The Jesuit MAGIS pilgrimage and immersion experience is underway in Spain and Portugal, where young people between 18 and 30 will visit many important St. Ignatius of Loyola sites. The pilgrimage precedes World Youth Day, which begins August 15 in Madrid. Pilgrims from all over the world are attending these gatherings of Catholic youth and young adults to enrich and share the common bond of their Catholic faith.

Our  special correspondents–Marquette University student Emma Scuglik and Jesuit scholastic Michael Rossmann now studying at Loyola University Chicago–are reporting “live” through a video blog that allows us to be virtual pilgrims. For the latest videos and archives, click below or visit our MAGIS/WYD 2011 playlist on our YouTube channel.

The Jesuits of the United States are collaborating in many ways to help coordinate MAGIS and World Youth Day events, and to share real-time multimedia stories that give virtual pilgrims a chance to participate in this profound experience. Many resources are available online to help people share in this powerful experience of faith. The Jesuits of the United States have a website that brings together original blogs and collects stories from other websites; use it as a great starting place for more information about World Youth Day.

The MAGIS website offers blogs, video and personal profiles of participants. There is also a special MAGIS channel on YouTube to follow the videos.

You can also follow the event on the official World Youth Day web site.

More About MAGIS

The Jesuits of the host country have organized an extended introductory program of prayer, pilgrimage, cultural immersion, and service since 1997 when World Youth Day was held in Paris. This initiative took on the name, “MAGIS” in 2005 in Cologne, Germany. In 2011 this program of Ignatian spirituality will take place in Madrid in the days leading up to World Youth Day. The motto for this MAGIS is “With Christ at the heart of the world.”

Throughout the past year and a half, more than 400 volunteers worked in teams to organize the experiences and finalize plans. The Society of Jesus, along with other religious institutions and laypeople throughout the world who follow Ignatian Spirituality, have invited pilgrims to find Christ at the center of their lives.

MAGIS will unfold in three stages from Aug. 5-21. The first stage will take place in Loyola, Spain from Aug. 5-7 when all the participants gather in the Sanctuary of Loyola to start this Ignatian adventure. From Aug. 8-14 the students will split into groups of 25 people heading off to cities in Spain and Portugal for experiences of pilgrimage, social service, art, spirituality, ecology, faith and culture. Finally, everyone arrives in Madrid on Aug. 15 for a day together before the World Youth Day program begins on Aug. 16. To view a map and itinerary of the MAGIS pilgrimage, click here.

The Jesuits of the United States are sending men to participate in World Youth Day and staff a vocations booth. Some are also accompanying college students to the MAGIS program.

The Jesuits of Spain have organized another large project for World Youth Day, an exhibit on the famous missions in South America. “The Jesuit Reductions of Paraguay: a fascinating adventure that was lost in time”, explains how the passion for sharing the Good News of Jesus, that encouraged the Jesuit missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries, is still alive today in the Society of Jesus and the Church. The Reductions, also known as the Guaraní Missions, are considered to be a very passionate moment from the missionary push that resulted in almost 160 years (1609-1769) of fruitful evangelization.

The exposition presents photography and an explanatory text along with a few objects of special interest relative to the theme. It also has three scale models representing the Reductions. The music is another key item in the exposition and we are blessed with the knowledge of Luis Szarán, one of the greatest experts on the music of the Reductions. Visitors to the exposition are also able to view life-size representations in Puertas de las Reducciones. Finally, an informative video brings the Reductions into the real world of 2011. The coordinator of the exposition is Faustino Giménez-Arnau, and the director from the Society is Enrique Climent SJ.

This showcase is open from July 28 to September 9 at the Sagrado Corazón of Madrid Residence on Calle Maldonado.