- 30 September, 2025
September 30, 2025
In 2025, as the Catholic Church marks its Jubilee Year, India’s Catholic youth are celebrating a jubilee of their own: 25 years of the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM). Born at the dawn of the new millennium, ICYM has grown into the country’s largest Catholic youth network, shaping leaders for both the Church and society.
The Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) is the official youth body of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI). It focuses on animating the holistic growth of all youth under the Latin Rite parishes in India. It was approved by the Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (the then Bishops Conference of India) on September 14, 1999, and inaugurated on February 6, 2000—the feast of St. Gonsalo Garcia, now its patron saint. ICYM was envisioned as a movement “for the youth, by the youth, with the youth.” Its mission: to empower young Catholics to learn, lead, and serve with faith, hope, and love, while promoting dialogue, national integrity, and unity beyond caste and creed.
Seeds of a Movement
Recalling its origins, Fr. Nicholas Dias, the then Regional Youth Director (RYD) of the Northern Region (1997-2000), points back to St. Pius Seminary, Goregaon, Mumbai, where the idea crystallised during his tenure as RYD. The year was 2000, and under the leadership of Fr. Joel D’Cunha, National Youth Director, and Bishop Cyprian Moniz of Asansol (W.B.), the then Chairman of the CBCI Youth Commission, representatives from all twelve regions of India—priests and youth alike—gathered to launch what would become ICYM.
“The choice of the word 'movement' was intentional,” Fr. Nicholas explains. “Youth are agile, dynamic, and constantly on the 'move'—working to build a different and better world,” he says. With its first democratically elected National Executive Committee (NEXCO) formed that same year, ICYM began to take root across dioceses and parishes nationwide.
Leading the way was the Archdiocese of Delhi, building on its earlier experience of hosting and co-organising the 4th National Youth Convention in 1998. Under the visionary guidance of Archbishop Alan de Lastic, the then Archbishop of Delhi, and with the dedicated efforts of senior youth leaders—most notably Adv. Jenis Francis, who provided crucial legal support in registering ICYM as a non-profit society—the first ICYM unit in India was formally set up in Delhi, setting the foundation for a nationwide movement.
Growing Together, Changing Together
What made ICYM different was its inclusivity. For the first time, it was agreed that every level of leadership—from parish to national—must include a woman animator, whether lay or religious. This emphasis on shared leadership shaped the democratic ethos of the movement.
Over the years, ICYM evolved alongside the Church in India. Initially uniting youth across all three ritual Catholic Churches—Latin, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara—the movement later branched out, with the Eastern Churches forming their own youth organisations. Still, ICYM continued to expand, and today nearly every Latin Rite parish in India has an active unit.
Other Catholic youth groups, such as Jesus Youth and Youth United for Christ, flourished alongside it. However, ICYM remained the official youth arm of the Church in India, providing a structured platform for formation and leadership development.
Achievements that Last
Looking back, Fr. Nicholas identifies two key achievements of ICYM over the past 25 years:
- Leadership Development: ICYM has formed leaders not only for the Church but also for society at large. “Many youth who once belonged to ICYM units are now in politics, corporate leadership, and civic organisations,” Fr. Nicholas notes with pride.
- Platform for Potential: ICYM gave young people the freedom to express themselves, to learn organisation and communication, and to build networks that carried them into adulthood. The legacy is evident—thousands of young Catholics have discovered their potential within ICYM and carried that formation into diverse walks of life.
Looking Ahead: The Call of the Jubilee
As ICYM celebrates its silver jubilee, Fr. Nicholas offers today’s youth a challenge under the current leadership:
“Rise—this is your time. The world is at your feet, and it longs for your leadership. As Christ himself was a young leader, you too must carry forward his mission of building the Kingdom of God here and now.”
Twenty-five years ago, ICYM was a seed planted in faith. Today, it is a vibrant tree, rooted in every corner of India, bearing fruit in the form of leaders, servants, and witnesses. And as the Jubilee Year reminds us, every harvest is also a new beginning.
The Silver Jubilee of ICYM will be celebrated during the 25th ICYM National Youth Convention, to be held from 1 to 5 October, 2025, in Kerala. Over 3,500 youth from across India will participate in the convention to renew their commitment to service and solidarity, and set the stage for the next twenty-five years of the movement.
By Catholic Connect Reporter
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