don't know. So, a series of proposals I made for building up the movement in Kerala was in 1981.

In 1982, with all this, the first Youth Leader's Conference was held. The main emphasis was 'Self-Awareness" and "Discovery of the self in the Lord". That was the emphasis of the 1982 January Leaders Conference. It was a very big move. We had a lot of preparations. From each zone, leaders were brought. And leaders have to come prepared with visual presentations. We were already thinking of Music, Skits, and all that. I remember some of us preparing an audio-visual program, not a skit, using Classical music and Bible quotes. And we recorded it, and recording was not common then. At V. T. George Chettan's house, some of us prepared a presentation on the theme 'Call'. Some of the zones prepared on other things, and we had visual presentations. The program days were filled with prayer and good feedback on Self-esteem. It was a very good training program in English. That was the beginning of vibrant growth to the zones. Immediately, many asked for a Malayalam one. So in July, we reworked the content of the English Conference. So we had one in Malayalam in July 1982, in Thevara College. About 200-250 youth from all over Kerala, attended the July conference. Those who attended the English conference were the Volunteers and Trainers for the second one. Fr. Abraham Pallivathukkall was already very active at that time. He was the main person helping and organizing the conference at that time. Towards the end of the conference, I was telling Ms. Alicekutty that both of us were from the very beginning; I am the youth, and she is the Animator from the very beginning, while I was meeting her in 1976, she was already teaching in the college. I was in just my first-year degree only. And both of us were in KST all the while. So we were sharing a lot of dreams, and there were a lot of plans, and through all of these, we were behind all of them.

And I told Alicekutty, why do we not have a continuing group? We already have a network all around Kerala, but we need a kind of front line or first line that will disseminate the Vision, the Dream, to the further levels, the lower levels. She liked the idea, and I already thought out the names of 18 people. I listed them. Before the Leader's conference was over, both of us sat behind the stage, called everyone, and asked them: we are going to begin a group called 'First-Liners,' are you interested? People like Rocky from Ernakulam (Princy), Jose Jacob, Luke, Sunny Mathachan, Johnichan Changanasserry, Stephen from Trivandrum, Thomas from Thrissur, Sr. from Trichur again, Stephani, Ms. Alicekutty, V.J Antony, T.O. Antony, Ravi, C.O Augustine, quite a few from Ernakulam. So each one we called. All of them were actively involved in different areas, and we asked them and decided to meet every month.

Thus, we started the third-weekend meetings. We soon started meeting in Snehanilayam, Kakkanad; sometimes, I stayed in Vidhyanikethan Ernakulam. In the early days, we also met in Vidhyanikethan. Very soon, every third Friday, we 18-20 of us were coming together. We decided that we would not have any inputs or talks, and we never had big inputs or talks. We shared, exchanged notes, and what we used to say was that we should clarify Vision. All of them were very active in their own zones. So, what they are doing, what they want to do, some of their plans, and most of the time talking. Mostly we were cooking by ourselves. Perhaps parallel to the meetings, they shared their problems and mutually got support from each other. This kind of mutual building and support was going on. Rarely did we have someone like Fr. Gino or somebody giving input. But we did not have any input or training, and there was nothing for many years. This was the end of 1982.

Already in early 1983, we started planning for the 1985 Conference. In 1983, the International Year of youth was announced. And also, the zones were becoming vibrant. Every zone had its monthly zonal gathering. Most of us were going around all over Kerala. In early 1983, we duplicated this KYP (Know Yourself Program) in Pilathara, Calicut, and Cochin, and in many places, we had this 4-day Know Yourself Program. I was leading; Babychan was there to help me. Sometimes, Luke was there. Mostly, Mathachan was also there. And we used to have a team from First Line, we were going around and giving this training. It was Self Awareness, Self-esteem, Leadership, a lot of Games, plenty of interesting group dynamics, and a lot of psychological and Spiritual inputs. We were doing it. We ourselves were doing it. So, by 1983, we were already vibratingly planning and doing things. So, the focus was that way. In some sessions, we were sharing our own notes.

Very soon, by 1983-84, we were planning the 1985 Youth Conference; searching for its name itself was very long. The planning, the details,etc.

Navin: What was the idea behind the Jesus Youth 85 Conference? How did Jesus Youth get its name?

