CEP is not just a program, it's an encounter with people, places, cultures and most of all, with Christ. Here's why thousands of young people across India have said "Yes" to this journey.
Build lifelong friendships from across India.
Discover the beauty and richness of India's diverse cultures.
A deeper relationship with Christ through prayer, community and real life experiences.
Stay with local families, share life, learn and be enriched.
Be inspired to take the joy of the Gospel to your own communities.
Different places.
Different languages.
One Spirit.
One Mission.
"CEP opened my heart to a bigger Church. I experienced God in people, cultures and in simple moments."
"I came as a participant, but I am going back as a missionary. CEP changed the way I see India."
"Living with a local family taught me the real meaning of love, simplicity and communion."
The Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) is a unique journey of encounter, faith, friendship and mission. Through different experiences, we learn from one another, grow in Christ, and build a more united Church in India.
Get to know, build friendships and prepare for the journey.
Encounter God deeper and be renewed in His love.
Live, learn and share with local communities.
Give thanks for 25 years and look forward to a greater mission together.
As we complete 25 years of the Jesus Youth Cultural Exchange Program (CEP), we give thanks for God's faithfulness, celebrate the impact of countless lives, and look forward with hope to a new generation of missionaries. This Silver Jubilee is more than an anniversary — it is a movement to strengthen communion, unity and mission across India.
Thank God for 25 years of CEP and His faithful journey with us.
Celebrate the richness of India's diverse cultures in the Church.
Reconnect thousands of CEP alumni across India and beyond.
Inspire a new generation to embrace mission with courage and joy.
Strengthen partnerships with dioceses, bishops, and religious congregations.
Present CEP as a model of national integration through faith, friendship and shared mission.
Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that true joy is found in simplicity, fraternity, peace and care for all creation. His life invites us to live the Gospel through everyday actions — with a heart that sees God in every person, in the poor, and in the beauty of creation.
A special Jubilee Year marking the 800th anniversary of the transitus (death) of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Catholics can obtain a plenary indulgence during the special Jubilee Year of Saint Francis by visiting any Franciscan church or place of worship dedicated to St. Francis worldwide.
By visiting, in the form of a pilgrimage, any Franciscan conventual church or place of worship anywhere in the world dedicated to Saint Francis or connected to him for any reason, and there devoutly follow the Jubilee rites or spend at least a reasonable period of time in pious meditation and raise prayers to God so that, following the example of Saint Francis, feelings of Christian charity towards their neighbours and authentic vows of harmony and peace among peoples may spring forth in their hearts, concluding with the Our Father, the Creed and invocations to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare and all the Saints of the Franciscan Family.
You can receive the plenary indulgence by visiting:
Any church, friary, monastery or ashram actively managed by the Franciscan religious families. This includes:
Any parish church, cathedral or shrine that is named after St. Francis of Assisi, regardless of whether diocesan priests or Franciscan friars run it.
Can be done a few days before or after.
On the day of the visit.
For the intentions of the Holy Father.
To a Franciscan church or a designated sacred space.
Even from venial sin.
The elderly, the sick, and caregivers unable to leave home can receive the indulgence by uniting themselves spiritually with the Jubilee celebrations and offering their prayers and sufferings to God.
