Encountering Ignatian Spirituality through MAG+S Timor-Leste
By Iriana Soares, ETR Communications Officer (Member of MAG+S Timor-Leste, Batch-10)
For ten years, MAG+S Timor-Leste has been quietly accompanying young people. In our small community shaped by friendship, prayer, and service, many young people have encountered the richness of Ignatian spirituality and discovered a deeper relationship with God, with others, and with themselves.
The celebration of the community’s tenth anniversary began on 15 February this year with a seminar on being “Friends in the Lord” led by Fr Erik John J. Gerilla, SJ, the Regional Superior of the Jesuit Independent Region of East Timor (ETR). The gathering brought together MAG+S members and Catholic youth from different groups and movements, as well as students from various universities across Dili. It became a moment not only of celebration, but also of reflection on how the Ignatian way continues to shape and inspire the lives of young people today.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, a three-day immersion experience was held on 7 May at Ave Maria Parish, in Suai, Covalima, in the southwestern part of the country. Around twenty participants lived with local families, sharing in their daily realities, prayers, struggles, and hopes. Rooted in the spirit of Ignatian formation, the immersion invited the participants to encounter God through the people they met and the communities that welcomed them.
For many of us who belong to MAG+S Timor-Leste, this journey has become not only a participation in a youth movement but also an experience of being accompanied.I have witnessed how Ignatian spirituality teaches young people to care for one another, to pray together, and to continue seeking God even amid personal struggles, diverse ideas and commitments, and moments of uncertainty. The community becomes a place where faith is strengthened and where wounds, fears, and doubts are carried together. I believe this spirit and space can be found as well in other Jesuit youth ministries around the world.
Journeying with youth is not simply about helping us become “better versions” of ourselves. Rather, it is about reminding us that even in our most fragile moments, hope remains possible. Many young people today carry silent burdens: loneliness, broken relationships, disappointment, confusion about the future, and struggles in our faith. Yet through accompaniment and formation, many of us begin to rediscover our hopes and purpose.
The Jesuit mission of walking with the youth becomes especially meaningful in this context. MAG+S Timor-Leste has become a space where many young people who once felt lost have found direction, belonging, and spiritual depth. Through retreats, formation, prayer, community life, and immersion experiences, we learn not only to speak about God but to encounter Him personally.
The spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola continues to resonate deeply among our young people. “Finding God in all things” is no longer just a phrase repeated in formation sessions; it has become part of our lived experience. God is discovered in joy and friendship, but also in pain, betrayal, uncertainty, and brokenness. Young people learn that God remains present even in the moments when faith feels weakest.
To be “Friends in the Lord” is perhaps one of the greatest gifts MAG+S offers. Gathered by the Holy Spirit and united in Christ, our community becomes more than an organization or youth group. It becomes a shared journey toward transformation, self-knowledge, and deeper love for God and humanity.
As MAG+S Timor-Leste celebrates ten years of accompanying youth, its story reflects the wider mission of Jesuit youth ministry around the world: to walk with young people patiently, to listen deeply to their realities, and to help them recognize that God continues to call them, even amid the complexities of modern life.
In a world where many young people search for meaning and hope, Ignatian spirituality continues to offer a path of discernment, compassion, and encounter – a reminder that God can truly be found in all things.
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