Dr. Edward: The First Line was meeting from the middle of 1982. We were meeting about two dozen people from all over Kerala. Very intimate, very committed building zones; in most of the zones, there were one-day programs, sharing groups, and many prayer groups were growing. So, everyone in the First Line group was very active in their respective zones; they were coming to share, seek guidance, and make plans from their respective zones. So, it was very vibrant in their zones. We started the Self-Awareness programs in a wonderful way that became a training platform, and many leaders were duplicated all over Kerala. At this time, the United Nations announced 1985, the International Year of Youth. Simultaneously, the Catholic Church announced it as the International Year of the Youth. All over the world, plenty of programs were taking place. For example, in Ernakulam, Don Bosco, Salesians organized a big youth initiative. But we were a very private, small group in the first line. So, these big things were not within our grasp. We thought that we would bring together our own youth, of course, there will definitely be hundreds, definitely, for a conference in 1985. We started planning very differently. We started looking for the emphasis of this conference and how it should be, and many of the first-line meetings became forums for vision clarifying, dreams, and crystallizing sessions. In 1984, Ms Alicekutty went to America and Rome to attend a conference. In America, she said, they used to have a regular conference called "Jesus Conference." "Jesus Conference". We said we also needed some very beautiful names for the Conference and started searching. Gradually, in our discussions, we agreed on a few things.

We said I spent plenty of time with Jose Jacob, and Ravi coordinated the organizational aspects, keeping reports, keeping funds, monitoring funds, etc. Thomas Ravi's father, Georgechettan, was the Animator of the group. Though he never attended the first-line meeting regularly, at least from a distance, he was an elder. But Ravi was very active; he worked as a chartered accountant. He helped me organize things, keep files, and do things like that. Jose Jacob worked as Transport RTO, but he was very committed; perhaps he was the first full-timer and took one year’s full-time ship to prepare for the 1982 convention, so he was a very active with many ideas and dreams. So, we started crystallizing our thoughts into what the conference should be. And one thing was searching for a name, and we searched for a name for a long time. 

I remember we were saying that, Primarily, ours is a youth movement, so the emphasis on youth initiatives should be there. Of course, we never had too many elders with us, but seniors like Sunny Mathachan and others were there and Alicekutty was a teacher. But it was a lay initiative, so youth centrality should be mentioned. But first, we said the name of Jesus should be specifically mentioned. It should not be like ICYM or KCSL or things like that. It should specifically mention Jesus very much.

Thirdly, the dynamic nature should be emphasized, and the Contemporary relevance should be emphasized. These four things we were saying. The conference and the name should be like that. We did many rounds of planning. One planning session I still remember is that, at Trichur Vimala College, on the first floor, there was a guestroom. So, one night, we, Fr Jose Palatty, were there; Ms. Alicekutty, Sr. Cleopatra, Se, Chrisologa, and myself were all planning the conference. So we were discussing what should be the name. And at that time, Fr. Jose Palaty said, Why don't we have something like a matching tune, "Jesus Youth '85, Jesus Youth '85", Jesus Youth '85,"' it should be something like a marching rhythm, and we all liked it immediately. That vibrant marching thing remains there for the conference. Immediately, I some details out, and I said this conference should have three themes: The first day should be Youth '85, the second day should be Jesus '85, and the Third day should be Jesus Youth '85. This meant on the first day, the contemporary youth situation or scenario; the second day should be reflecting on what is in the Lord's mind or the Lord's vision for today, Jesus' Vision for today, and the third day should be how youth should translate Jesus' vision for today's youth. 

I remember the planning sessions that followed. They were very vibrant, spirit-filled, and dynamic. We were sitting in many groups, even the timetable we made; one group was working on the group dynamics thing, one group was working on the material thing, and others. So very beautifully we were planning, and it was a very joyful, beautiful experience, and some of us were planning on 'how Jesus Youth should be written', which means in English there was a writing style; in Malayalam, there was another writing style, we were searching for a logo, and Jose Jacob, though he planned with some other artists, and he has finally crystallized the JY logo, you know it, the circle and JY.

I think the first time, George Gloria wrote an Interpretation about what it is and what the JY logo means. Then, we already had something like a very cute and beautiful newsletter. Its size, design, everything was very attractive. So, a newsletter was coming out regularly, and Jose Jacob was editing the newsletter. It was something very different.

