Frequently Asked Questions
JMJ Youth
- What is JMJ Youth? JMJ Youth is a group pilgrimage operator, not a travel agency. It is our mission to create opportunities for young people to encounter Christ on pilgrimages, particularly to World Youth Day.
- How long has JMJ Youth been in business? While the mission of JMJ Youth, in the life of founder Steve Kerekes, began with WYD in Denver in 1993, we have been operating formally as a tour operator since 2000. Formerly Youth in Europe, our name changed to JMJ Youth in 2010 as a response to our long work with WYD.
- Is working with my local travel agent a better deal? Usually not. WYD is a unique and complicated event, and travel agents are not experts. We receive requests from travel agents all the time who are looking for information on how to handle interest in WYD. Quite often, they offer our packages (at higher prices) to pilgrim groups who come to them for arrangements.
- What makes JMJ Youth different? There are many reasons we can give for why to choose JMJ Youth: Primarily, what sets us apart from other tour operators is that our work is our apostolate to assist youth leaders in their mission to evangelize, catechize, and change lives. Our pilgrimage guides are faithful, living witnesses that serve our groups both logistically in navigating the experience, and also by helping pilgrims to avail their hearts to the grace of the journey.