World Youth Day and Magis

The Chaplaincy World Youth Day team is up and running, led by Roland Scarlett (Oriel), Christine Hobden (St Antony’s), Florian Ploeckl (Nuffield), if you are interested in participating, please get in touch with any one of the above.

Please note also the opportunity to go on the Ignatian network ‘Magis’ programme in the days before the WYD itself. See details below. Maryanne and Lotte are hoping to visit the Chaplaincy during the Open Week.

Dear Magis people,

Happy New Year to you all, and thank you for expressing an interest in Magis 2011,
My name is Lotte, and I am writing to you on behalf of the Magis UK planning team. It’s now less than 7 months until we are invited to be ‘with Christ at the Heart of the World’ at Magis 2011 (August 5-21), and registration has now opened.

This new year is an opportunity for each of us to reflect on how Christ can be at the centre of our lives. To help us on our journey, and towards Magis and World Youth Day, there are some inspiring resources on the Magis website www.magis2011.org

In particular, the 12 steps towards Magis invite us into reflection on different themes. Currently steps 1,2 and 3 are up on the web and ready to be viewed. There are videos with inspiring words, music and a chance for reflection, so why not take a few minutes now to listen to God and your own deepest self? http://www.magis2011.org/ppal/index.asp?op=8&lg=2

UK Events towards Magis

Here in the UK, some of you have already attended a Magis ‘Taster Day’ in London, and we have further days planned in London, Liverpool and Oxford over the next few months, so watch this space for more details, and do come along. The ‘experience’ element will be different each time, so even if you have been before, please do feel you can come again.

We hope that these days will not only give a flavour of the experience of Magis, but also help build community between us as the Magis UK group.

Some Helpful Facts about Magis

Who is it for? People aged 18-30

How much does it cost? £325 per person for Magis and World Youth Day, excluding travel to and from Spain and personal travel insurance.
(this price is correct at current exchange rates, but could be subject to change)
We are able to offer some financial assistance in the form of bursaries for those who need help paying this sum.

When is it? 5-21 August (5-7 gathering in Loyola; 8-14 experiences in Spain and Portugal; 15 gather in Madrid; 16-21 World Youth Day)

Where can I find out more? www.magis2011.org

And join our facebook group Magis UK.

For now, all good wishes from the Magis UK team.

MaryAnne fcJ, Anouska fcJ, Una, John, John, Sergio SJ and Lotte

Barmouth 6 Day Individually Guided Retreat

Barmouth Retreat for young adults – July 2011
Travelling to Barmouth by train does feel like entering a different country, as the dense towns and rolling fields of the English countryside give way to the narrow path between sea and crags that winds its way along the Welsh coastline. The Jesuit retreat house itself, with the Irish Sea stretching out below every window and rocky footpaths above, has the best of both worlds: dizzying views and damp, sandy feet – both ideal ways into a sense of wonder, of peace and of stillness that make most time passed there, however it is spent, feel like a prayer. The retreat concept here is a mixture of worlds too – part prayer, part holiday, part community experience and part social; it combines the quietness set aside for prayerful reflection with the exuberant laughter of a group of young adults gradually deepening and opening in friendship. So it is that the short day of silence here could feel so surprisingly companionable, while a theme or thought developing in it can somehow continue in a shared reflection or casual conversation to follow. There was a lot of laughter over these few days, but also a real willingness to talk over subjects that mattered deeply, often provoked by the challenge of engaging the imagination in different kinds of prayer – with images, or drama, or labyrinths in the sand, as well as the daily rhythm of Mass, daily prayer and Ignatian spirituality. Arriving there, still a little stunned, after my final exams at university, it felt not only like a time away, but a new consciousness of the presence of God in joy and simplicity that hasn’t faded since. Thanks go to Karen, Fr Matthew SJ, Fr Simon SJ and the whole group for all they did to make this such a fulfilling experience – I hope it’s one that many others will be able to share in the future.
For information about future retreats at the Jesuit house in Barmouth, please contact Matthew Power SJ at matthew.power@jesuits.net.