The first brochure in Jesus Youth, developed from a very different point of view, contains caricatures and everything, and is a very creatively planned brochure. Of course, all the planning may not come in printing, and the printed things were different. We had a beautiful plan for a brochure. We were already planning for music and concerts during the program. We were already thinking of our Charism we knew is to be the Lord’s youth. So we thought the application form itself would contain all the areas, some of their talents, and one thing: we should have talent-specific workshops. Secondly, what kind of ministry will they be working for? Plenty of possibilities; they could say, I like to write letters, I like to work with children, I like to visit hospitals, I like painting, etc. We were already tabulating these things, and from this application form, we were trying to find out what kind of evangelistic groups should be formed. So, from the grassroots, we were planning for ministries. And the conference itself was very vibrant and beautiful. Parallelly, in the chapel, people were praying for Charisms, getting trained for singing in the spirit, waiting for messages, and other things. So, it was happening parallelly, even during the conference.

Workshops were very creative, and letters were relevant to those who wanted to write letters then. Now, letters may not be relevant. And the number of people working behind it, at that time, from all over Kerala, so many youths were working together simultaneously. Planning groups was possible only because of it. Of course, we met month after month and brought together many youths, even preparing application forms and tabulating the forms; many, many people do all this. Sometimes, I wonder if preparation has gone down in Jesus Youth. Though it is there, widespread participation is not seen because every month, hundreds of people meet in each zone, and hundreds are actively working there. So, all that must have contributed to the festivity and vibrancy of the movement at that time. And then came the wonderful conference.

So, the number was around a thousand, less than 1000. Though we were, from the response, thinking around 1500 might come, 1000 was a very big number at that time for a conference like that. Also, the dynamics of the conference were very different. Until that time, we were familiar with Charismatic Renewal. Charismatic Renewal means talks, adoration, praise, and worship, or praise and worship, talks and adoration, and counseling. This used to be a charismatic program. Because of the First Line, we were very creatively seeking things very new and very different. Everything was very different. Group work, participation, talent-based workshops, mission-based workshops, a variety of things, planning sessions—all these were integrated into this 1000-big conference. Sometimes, we even think that young people can vibrantly organize conferences.

One reason was, maybe, because I was not a good organizer, I used to depend too much on a lot of people. My working style is that I am not systematic, I am not organized, I don’t keep files, and things like that. Because of my helplessness and weakness, many people would gather for everything. Many people would be with me for everything. Of course, many things would be disorganized, but in that disorganization, plenty of things happened. And I give people plenty of freedom. I think, because of that, this conference became a vibrant one, an exciting area of work. I was mostly very free also; most of the time, I could attend to many things, and many people responsibly took up things and did well.

So anyway, the Conference name, Jesus Youth, through various preparations, the name of the conference was before. Already, the newsletter was coming; the front of the newsletter was just an emblem of Jesus Youth. Jose Jacob was very particular in that the name Jesus Youth has to get carried to people, even before they come for the conference. We printed letter pads. All were using personal letter pads with writing at the bottom, with Jesus Youth. We were writing letters with that typical logo and writing style at the bottom. We printed plenty of letter pads, all written and even personal letters. Nothing else, only Jesus Youth at the bottom. By the time, by September, Christmas Cards were printed. We designed our own beautiful, simple Christmas card with the Jesus Youth logo, and Christmas cards were sold in plenty. Even when they came for the conference, the name 'Jesus Youth'85' was well spread and was already musical and beautiful. So, during the conference, Fr. Gino was leading, and he was the main speaker, and Fr Gino was asking, now maybe you should call yourself Jesus Youth. Of course, some criticized us; that term was not grammatically correct. How can it be Jesus Youth? At least, it can be the youth of Jesus or Jesus’s youth. Some said, grammatically, it was not communicating properly; it was very awkward. Anyway, whatever it may be, whether grammatically correct or the expressions were a little awkward and clumsy, young people started calling themselves, 'Jesus Youth" after that conference. There was no going back. “I am a Jesus Youth,” said those who attended the conference. And it spread; it has never stopped.

Navin: Can you tell me about the beginnings of the Campus Ministry and the YEJ programs and how they were shaped in the early days?

