The Regional Youth Cross (RYC) was received with great devotion and preparation at the entrance arch of Saint John Bosco Church, Kelmbet, (Diocese of Udupi). The Holy Cross arrived at 5.00 pm from the neighbouring parish of Our Lady of Fatima, Mundkur and was solemnly handed over by the Parish Priest, Father Alexander Lewis, ICYM of Mundkur parish. In the absence of the Parish Priest of Kelmbet, Father Arvind Severes, the cross was received by Father Willis Pinto, youth director of ICYM Bosco Youth Kelmbet.
The youth, catechism children, girls of the Marian Sodality, altar servers, the boys of Don Bosco Boys’ Home and the parishioners about 150 in all, moved in solemn procession to the church. The heavy rains throughout the day didn’t dampen the spirit of the youth and the parishioners. After welcoming the cross with flower garlands, incense and devotional hymns, the cross was venerated by all gathered.
The first hour was spent in prayer by the entire parish community during which the prayer service provided by the RYC Team was used. After a short break for tea snacks for the departing elders, the rest of the time was reserved exclusively for young people to pray before the Lord’s cross. Led by Father Pinto and Deacon Arun Mendonca, the youth spent two hours of quality time before the cross. The youth themselves conducted the Way of the Cross, sang hymns and used Taize chants, videos and multi-media to reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus. The devout prayer session also included a reflection by Father Pinto and a meaningful message by Deacon Mendonca. The prayer session concluded with a short quiz related to the Bible and the Cross of Jesus. A fellowship dinner at 8.00 pm brought the day to a close.
The visit of the Regional Youth Cross has definitely touched the hearts of the youngsters of the parish. This day will be forever etched in my heart, because the visit of the Youth Cross meant Jesus blessing us all through his holy cross, remarked Clevita D’Souza.
To spiritually prepare for this gracious event, the BYKers met online on three consecutive evenings, beginning from August 25, 2025, to pray together. The online prayer moment was called CONNECT@8pm 4 8mins with the Lord. The short 8-minutes-only prayer moments were animated by Father. Arvind S, Father Joseph Rodrigues and Father Arnold Mathias.
The RYC is a ceremonial cross that journeys through various Catholic dioceses in Karnataka as a spiritual preparation for the upcoming 13th Karnataka Regional Youth Convention (KRYC), which is set to be held in Karwar from October 2-5, 2025. The journey involves the cross being unveiled and passed between different churches and dioceses, creating a sense of unity and anticipation for the regional gathering. The cross will journey onward to Saint Joseph Church in Belman after a day’s stay in our parish.
