The Asia Pacific community of the Society of Jesus has been immensely active in closely coordinated collaborations, manifested through consistent communication and openness to international activities. The constant exchange of ideas and careful guidance from each member school or institution have provided the region with a strong foundation augmented by the interesting, interweaving harmonies of faith and culture.

One manifestation of the Asia Pacific’s region’s strong network is its response to the Universal Apostolic Preference: Journeying with the Youth. If one should check the student programs of each Jesuit school, a multitude of offerings and special projects can be found – from formation programs, to extracurricular activities, to interest-based organizations. Beyond each school begins a bridge that leads to a wide network formed by Jesuit associations and special partnerships.

One of the recent additions to youth-oriented programs in the Asia Pacific region is MAGIS AP 2025, hosted by the Taiwan Magis Youth Center (Chinese Province Youth Ministry Commission). What makes it unique is its participation of youth groups and counselors. The program contains “Magis experiments” – immersion activities which invite the members to step beyond their comfort zones and discover new insights in faith and spirituality. For three fruitful days the participants were clustered in five groups: Art & Spirituality, St. Hildegard’s Path, Gardeners of God’s Creation, Pilgrimage of the Heart, and Indigenous Encounters.

For this year, MAGIS AP 2025 had participants from Malaysia, Cambodia, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Japan, China, and the Philippines. A youth cluster from Poland also joined the event. ADNU’s Juliana Eunice Fuentes and Ma. Deloris N. Macalino were part of the Philippine delegation (which was also represented by students from Ateneo de Manila University and Xavier University, accompanied by Rev. Bien Cruz, SJ). Eunice and Madel shared that this was their first participation in an international, inter-cultural gathering – which was also unconventionally set during the later end of the December holiday, slowly stepping into the New Year.

English served as their common bridge for communication. Faith and constant dialogue (especially during moments of prayer and reflection) served as the threads which tied their experiences together.

Magis Experiments

During the Magis Experiments, Eunice and Madel were sent to opposite ends. Madel immersed in the mountains where she met the Atayals, one of the 16 indigenous groups in Taiwan. During her stay in their assigned community she noticed the cultural similarities between the Atayals and the Philippines’s Kalinga ethnic group.

“In the immersion, I realized that even though Catholicism is a minority in Taiwan, people from the capital and mountains put much importance into their faith, which made the immersion more relatable, as we all have the same strong faith in God.” – Madel Macalino

Eunice, on the other hand, immersed within Taipei’s busy urban life, meeting the homeless, the immigrants, and the victims of occupational accidents. At the city’s core she reflected on the importance of accompaniment as a means of choosing to walk with others with humility and empathy amidst the continued search for answers.

“I left with a stronger sense that formation happens most when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and teachable. Ironically, I found comfort in the uncomfortable.” – Eunice Fuentes

Faith and Friendship

Beyond immersions, the participants’ bond continued to grow through the various activities: from collating a collage of voices found in reflections and revelations during spiritual conversations, to sharing sacred silences through mass and meditations, to inquiring cultural curiosities and the occasional jests during getting-to-know activities, travel times, and social events.

In the end, Eunice and Madel brought with them back home a widened, deeper sense of faith that deeply aligns with their devotion as Bicolanos.

For Eunice, devotion – beyond prayers and traditions – is also shared through experiences of resilience and hope amid suffering. For her, faith is lived with others, made concrete by quiet perseverance, by one’s sincere presence. Faith is also trusting God even in moments of complete uncertainty.

For Madel, devotion was manifested physically through her group’s hiking activity in the mountains. She observed the communal moment of unity and sacrifice (as practiced also during Peñafrancia season). For her, devotion becomes a specific way of living out the universal kinship of the Church.

MAGIS AP 2025 provided its participants with an enriching experience of Ignatian Spirituality by integrating matters of social, environmental urgencies and cultural alignments rooted in faith. The event in itself has opened new pathways of insight, with hopeful possibilities of expanding the experience in local communities.

Notes and Credits:

• Information and Insights c/o Eunice and Madel (via email correspondence); activity photos c/o Madel.
• More information and activity photos of MAGIS 2025 are shared via Magis Pilipinas  Official FB Page