Dr. Edward: As the Jesus Youth is coming, when the First line came, Campuses were the first place where retreats were conducted in Kerala. First, it was in English, and the camps were in English, so they were all over Kerala. The first retreats were primarily on campus. But then, by the early 80's, First Line and many zones wanted to have their programs in Campuses. in Pala, Fr George Thekkemury, Sunny Vazhakkel, and others,

they were thinking of a program, and they organized it. Usually, it was a campus retreat. But they wanted to have retreats with a difference, and they called it the 'Youth Encounter Jesus' (YEJ) program. it was in 1984. We were also going and helping, first in Pala and nearby colleges. Then they had a big thing for joint, 5-6 colleges and a Youth Encounter Jesus program. Then Xavier Board was very active, Sr. Hedwig was the Head of the Board then, a Mangalorean Apostolic Carmelite, ACU. She was very Charismatic; during national meetings of the Xavier board, we met each other. She organized retreats for Principals, College Lecturers, and all Charismatic Retreats, and some of us were going to share with the principals. She was giving a lot of funds to organize retreats, so that's why YEJ programs were done. So once Sr. Hedwig organized one meeting, and she held it in St. Teresa's College. She was asking us, 'Why are you afraid of campuses? You are called Jesus Youth, and now you have a lot of ministry here, but you are scared of campuses. Why are you scared of campuses? Have you given campuses for the Marxist party or what? You can go inside the campus". She was challenging, and we already formed some teams; I think Fr. Thekemury was in charge of organizing programs, one committee was organizing teachers, and I was organizing students. Teachers' meetings were held in Snehanilayam; many teachers attended the program, but nothing came out. I was asked to organize the students, and I sent letters to all of the Catholic Colleges, asking them to send a team of a few students to attend a training program and a weekend program to plan what could be done on Campus. It was in 1986, June 24th - 26th. This was the first student gathering at Thevara College. So, at this 1986 June gathering, the opening of the academic year, many came together. Some people like Chackochan, Santhosh, Sony Emmanuel, Santhosh Joseph, and Shaji Chacko were in that group. Of course, we had a few talks, but we mainly asked these youths what we could do on campuses. They were very enthusiastic, and we were surprised that they came up with many ideas; they were already doing many things on their campuses. They were already in prayer meetings, but we charged when they were sharing how they conduct prayer meetings. Finally, at the end of the weekend, on Sunday, they returned with a beautiful plan to return in October for a mid-term evaluation. That was the beginning of campus ministry. In October, we came for a mid-term evaluation. The name Campus Ministry was there at that time.

The next October, we came for the mid-term evaluation. They came from all the campuses, and we called them together; there, we formed a team, 7-member team; Sony was the Coordinator, Chackochan, Shaji Chacko, Luna, Shiny Kuttiyil, Santhosh Joseph, and a few others. So, this was the First Campus Team. Sony was moving around, and a professional conference was very soon held in Trivandrum. One more year, it continued. In 1988, we planned a Campus Meet for the first time in St. Teresa’s College. In preparation for that, Jesus Youth on campuses has become a well-rooted reality.

For many years, after this, every June, campus teams meet, a mid-term evaluation in October, and in January, year evaluation. It continued with evaluations, conferences, training, and other things for many years. Then, in 1989 Campus Meet, In 1990, we had 5 Campus Meets, and from the Leaders from all these Campus Meets, we arranged the 1990 Campus Conference in St. Teresa's College. Already, Campus work was a big reality.

Of course, many little things, some theme songs, many skits, training modules, preparation materials, workshop materials, and many creative ways, were getting into the picture; many solid leaders had come into shape, and many teams were being built. In 1987, we formed mainly 5-6 areas, Four major ministries: campus, Christeen, Parish, and Outreach. These were the major ministries. Later, there were some problems, and Christeen, for some time, at least had difficulty. Initially, there were four areas: Campus, Christeen, Parish, & Outreach. Supporting ministries like Intercession, Literature, Service, Audio Visual. Five supporting ministries and four major ministries. We used to say like that. This was already then, after the 1987 conference, we had them like that. So, in 1988, the campus meet; 1989, the Christeen became a big movement; in 1990, Parish ministry became a big movement, and like that.