The Korean Jesuit Province is intensifying its preparations for MAGIS, the Jesuit-initiated gathering of young people held ahead of World Youth Day. MAGIS 2027 will take place in Seoul from 25 July until 2 August, preceding World Youth Day from 3 to 8 August.

MAGIS 2027 marks several firsts for the global gathering. It will be the first MAGIS event held in Asia and the first to be hosted in a country where Christianity is not the majority religion. The MAGIS Korea team says the event aims to introduce young people from around the world to the lived realities of Korean society and the local Church.

“Held in Korea, a nation still marked by division, MAGIS seeks to embrace more deeply the meaning of peace,” said the team. “For young people struggling amid personal loneliness and social division, the peace Jesus desires to give is the tangible expression of the hope we long for.”

The theme for MAGIS 2027 is “Living Hope, Igniting Peace” and is a continuation of the journey begun during MAGIS 2023 in Lisbon.

“If MAGIS 2023 was ‘a time to build hope,’ then MAGIS 2027 is ‘a time to live that hope,’” said the organisers. “To live hope is to walk toward Jesus. Our hope is rooted in Jesus Christ and continually leads us toward Him.”

About 2,000 young people, referred to as “pilgrims,” are expected to participate in MAGIS. Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ says it will be more than a youth gathering. “It will be a pilgrimage of faith, a school of discernment, and a mission of peace,” he said.

As preparations continue, the MAGIS team has launched an official website containing resources related to the event.

Young people and Jesuit communities are also invited to watch a video message from Fr General Sosa and MAGIS Korea explaining the spirit and vision of MAGIS 2027.