Do you know what is CJS?
CJS stands for “Congresso de Jovens Shalom” (in Portuguese) or “Congrès de Juenes Shalom” (in French) which translated into English is Shalom Youth Congress, also SYC. It is an event promoted by Shalom Catholic Community open to all young people who are willing to deepen their experience with the love of God and grow in faith within the Shalom spirituality.
The Shalom Community was established in 1982 with the mission to evangelise all mankind. In 1989, it hosted the first CJS in the city of Fortaleza, northeast of Brazil, where the Community was founded. Later in 2014, nearly 9 thousand young people from different parts of the country and other nations gathered in the city of Salvador, Brazil. On the occasion, the Community celebrated the 25th anniversary of the ‘Youth for Jesus Project’ which is a pastoral organization within Shalom Community responsible of the evangelization of the youth.
The first CJS in Europe was held in France at 30km from Paris in the Archdiocese of Evry-Corbeil-Essonne, where Shalom Community has a missionary house. The event occurred in November 2015 in preparation for World Youth Day 2016. It is considered a turning-point in the Shalom’s evangelization of the youth in Europe.
What happens at a CJS event?
The CJS combines a variety of spiritual, artistic and fraternal activities such as praise and worship, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic celebration, talks and panel discussion on different topics relevant for young people, music, dance and other forms of artistic performances, fellowship and other attractions. Throughout the event the young people can share their faith and experiences with other young people from different cities and countries. Priests are available for confession, experienced missionaries are also available to give spiritual counselling and pray for those who need. Whenever possible and in accordance with the local law and custom, social actions are also encouraged such as blood donation or donation of food/clothing for the poor.
