MAGIS was institutionalised in 2005 as a way of structuring the gathering of Ignatian youth taking place right before the World Youth Day Meeting. Since then, the Jesuit Province where the WYD takes place organises MAGIS. Young people connected to Ignatian spirituality are divided in multinational small groups and sent to diverse experiments (pilgrimages, spirituality, service, art, ecology, music, etc.). They share a strong experience of community life of which the daily common reflection according to the methodology of the “MAGIS circle” is central. To conclude all are reunited again for a Festival, before they join the common celebrations of the WYD.

In more recent years local MAGIS programs have been organised independently of the WYD. In particular, the Provinces of Central and Eastern Europe have been running a MAGIS-Europe every year since 2013: a summer program for everyone between 18 and 35, that has attracted people from all over Europe (and sometimes beyond too). The structure is the same: Ignatian experiments and a closing general event.

For more information on MAGIS and the next MAGIS-Europe, visit the web site

After being shown in theaters in various Croatian cities (Zagreb, Osijek, Split, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Metković, and Zadar), the movie Sentir y gustar is now available online on Youtube. The movie was produced by the Magis Association and directed by Matej Sunara. It was filmed last summer during Magis Europe 2022, which hosted more than 350 young people from 20 countries. The movie presents more than 50 testimonies in 15 world languages and shows the experiences of young people who participated in 29 experiments. The purpose of these experiments was to help young people choose what leads them more toward the goal for which they were created, to help them search for and relish in God, and to discover and enjoy Croatian natural beauties and cultural heritage. “Until now, more than 1000 people saw the movie,” said Petra Borošak, coordinator of the Magis association. “The impressions they shared after watching the movie have prompted us to think about how we could make it more available for a broader audience. For joy, love, gratitude, and beauty should be shared and spread. The testimonies of the young people from the movie encourage us all to try to recognize God’s presence in our daily lives, especially in those unpleasant experiences,” concluded Petra.   Luka Ilić SJ
The Biggest Summer Adventure On July 24, the biggest summer adventure began! Around 370 young people from around Europe participated in 29 Magis experiments in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Between July 29th and 31st, all the participants gathered in Split for the final event.   This was the 8th edition of this summer event, which gathers young people from all over Europe and Middle East. It consists of two parts: Ignatian experiments in smaller groups (15-25 people) and the Festival at the end, which unites all MAGIS participants. The program is organized by the Jesuits in collaboration with female Ignatian congregations. The motto of this year’s program was sentir y gustar.  Throughout the Magis week, some participants rode bikes and kayaks, while others went hiking and sailing along the Adriatic coast. Some lived their summer simply at the sea, while others discovered their great talents through various social, environmental, and art experiments. Some worked and prayed with the Benedictines, while others engaged in interreligious dialogue and discovering the beauty of art, food, and customs of Islam. All of this and much more!  In the final days, in Split, the participants enjoyed fellowship and shared what they experienced during their experiments. They participated in the Eucharistic adoration and consecrated themselves to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Moreover, they went sightseeing in Salona and Split. They also went swimming, played basketball, laughed, sang, and danced. MAGIS 2022 ended on July 31 with the Holy Mass in Solin, presided over by Jesuit Provincial, Fr. Dalibor Renić.   At the end of the Mass, Fr. Tomislav Špiranec, the responsible for this year’s event, thanked everyone who helped in the preparation and implementation of MAGIS. He also encouraged all participants to take responsibility for their lives and, with the help of God, discover their vocation - whether in marriage or religious life.  In short, during this year’s MAGIS, young people from around Europe enjoyed fellowship with their peers and intimately felt and relished (sentir y gustar) God’s goodness, beauty, and love.  Luka Ilić, SJ (edited)
Applications for the Magis 2022 in Croatia are open... as are the hearts of volunteers that await you :) More than 100 young people are preparing the experiments to give glory to God and offer you an amazing experience of His love through the communion and sharing, the beauty of nature, artistic and cultural goods, good deeds and delicious food. Basic information may be found by clicking Here.   This year there is an offer of 34 experiments (!!!). From hiking, living a contemplative life, helping in a refugee camp, sailing, filming in an island, etc. The offer is very wide and adapted to everyone's desires and vocations. Get to know all the experiments here.       Application form is open till 12th of June, but some experiments are already almost full... so the one who's fast gets the blast :)  Steps for registration and application process are available here. Once you're registered you may see all the "goodies", e.g. the details for each experiment as listed in application form.If you want to help us in reaching the Jesuit youth some of the features are available at this link: FEATURES. See you in Croatia! AMDG
Due to the pandemic, it’s been a long year’s wait, but it was well worth it. All the joyful gifts opening us to the deeper still echo in our heart after the wonderful nine days we spent with the 200 participants of Magis Europe 2021 in Hungary and Slovakia. A report from one of the organizers. A place and time for encounters with ourselves, others and God. An occasion to open up our heart through service, prayers, challenges and in the community. A harvest of fruits and gifts in reflection on our day, a moment for reconciliation, recreation and renewal. Despite all the uncertainties in the preparation, the Magis Europe 2021 event could become all the above – and more. Thanks to all the support and prayers from people all around the world, we were given the opportunity to see all things new in Christ. It all began on the 7th of August with the experiment groups meeting for the first time. Magis Europe 2021 included 11 experiments in five different “characters” connecting to five aspects of Ignatian spirituality. In the last days all the participants gathered in the closing festival in Miskolc. Arts The Dance to God, dance with God experiment connected the gestures of our body to our feelings, experiences and even our relationship with God. The Magis Taizé experiment near Ruzomberok, Slovakia invited participants to share their talents with each other inspired by the music of Taizé. Their musical service at the Closing Festival showed that prayer always enriches others in the end. The Living Stones group drew on the abundant riches of church buildings to engage with tourists coming by. Service Guided by the Helping Sisters in Csobánka, Hungary, people at the Sharing life experiment spent time with the elderly and the disabled.  