 | This articlemay rely excessively on sourcestoo closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from beingverifiable andneutral. Please helpimprove it by replacing them with more appropriatecitations toreliable, independent sources.(August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Abbreviation | KjG |
|---|---|
| Formation | June 17, 1970; 55 years ago (1970-06-17) |
| Type | German non-profit youth organization |
| Purpose | association of young Catholics and Catholic local groups |
| Headquarters | Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Location |
|
| Membership | 80.000 members in 24 diocesan organizations |
Presidents | Anne Schirmer Marc Eickelkamp |
Praeses | Eva-Maria Düring |
Secretary-General | Peter Dübbert |
| Website | www.kjg.de |
TheKatholische junge Gemeinde (KjG) is a major German Catholic youth organization. KjG has a democratic structure and local groups throughout Germany, mainly in Catholic parishes, with a total of about 80,000 members. The KjG is a member of the Catholic umbrella of youth organizations,Fimcap, and the German umbrella of Catholic youth organizations,BDKJ.
KjG had a significant influence on the development of contemporary worship music (German:Neues Geistliches Lied, NGL) in Germany.[4]
The patron of KjG isThomas More (1477–1535). The motto of KjG is "I never thought of consenting to a matter, if it would defy my morals." This quote is attributed to Thomas More.[5]
The emblem of KjG is calledSeelenbohrer,'soul drill'. It was designed in 1967 by Alfred Klever, a designer based in the vicinity of Cologne, during a course on screen printing in Altenberg. It represents the motto of the joint Pentecostal meeting of KJG and KFG, the predecessor organizations of KjG, inMünster in 1968:Zur Antwort bereit! ('Prepared for the answer!').[6] At this national meeting the meaning of the emblem was explained as follows: "The dot in the center represents Christ, the Good News and the life. The bar moving around the dot symbolizes the humans who, inspired by the center, try to tackle problems and find and give answers. The arrow represents dynamic. Acting based on the solid ground of the Gospel means at the same time to move on and to pursue goals." Another (self-)ironic interpretation of the emblem is that it represents "beating around the bush, closely missing the goal and than move away quickly".[7]
The 80,000 members are organized in various local groups spread all over Germany. Most local groups are based at a parish. However, local groups can be also located at other places such as schools. Each local group usually has a team of voluntary group leaders which prepare activities like e.g. weekly meetings or camps for children, adolescents and/or young adults. Furthermore, each local group has a board of two or more chairpeople (usually as many female as male chairpeople) coordinating the local group. The chairpeople are elected by the regular assembly of all members of the local group. Usually, all members regardless of their age are eligible to vote (some local groups however require a minimum age of 13 and a maximum age of 27).[8]
| Diocesan organizations of KjG | |
|---|---|
 | KjG Aachen[9] |
 | KjG Augsburg[10] |
 | KjG Bamberg[11] |
 | KjG Berlin[12] |
 | KjG Eichstätt[13] |
 | KjG Essen[14] |
 | KjG Freiburg[15] |
 | KjG Fulda[16] |
| KjG Hamburg[17] | |
 | KjG Hildesheim[18] |
 | KjG Köln[19] |
 | KjG Limburg[20] |
 | KjG Magdeburg[21] |
 | KjG Mainz[22] |
 | KjG München & Freising[23] |
 | KjG Münster[24] |
 | KjG Osnabrück[25] |
 | KjG Passau[26] |
 | KjG Paderborn[27] |
 | KjG Regensburg[28] |
 | KjG Rottenburg-Stuttgart[29] |
 | KjG Speyer[30] |
 | KjG Trier[31] |
 | KjG Würzburg[32] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
