MAGIS - WYD

Joyous reunion of all the MAGIS young people in Madrid

The 3,000 MAGIS pilgrims join World Youth Day from today

MAGIS, 16 August 2011- Yesterday afternoon, the Jesuit school in Madrid, Nuestra Señora del Recuerdo, hosted a Mass to celebrate the reunion of all the young people involved in MAGIS 2011 who have undertaken more than 100 MAGIS experiences throughout Spain, Portugal, the South of France and North Africa. The Jesuit Provincial of Spain, Francisco José Ruiz Pérez SJ, presided at the Eucharist, which marked the transition into WYD of the more than 3,000 pilgrims. During the Homily, the Provincial of Spain addressed the pilgrims with the following words, inspired by the gospel reading, as it was the Feast of the Assumption: "Dear Pilgrims: there is your MAGIS. MAGIS consists in communicating the joy of Mary, our joy as well, whose authentic name is Christ, and pronouncing it at the very Heart of the World".

After the Mass, it was time for the MAGIS Festival, a spectacle that featured performances from various groups, reflecting the content of their experiences last week. From now on, MAGIS will be integrated into World Youth Day, which will open tonight with a Eucharist in Plaza Cibeles in Madrid.

Contribution of the Society of Jesus to WYD

The collaboration of the Society of Jesus in Spain with WYD, apart from MAGIS, is in three main forms: the lending of some churches for the catechesis of the bishops and other spaces to welcome people; a vocations exhibition at El Retiro (stand no.1) with the presence of some novices; and organizing activities within the programme of WYD. Specifically, the activities are:

·          The exhibition, "The Jesuit Reductions of Paraguay: a fascinating adventure that was lost in time" will be open until September 9^th (Jesuit church, c/Serrano 104 con Maldonado). It is a beautiful exhibition with text, photos, videos and models that explain the contribution of the Jesuits to the evangelization of the indigenous people in the area of Paracuaria (nowadays Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil) during the American colonization, and how that "adventure" continues to inspire the work of the Jesuits and the whole Church. There will also be some activities taking place around that exhibition.

-       August 17th at 6,00pm. A Youth Gathering with Kike Figaredo SJ, prefect of Battambang, accompanied by a group of young people from Cambodia (some of whom have been seriously injured by the anti personnel mines) who will perform some dances from their country. Later, the musicians of the Recycled Instruments Orchestra (Sounds of the Earth) from Paraguay will play for the audience.

-       August 18th at 8,00pm. A concert by Sounds of the Earth Orchestra for the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Paraguay, in Aula Arrupe Hall.

-       August 22nd at 8,00pm. A concert by Sounds of the Earth orchestra in Arrupe Hall.

·          There will be prayer workshops, films, concerts and all kinds of creative activities for Christian students, organized by the Pastoral Service of Comillas, from the August 15th to 19th at ICADE (Alberto Aguilera Street, 23). The aim is to allow young Christians to reflect on their mission at university, to make them feel that university is an academic space and also a place for mission.

·          The third Ignatian Film Festival (TIFF), promoted by the Conference of European Provinces of the Society of Jesus, will take place in Paz Cinema (Screen no. 4). The short movies in the competition are not longer than 20 minutes and are divided into two categories: Fictional Narration and Animation, and Documentary. The general theme is "The City of God", reflecting the absence of God in our world, in our secularized society. The timetable at Paz Cinema (Fuencarral Street, 124. Screen 4) is: Tuesday 16th, from 10pm to 12am; Wednesday 17th, from 2pm to 6,30pm; Thursday 18th, from 9pm to 12am. The awards ceremony is on Friday 19th at 4pm in the same venue.

MAGIS - more info.

"In society, we are always trying to do new things. We live in an endless wave of desire. To come here is to avoid the vicious circle, to live reality, and to live more simply"

Young people from all over the world are preparing, this week, for WYD by participating in different MAGIS experiences

