On September 23, 2014, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II met the Syriac Youth in St. Mark Church Hall in Teaneck – New Jersey. The meeting was attended by priests from the parishes of the archdiocese and a large number of young people who came to participate in this event.

His Holiness presided over a short evening prayer service (ramsho). He then spoke about the role of youth in the church. He said that youth carry a vision, much needed by the church that leads her forward towards a better future. He emphasized the importance of holding firm to the traditions that we inherited from our forefathers. He called them to go back to the teachings of the great doctors of the church; with such return to the roots, a renewal can exist in the church and it can give a true Christian witness to the world.

He added that the mission of the church is to make the world a holy place where believers live alongside their brethren, connected by the sacred bond of love. He also said that belonging to the church means to live the faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ who said: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. The Christian believer is the person who decides to live in the likeness of Christ and to be his disciple. His Holiness, likewise, spoke about the journey of life and what diverse experiences it contains that help us in our spiritual lives and aid us to reach Christian perfection.