I am Henry Jerome, a Jesuit priest from Tamilnadu, India. I am happy to serve IMCS in my capacity as its International Chaplain. I thank my own movement, AICUF, All India Catholic University Federation, IMCS-India, its members and advisers for sending me to take up this service at the International level. IMCS is the mother of all catholic student movements in the world. I have been part of one of its children. It is time for me to reciprocate my love for IMCS. IMCS has ever remained champion of Peace and Justice. In all its programmes, policies and activities, it promotes these values, initiating and participating in the process of humanisation. IMCS is commissioned by Jesus Christ, Our Lord and by its Spouse, the Church to this mission of evangelisation among the university students, intimately accompanying them.

I come from a village near Madurai, Tamilnadu, India. I was born on 1, June 1965 but in certificates it is 1964, a lucrative common practice in the villages (if you add years, you gain years of service and if you add age, it is less nuisance at home and more in school). I was the last in my family of seven children. Last means ‘everlasting childhood'. You remain young always, if you are the last in the family. For anything, you have to volunteer or you would be dumped to do any sort of menial chores. But you remain young always, that is the secret of my energy! I joined the Society of Jesus in the year 1984 for Madurai Jesuit Province and was ordained in 1996. My first appointment, after a short period of pastoral experience, was AICUF. Right from that time, I have been part of this movement, a movement that created a history of involvement, intervention and intrusion into the lives of so many thousands of young college and university going youth. A famous dictum we have is ‘Once an AICUFer, Ever an AICUFer'. The movement has transformed the minds and hearts of many youngsters into the service of the poor, illiterate, marginalised, and deprived sections in India. Great lessons of Justice, Peace, Love and clarity, this movement taught me.

Thanks also to the members of World Assembly who approved my candidacy as the International Chaplain of IMCS. Thanks to their confidence and hope on me, I shall put my love for the movement into action along with all of you.

I look forward to great years of collaboration and cooperation from all of you. We shall work together and get connected with each other to build this world as a home of love, peace and justice.

God Bless!