Jesuits at World Youth Day

Check out the comprehensive programs the Jesuits are sponsoring for pilgrims to World Youth Day this year in Madrid.  (Having Loyola nearby is certainly a boon!)  "The Society of Jesus, along with other religious institutions and laypeople throughout the world who follow Ignatian Spirituality, invite us to find Christ at the center of our lives," reads the description at the Magis website.  (Magis is a rich Ignatian term meaning the better, the more, the higher, for God.  The motto Ad Majorem Die Gloriam captures some of the flavor of the idea.) "This intitiative was started in 1997 (World Youth Day Paris). In 2005 in Cologne, it was called Magis for the first time. In 2008 it was celebrated in Sydney and in 2011 it will be celebrated 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.'"  Essentially the programs, run by Jesuits (and this year spearheaded by those in Spain and Portugal) along with members of other religious orders, helps to introduce youth to Ignatian spirituality and deepen their experience of WYD. You can learn about Magis on Facebook, Youtube, Flickr and Twitter, or on their homepage here.