MAGIS, August 12th - Her name is Camille Van der Broek and she is French. After a weekend in Loyola, Camille arrived with a group of French, American and Spanish people at Peñafiel, capital of the Ribera del Duero in Valladolid: a town surrounded by vineyards and wineries with a medieval castle as one of its most distinguishing features. Camille is one of the 3,000 youth participating this week, in more than 100 experiences in Spain, Portugal, southern France and northern Africa, in the Ignatian pastoral programme: MAGIS 2011. Camille talks about her experience with young people from the U.S.A., Spain and France: "I was not sure what we were going to do here. The core of the experience is to discover how the "little world" of this town can enrich us and bring us to live a powerful experience. God reveals himself in a very simple experience. Yesterday, visiting the town and castle, I did not act like a tourist, because the manner in which we are now observing things is different: we have a deeper understanding of the people and look at all things in greater depth". "It's very enriching to see that everyone has a different level of faith, we seek different things without being totally different. Some find God in the other, while others look for God differently; in times of reflection and in the solitude of personal prayer. The greatest part of all of this, is that we have come together to build something that is real. I am finding God in my prayer. This was made known through my experience of God in nature: this discovery renews me. My encounter with God encourages me to seek out others, to see them; and to understand their limitations as well. It is a simple experience that is full of meaning. For this reason; here, in the simple, we see that God is working in this town. "In society ¬- in my city ¬- we are always trying to do new things. We live in an endless wave of desire. To come here is to avoid the vicious circle, to live close to the true reality, and to live more simply."

In this unique enclave of wine and Spanish history, Camille shares what she has been living: "My path to faith is recent. I came to MAGIS 2011 looking for God, but without really expecting anything. Of course, I felt attracted to Ignatian spirituality, and wanted to live it more deeply." "The days in Loyola were intense: meeting many people. It was a meeting that only made sense if seen in the context of God. This is because, as in so many other such gatherings, people come and go at such a rapid pace. Thus, what I most remember is the times of prayer, Mass and Eucharistic adoration. A gathering, such as was held in Loyola, is special: people also get together for events like the Olympics or a mass demonstration; but this is different, because of God's presence - witnessed, too, in the other people that gathered there. In Loyola, I learned to see my own limits and those of others. Moreover, I learned that I need to work on how I am in the presence of others; because the love of God is found among God's people."

Antonio Miranda, SJ, the spiritual guide for the experience in Peñafiel, explains: "It has been a great surprise, for all of us, to experience the hospitality of this land and its people. It sounds like a cliché, but we are getting much more than we give. The wine museum, the Castle of Peñafiel, knowing the culture of nearby villages such as Curiel, eating at a winery and sharing songs and poems with the elderly here: these are moments of joy, presence of God, and of living the greatness of simplicity. This is an atypical experience; and maybe that's its charm; but what we are sure of, is that the little ones are the blessed of Lord; and we have to become like children ... or elderly people, to share the dream of God".

3,000 young people will arrive on 15 August 2011, in Madrid. They will all sleep in the school Nuestra Sra. del Recuerdo in Madrid. On that Monday at 6:30p.m., the Provincial of Spain will celebrate a Mass to begin the week at WYD.

You can find a press section on the web www.magis2011.org where you can download pictures from this experience and other materials.

The Gujarat group in Spain for MAGIS

 

MAGIS is part of the celebrations by the Jesuits for the youth on the occasion  World Youth Day.

The Gujarat group in Spain

Magis Exhibition in Spain by Gujarat group

Visitors at the Gujarat Exhibition

The Indian group with the Indian flag

3,000 young people start MAGIS experiences in Spain and Portugal

3,000 young people start MAGIS experiences in Spain and Portugal

This week, young people from 50 countries volunteer on different projects and make pilgrimages to prepare for WYD

MAGIS, August 9th - After a weekend living together, in the Sanctuary of Loyola (Guipuzkoa), the 3,000 young people participating in MAGIS 2011, have been divided into groups of 25 people, between 18 and 30 years old, in order to participate in one of the more than 100 experiences situated throughout Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the south of France. MAGIS 2011 is an international Ignatian apostolate for young adults from all over the world organized by the Society of Jesus, along with other religious congregations that share in Ignatian spirituality, in preparation for World Youth Day.

These experiences will bring about encounters between participants, from many different countries with diverse backgrounds, and with the communities hosting them: there will be experiences ranging from pilgrimages to contact with immigrants, caring for the environment and living out the spirituality of art. All this, so that the participants may leave their ordinary life behind and learn more about themselves and the world they live in.

To download a brief description of each of the experiences in Word, click on the following links:

Experiencies in ENGLISH

You can follow the daily life of the second stage of MAGIS 2011 through social networks: on facebook you will find us on www.facebook.com/Magis2011, on twitter, you can follow us on @magis2011, or using the hashtag #magis2011.

To access the video gallery, click on www.magis2011.org/videos

To access the photo galleries, click on www.magis2011.org/photos

Moreover, there is a MAGIS 2011 blog where three new entries about the development of some of these experiences are posted every day. www.magis2011.org/blog

To listen to different podcasts about the experiences, click on www.magis2011.org/audio.

To learn more: www.magis2011.org