Pilgrimage to Lourdes

Oxford and Cambridge Pilgrimage to Lourdes (23rd-30th July 2011): Every year a group from the Chaplaincy goes to Lourdes, the small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees where Our Lady appeared eighteen times to the young Bernadette Soubirous (St Bernadette). We work for a week with the service, helping in the baths, doing washing up in the hospital, stewarding in the grotto and at the processions etc. If you’d like to know more, please email: andrea.pass@magd.ox.ac.uk

Easter Pilgrimage to Walsingham

Easter Pilgrimage to Walsingham. “Do you have faith in your feet?” 16th – 24th April, 2011. For more information about Student Cross visit the website: www.studentcross.org.uk

Report on Retreat in Daily Life

If you were a tree, what kind would you be?’ This term’s Retreat in Daily Life began by asking everyone this question. It concluded by singing a tune to the Xhosa/Zulu words ‘Mayenziwe Ntando Yakho’ (Your will be done on earth, O Lord). The remainder of the week was just as unpredictable, stretching and enjoyable. The retreat was led by Fr Stephen Hoyland of Loyola Hall, and was based on principles of Ignatian spirituality. Optional evening workshops and meetings were on offer, but the spiritual focus of my week was a daily routine of thirty minutes of prayer, and short one-on-one meetings. It was genuinely a retreat in daily life, though: I spoke to others who agreed that the retreat provided a valuable chance to think about how spiritual and everyday life belong together. The most difficult part, apart from deciding which tree I’d be, was deciding to sign up in the first place. I’d recommend the week to all busy students who’d like to think more about where prayer belongs in their life.

Peter Auger

Finding God in Sixth Week

How can I find God in 6th Week?

Retreat in Daily Life 14th—19th November

Led by Steve Hoyland of the Loyola Hall Retreat Team

The week offers the opportunity to develop ways of praying in the middle of a busy life, through workshops and with the help of a personal prayer guide. The Retreat begins at 6:30 on Sunday 14th November in the Meeting Room.

We ask for a donation of £10.00 to cover costs.

If you would like to participate, please contact Fr. John on moffsj@yahoo.com

Retreat Programme

The workshop sessions are recommended, but are an optional part of the programme and are open to all, whether or not you are on the guided retreat. The number of individual meetings with prayer guides will be worked to suit your schedule.

Sunday, 14th November
5:45 Mass
6:30 Opening Meeting

Monday, 15th November
Individual meeting with prayer guides
8:00 Optional Workshop 1 ‘Ways of Praying’ (open to all)

Tuesday, 16th November
Individual meeting with prayer guides
8:00 Optional Workshop 2 ‘Discernment and Decision-Making’ (open to all)

Wednesday, 17th November
Individual meeting with prayer guides
7:00 Pasta
8:00 Optional Workshop 3 ‘Images of God’ (Joint event with Newman Society and Cathsoc)

Thursday, 18th November
Individual meeting with prayer guides

Friday, 19th November
Individual meeting with prayer guides
6:00 Final Reflection Meeting

Chaplaincy Retreat

Chaplaincy Retreat, Carmelite Priory, Boars Hill—Friday 5th November—Sunday 7th November—contact one of the Chaplains

The Big Silence

The Big Silence is a series about five men and women struggling to build silence into their daily lives. For four months, they were introduced to the practice of daily silence and meditation, staying at Worth Abbey and St Beuno’s Retreat Centre in Wales along the way, under the guidance of Abbot Christopher Jamison OSB.
The Big Silence will be broadcast on BBC2 on the three Fridays – October 22 and 29, and November 5

Retreat in Daily Life

Retreat in Daily Life—Sunday 14th November pm—Friday 19th November pm—an opportunity not to be missed! Contact one of the chaplains

Pilgrimage to Lourdes

The Oxford and Cambridge Pilgrimage to Lourdes takes place from the 25th July-1st August.

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