Over a hundred parishes of the Mumbai Catholic Church took part in a three-day youth festival held at the St John the Baptist Church in Thane last weekend.
Young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years took part in competitions in singing, dancing and fashion events. The competition was won by the young members of Our Lady of Mercy, Thane.
The Johanne Youth Feast
The competition, called the Johanne Youth Feast, is an opportunity for young people from the Catholic community explore their cultural talents. It started in 2016 and is an annual event, though the festival did not take place between 2020 and 2022 due to the Covid epidemic.
Father John Almeida of Our Lady of Mercy Church said, "The idea is to get together the youth to participate and showcase their talents and in doing so, look beyond convention."
Our Lady of Mercy Church bags the JYF Trophy for the 4th time
The winner of the JYF Trophy, which is awarded to the team with maximum awards across events, Our Lady of Mercy Church. They won the trophy for the fourth time. The 122 Catholic churches of Archdiocese of Bombay took part in the event.
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Melissa Fernandes, a student of data science, was a member of the winning team. "It was very thrilling, especially since the event was held after three years. It was a challenge to bring back the cup which we had won at the last competition, " she added.
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