New Delhi, May 24: Most Rev. Leo Cornelio, the Archbishop of Bhopal and the Chairman of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, announced at the ICYM National Office, CBCI Centre in New Delhi. on Tuesday the 24th of May, 2011 the good news of Fr. Franklin D’ Souza, being appointed as the New Secretary of CBCI Office for Youth and the National Youth Director of ICYM.
The General Secretary of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), Most Rev. Albert D’ Souza, the Archbishop of Agra, in his letter Dated May 17th, 2011 stated that ‘the Standing Committee of the CBCI at its Meeting held from May 4-6, 2011, was pleased to appoint’ Fr. Franklin Philip D’ Souza, ‘as the Secretary of the CBCI Office for Youth....starting from August 15, 2011’.
Fr.Franklin D’Souza was born on October 22, 1973 and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Shimoga on May 10, 1999 by Dr Bernard Moras, the then Bishop of Belgaum. Fr. Franklin obtained his B.A. from Bangalore University, M.A. in History from Mysore University, Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Ph) and Master of Theology (M Th) from St Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bangalore, as well as pursuing M.Sc. in Counselling.
From 1999 to 2005, he served the Diocese of Shimoga in various capacities. At the same time, he was a staff member of St Peter's Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore. In 2005, he was appointed as the Diocesan Youth Director for Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) and also for Young Christian Students (YCS), and Young Student Movement (YSM) as well as charismatic Retreat Director of Shimoga diocese.
In the same year, Bangalore Archbishop Bernard Moras appointed Fr. Franklin as a Joint Secretary of the Youth Commission of Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRCBC). He has been serving as a Karnataka Regional Youth Director of ICYM and the Youth Commission from 2008. He also renders service to the prisoners of Central Jail, Bangalore and is a member of PMI (Prison Ministry of India). He is a well known Charismatic preacher and gives spiritual direction to young people.
At present ICYM is the largest youth organization having more than a million youth members with hundreds of youth animators having a fantastic net work of 164 Diocesan Youth Offices, 13 Regional Youth Offices and more than 20,500 parish ICYM Units from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Porbandar to Miao in Arunachal Pradesh.
The CBCI Office for Youth (Youth Commission) which was initiated in the year 1986 by the CBCI as the follow-up of the International Year of Youth (IYY) and Fr. Satya SVD as its First Secretary.
Thereafter Fr. Joel D’ Cunha from the Diocese of Vasi, was appointed as the Secretary who initiated ICYM the functional wing of the Youth Commission in the millennium year 2000 and became its founding Director.
In the year 2002 August 15th, Fr. Alwyn M.J. D’ Souza, from the Diocese of Mangalore and the RYD of Karnataka was appointed as the Third Secretary of the Youth Commission who took charge as the Second ICYM National Director.
Fr. Franklin D’ Souza, will be the Fourth full time Secretary of the CBCI Office for Youth Commission and third National Youth Director of ICYM.
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