As we celebrate “Year of Faith,” Holy Father Benedict XVI has called upon the Church to review some amazing documents of the Second Vatican Council. One of my favorites quotes comes from “Apostolicam Actuositatem: the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity by the Second Vatican Council: “As sharers in the role of Christ as priest, prophet, and king, the laity have their work cut out for them in the life and activity of the Church.”

This could not be truer for us, the St. Thomas Diocese. When Blessed Pope John Paul II established our diocese in 2001, we started with only two parishes and four missions. A little more than ten years later, we have more than sixty parishes and missions across the United States and Canada. And while we continue to grow: we are hosting more retreats, youth conferences, parish/mission activities, praise nights, youth dinners, leadership formation workshops and a wide variety of programs. All of this is centered in the great SyroMalabar tradition to give greater glory to God in our own particular way; a way introduced to us by St. Thomas the Apostle himself and practiced for a near 2,000 years.

After ten years, there was so much activity among our many youth groups but we lacked a “map.” Where do we go from here? What is Christ calling us to be? What is our role in the SyroMalabar and Universal Catholic Church? A gap existed between all the amazing youth program in parishes/missions and a plan for the future. Goals and great ideas were everywhere but no clear and detailed vision which bring us together as one Church with many ministries.

Bishop Mar Jacob recognized this gap and he knew that it was time to offer a “vibrant space”for us youth within the Church. With Major Archbishop Mar George Cardinal Alencherry in Chicago during his first October 2011 pastoral visit, Bishop issued a decree to constitute the Diocesan Youth Apostolate (DYA).

Giving the DYA the responsibility to develop a vision and strategic plan for SyroMalabar youth,he didn’t just create a brand new national youth group where we start from scratch. He brought the strengths of each of our youth groups into a communion that would share in a common mission “to know, love, and build the Church of Christ.” A communion centered in Christ which calls for all to be united in spirit and purpose. officers across the country.

The Diocesan Youth Apostolate serves as the SyroMalabar youth umbrella organization under the guidance of Bishop and led by Rev. Fr. Vinod Madathiparambil as Director and a team of national youth coordinators. Together with regional teams, the Diocesan Youth Apostolate collaborates with our Achans and parish/mission leaders to address both needs and challenges of our average SyroMalabar youth. To date, DYA has organized leadership formation programs,national and regional youth conferences, and direct service to many youth officers across the country.

While the first year of DYA has been filled with many triumphs, we reminded the Vatican II Fathers (which included our very own SyroMalabar bishops) that our work is cut out for us. I ask all members of our diocese – our Achans, our Parish Council members, our CCD teachers, and especially my young brothers and sisters – to join the DYA in our mission to build the glorious SyroMalabar Church of Christ.