Media Release

Mangaluru, Nov 19: Young Catholics Students (YCS/YSM) - diocese of Mangalore, conducted a diocesan level charity drive 'Ready for the Needy' in the whole month of October 2021. Around 90 of the parish YCS units collected toiletries, food items, stationeries and especially new as well as usable clothes for the poor and the needy. Twelve deaneries consisting around 2,500 students and 200 animators guided by their parish priests and deanery office bearers, with the generous cooperation of people of goodwill, collected materials up to 10 trucks and made this month - long noble program successful.

The collection was beyond the expectation. The material is distributed to around 25 ashrams / NGOs / poor villages in Mangalore, Kasargod, Shimoga, Hassan, Gulbarga, Karwar etc. The millennials spent days and weeks not only in collecting the materials but also in segregating and loading the same before transport. They also bore all the expenses of transportation.

As the title of the event suggests, the intention of the program was to create a sense of 'giving and sharing' among the teenagers against the trend of individualism that is creeping in our society. The love for the needy taught by Jesus Christ is learnt and practiced by the youngsters so that they are formed as responsible citizens of the nation and good Catholics. The goal is to form a ‘society with social responsibility.’

Fr Rupesh Madtha, diocesan director, Josvita D’Souza, president, Levin Cutinha, vice president, Melissa Monteiro, general secretary, Prajwal Sequeira, diocesan animator, Mervin J Vas, diocesan coordinator along with the central council 2021-22 had organised this event meticulously and have expressed their joy over the success of the mega event. They have also thanked the parish priests, animators and the people of goodwill at large.

With the blessings of Bishop of Mangalore Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, planned and organized by the diocesan Centre for YCS/YSM, it was executed by the varado YCS directors and animators with the varado councils. The unit level parish priests and animators encoraged the members to join hands for the event. After the parish priests announced the same in the parishes, the members took initiative to work at the grass root level by collecting and receiving the things as donation.

YCS/ YSM is a students' movement having 115 YCS and 40 YSM units in the diocese of Mangalore consisting around 3,000 teenage members and 250 animators and many priests, religious and people of goodwill inspiring and guiding them. This international movement aims at 'Building a New Society’ with the methodology of See-Judge- Act-Evaluate.