Hi Friends!

The following is the update from my time in Washington DC, and India in November. You can find the journey through pictures by clicking here.

Following a short layover in Chicago to prepare for India, I was en route to Washington DC to join Dr. Edward Edezhath, an early pioneer of Jesus Youth, for the Global 2033 (G33) leadership summit. G33 is a global alliance of dioceses, organizations, movements, ministries, and covenant communities committed to forming and equipping missionary disciples to reach those who do not yet know Christ, leading up to the 2000-year Great Jubilee of Redemption. Hosted at the St. John Paul II National Shrine and co-hosted by the USCCB Secretariat of Evangelization, the summit brought together leaders from across the Church in a shared effort to fulfill the Great Commission through prayer, dialogue, and collaboration. Sessions centered on themes of encounter, community, discipleship, and mission, with listening sessions encouraging reflection and shared insights. For Jesus Youth, this gathering offered a meaningful opportunity to connect with leaders shaping the Church’s evangelizing mission and to explore new avenues for collaboration and renewal.

After the summit wrapped up, I made my way to India to join ~270 delegates in Bangalore at the Jesus Youth International Assembly. It was a deeply Spirit-filled gathering and a meaningful opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. A central focus of the assembly was the practical implementation of the Listening to the Movement document. Over the past two years, inspired by the Church’s synodal efforts, more than 8,000 Jesus Youth members worldwide took part in listening sessions that surfaced three key areas for conversion: life and communion, structures, and mission. The assembly was dedicated to translating these insights into concrete, actionable proposals and implementation. The assembly also served as a space for networking, exchanging ministry ideas, and sharing mission updates from around the world. We were blessed by the presence of four bishops along with clergy and religious who have journeyed with the movement over the past four decades. A new international council was also elected, marking a new leadership for the movement.

The time in India also allowed for a few days to spend time with my extended family and friends. My cousin and I were able to visit Auroville, an experimental international community known for its free-spirited emphasis on communal living, meditation, harmony with nature, and human unity. Though our beliefs differ, we share a sincere search for truth, beauty, and goodness, and during our visit we found meaningful opportunities to engage and share the message of the Gospel. 

These experiences were a reminder that the Church’s mission is both colaborative and personal, calling each of us to engage not only in the wider work of evangelization but also in the daily, often unseen ways we live out our faith. These conversations over the past weeks have further shaped my understanding of mission, its joys, its challenges, and the humility it demands. I look forward with eager anticipation to our shared responsibility of spreading the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16). Please keep these efforts in your prayers, that we may remain attentive to the Spirit and faithful in responding to the invitation to go forth and make disciples in the contexts where we are sent.

That’s it for now, till next time. 

With Love,

Josh