His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos Declares “The Year of the Youth” in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

The Head and Father of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church has proclaimed 2018 March 25 to 2019 March 24 as the “Year of the Youth” in the Malankara Catholic Church. The declaration was announced during the Holy Episcopal Synod that was conducted in February 2018 and in His Beatitude’s Kalpana circulated on March 15, 2018.

His Beatitude exhorted the faithful that each of the twelve years remaining until the Centennial Anniversary of the Reunion Movement will be utilized to study and share relevant topics. The initial study is how the Church may be able to strengthen the youth so that they live as Disciples of Christ in today’s world, to build the community of the faithful by making the youth responsible participants in the life, duties and obligations to the Church, and to lead young men and women to their comprehensive advancement both individually and spiritually.

The “Year of the Youth” coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Malankara Catholic Youth Movement (MCYM). His Beatitude, following the message of His Holiness, asked the Church to use this Jubilee year as a time to learn and contemplate about our youth, redefine their areas of ministry and listen to the voice of the youth. His Beatitude also addressed the challenges the youth encounter these days due to the influence of atheistic institutions, political theories in the faith life, being slaves to worldly desires, alcohol, drugs, immorality, increase in violence, suicidal tendencies arising from depression, etc. The Catholicos stated that aforementioned areas should be subject of serious studies, meditation and prayer by the Church and that appropriate solutions should be brought forward. His Beatitude called for the creation of an environment for the spiritual nurturing and the necessary training for the youth to be rooted in the Word of God.