Next steps after Fr General’s Pentecost letter on the third Apostolic Preference

Leading a retreat for young people should be easy. It’s usually just two or three days. But... where should I start? What should the theme be? Where do I get help?

The good news is that help is at hand with a new platform called Magisresources.org. From all around the world, the Society has gathered resources for leadership training, for retreats, and for days of recollection. They’ve been prepared by experts and tried and tested in different situations.

´The Society of Jesus has a wealth of experience and resources available to help young people”, says Fr PV Joseph, SJ, of the Myanmar Region of the Society. “We just have to make those resources available in an organized way. That was my job over the last six months working at the General Curia. In fact, it really wasn’t me who did the work. The work was already done at local level. I just gathered it all together. I’ve just started linking up with Yoon-Ho John, who’s on the Magis Korea team, and we’re looking forward to working together.”

The various themes reflect our desire to build pathways to the soul for young people so they can recover a sense of direction in a distracted and confused world. Young adults can ‘recover their souls’ through:

• Being together in companionship
• Prayer
• Silence
• Working at the margins
• Appreciating film, poetry, and other forms of art

As well as resources for retreats and prayer sessions, there’s also a database of all the Magis Coordinators around the world from Albania to Zambia.

Our hope is that this contact section with the list of coordinators can be especially helpful to stimulate collaboration as asked for in Fr General’s Pentecost letter.

There are even games you can use when accompanying young adults.

“The idea is that this will be a super useful site”, says Fr PV Joseph. “If everyone around the world shares what they have, just like Ignatius asked us in the contemplation for attaining love, then it will be an enormous resource as we prepare for Magis Korea in 2027. So my plea is: have a look at the site... If you see a gap, tell us about it... and don’t be afraid to share what you have.”

There are so many ways we can accompany young adults. Let’s imagine together a new future with them.

If you haven’t already signed up to the Magis monthly newsletter, you can do so here.

For more information you can contact Fr PV or Emanuele Fatteri.

And don’t forget our Magis Instagram account at @magis.futures