The Playing together group spent their week at Arló, one of the poorest villages of Hungary.  Taking care of our created world is an important but difficult service, as participants of the Green heads, hearts and hands could experience. Pilgrimage Magis people of the Hungarian Camino Benedictus and Walking in God’s presence experiments found that a pilgrimage always changes those who depart. Even if not all change is as radical as the conversion of Inigo, they are important nevertheless. Spirituality One week as a Jesuit offered a glimpse into the Jesuit lifestyle for a group of young men, from meals to prayers and service. The Silent retreat experiment created a week of encounter with God in the closeness of nature, in the silence of the chapel and in the discussions with the spiritual director. Culture The Word on Papyrus experiment allowed participants to feel how the physical process of writing the Scripture in the same way as the first scribes did creates a unique connection to the text and to the words of Jesus. Closing Festival Finally, on the 13th of August over 200 Magis people from almost 30 countries met in Miskolc, Hungary for the weekend. With the blessing of Pope Francis and the video message of Fr. General Arturo Sosa SJ, the Closing Festival was always meant to be great, and it turned out to be just that. On Friday, the focus was on spirituality, with a roundtable on the topic of vocation and an evening prayer of reconciliation with adoration and songs. Saturday was the day of adventures in and around Miskolc with the optional programmes provided by the organizers (spiritual field trip, city tour, sports, a taste of Hungarian culture and more), with the Festival of Nations in the evening and also the chance to learn some Hungarian folk dance. On Sunday, we took the time to close, say goodbye and go on with the daily theme: mission. Fr. Elemér Vízi SJ, the Hungarian Provincial connected our mission to the “yes” of Mary on the feast mass of the Assumption. Kristóf Hódsági - Jesuits HUN    
We gladly announce that MAGIS Europe is set to take place offline in 2021 from August 7 to 15. The experiments (August 7-13) are going to be held in parallel in each participating European country, joining the prayers and activities of MAGIS youth from all over the continent. The closing event (August 13-15) is planned to take place in Miskolc, Hungary, gathering participants from neighbouring countries to experience and rejoice in our communion in God. For those who cannot travel to Hungary, online ways of participating will be available. MAGIS 2021 reflects on the Saint Ignatius year that marks the 500th anniversary of the conversion of Ignatius – showing that God’s grace in him remains fruitful to this day. As we are heading towards the end of this most difficult year, and cherishing our hope to be able to meet in person next summer in Hungary, we offer online MAGIS experience for you to reflect upon throughout these autumn and winter months. The following videos from our online MAGIS 2020 meeting may help you develop experiments of your own: feel free to use them according to the situation you are currently in.  You can find here a package of spiritual proposals, from which you can choose elements according to your possibilities and desires. Choose an offline mini-experiment for one or more day(s) during the week. Please take a look at the opportunities, here is the list of MAGIS 2020 mini-experiments. Click here for more information So mark August 7-15 2021 for MAGIS in your calendar and stay tuned as further details are to follow. Be safe and God bless!
MAGIS Europe 2019 in Lithuania and Latvia. More than 210 participants from 25 countries came together “to know, love and share” in Magis Europe 2019 summer event. The Ignatian program for young adults took place in Lithuania and Latvia from the 23rd till the 31st of July, 2019. This year 2019 marks the 450th anniversary of the Jesuit Mission in Lithuania and The Magis Europe 2019 event became one of the key parts of this celebration. The program was based on the official theme of the anniversary year “To know, love and share”. The event was also linked to the world Magis 2019 program and the World Youth Days in Panama. Magis Europe in Lithuania and Latvia was divided in two parts: Magis experiments and the Closing Festival. Experiments There were proposed 11 different experiments, grouped in the categories: Pilgrimage, Ecology, Service, Spirituality, Arts and Culture. The Ecology experiments invited to focus on the practical ways of relating Catholic faith with personal ecology through environmental workshops and education. These experiments were inspired by the impulses from Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” and his call to foster inner spiritual ecology. In the three Pilgrimage experiments young adults not only walked, but also canoed and cycled their way through different terrains in Lithuania and Latvia. Pilgrimages took place on the way of Santiago de Compostela, as well as on the beautiful Lithuanian seaside in Curonian Spit and in the “blue lakes land” area in Latvia. Participants who chose the category of Arts and Culture attended Choir, Taizé music, Theater and Food experiments. Young people were invited to reach out to God through worship, improvisation and even through the preparation of food. An important part of these experiments was sharing the fruits of these experiences - music, acting performances and food - with others. The Spirituality experiment invited young people to explore the ‘more’ of God in the beauty of silence. Participants had the possibility to take a break from the chaos and noise of the modern world and concentrate only on the inner spiritual movements. Mother Teresa’s sisters welcomed Magis participants in Riga for a Service experiment. Young people were invited to join the sisters in their daily acts of kindness for the homeless, addicted and for the children from the socially challenged families. Closing Festival After the fruitful and moving Magis experiments participants gathered in Kaunas, Lithuania for the celebration of the Closing Festival. Young people participated in the Evening of Reconciliation with the Lithuanian Youth Days choir. Next day participants attended Magis education workshops, Kaunas tours and took part in the choir Exaudi concert-meditation "The Face of Christ" which is based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The evening was dedicated to get a glimpse and taste of Central American culture through traditional music, food and drinks. Magis Europe 2019 was closed on the 31st of July with an uplifting celebration of the Solemnity of St. Ignatius. Also, the announcement of an invitation to the next Magis event was made - Magis Europe 2020 will take place in Hungary from the 1st to the 9th of August. Remember to book these dates in your Magis calendar!