‘Hope is a person’ – MAGIS pilgrimage
Irish Jesuit Fr Niall Leahy recently accompanied young adults on a five-day pilgrimage to various shrines in Portugal. It was one of several apostolic experiences for MAGIS 2023, the Jesuit preparatory programme for World Youth Day which took place in Portugal and Spain from 22 to 31 July 2023.
In the video footage of the pilgrimage, Fr Niall shows how the international group walked and grew together especially in ‘building a hope-filled future’ which was the theme of the MAGIS programme. The pilgrims started out from Queenborough, North of Lisbon, and enjoyed each other’s company as they visited the different shrines.
Their toughest experience was on day four when they set out to La Senora Del Circulo (‘Our Lady of the Circle’). According to Fr Niall, it was physically exhausting, but the entertainment and singing of the group certainly helped. They also had the unique experience of sleeping in a cave. Click on the image below to watch the video ».
During the other days of the pilgrimage, Fr Niall observed “the power of the group to help everyone along” and the “wonderful musical talents” and singing of the Portuguese young people who hosted them. Fr Niall particularly enjoyed the wax foot moulds to bless their journey!
When the pilgrims returned from their experiment, they joined around 2,000 young people from around the globe in celebrating a final Mass with Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ. Then, they went joyously to World Youth Day in Lisbon from 1 to 6 August, culminating with the missioning Mass presided over by Pope Francis on Sunday 6 August.
People can view all the Irish Jesuit Pilgrimage and World Youth Day videos on the Irish Jesuit Instagram account (log in is required) ».
