Jesuits to Bring 600 Youth Together for MAGIS 2026 in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, November 14, 2026: More than 600 young people from across Karnataka and beyond are expected to gather at St. Joseph’s University, Bengaluru, from November 20 to 23 for MAGIS Karnataka 2026, a four-day programme combining faith formation, community engagement and youth-led initiatives for peace.

Organised by Karnataka Jesuit Youth Works (KJES), in collaboration with the Karnataka Jesuit Province and St. Joseph’s University, the gathering will be held under the theme “Living Hope. Igniting Peace”, with the motto, “Let us walk together in faith, hope and service.”

The programme aims to encourage young people to deepen their faith, engage in dialogue, encounter diverse communities and translate their spiritual reflections into concrete social action.

Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore will preside over the inaugural Eucharistic celebration on November 20 morning. The opening ceremony will include flag hoisting and a keynote address on “Youth in the Catholic Church”.

A major component of the gathering will be an off-campus immersion programme, through which participants will engage with grassroots communities in six areas: pilgrimage, arts and spirituality; justice and education; women, justice and education; food and hunger; health and mental well-being; and ecology and eco-justice.

The immersion activities will be organised at various Jesuit institutions and community centres across Bengaluru and neighbouring areas. These include Mount St. Joseph, St. Joseph’s PUC in Anekal, the Indian Social Institute, St. Joseph’s Hostel in Anekal, St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School in Shivaji Nagar, Home of Hope–SJPUC and St. Joseph’s Outreach in Nelamangala.

The initiative is designed to expose participants to the challenges confronting marginalised communities and encourage them to respond through solidarity and service.

Alongside the immersion programme, participants will take part in Ignatian spiritual exercises, including the daily Examen, meditation, Taizé prayer, Eucharistic adoration and MAGIS Circles.

The opening day will also feature interactive sessions on addiction, relationships, lifestyle choices, ecological transformation and maintaining a healthy balance in the digital world.

The second and third days will focus on community immersion, beginning with a Nature Mass on November 21. The programme will include a second day of community engagement and conclude with Taizé prayer and a cultural evening at the university.

On November 23, a panel discussion titled “Beyond Success: Discovering Purpose and Meaning in Life” will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on life choices and personal vocation. Personal testimonies, MAGIS Circles and the valedictory ceremony will follow.

The concluding Eucharist will be presided over by Fr. Brian Pereira SJ, Provincial of the Karnataka Jesuit Province.

To facilitate activities, the university has designated five venues with names inspired by the word MAGIS: Mensa (Dining Hall), Agora (Indoor Basketball Court), Grove (Banyan Tree and Quadrangle), Ignite (Auditorium) and Start (Football Ground).

Fr. Merwyn Loyd Fernandes SJ, Director of KJES Youth Works and Province Youth Director, said the gathering would offer young people an opportunity to pause amid the pressures of contemporary life, deepen their relationship with Jesus and discover their role in building a more peaceful society.

He stressed that young people are not merely the future of the Church and society but agents of change in the present. Through prayer, discernment and service to the marginalised, he said, MAGIS seeks to help them encounter Christ in others and become witnesses of hope and peace.

Ms. Lerin Dias, convenor of MAGIS Karnataka 2026, said the gathering seeks to challenge young people to move beyond their comfort zones and embrace lives rooted in faith, service and meaningful action.

Derived from the Latin word meaning “more”, MAGIS reflects the Ignatian spirituality of seeking greater commitment in responding to God's call. Organisers hope the four-day gathering will inspire participants to carry its spirit of service and social responsibility into their respective communities.

Further information on the programme and registration is available through the official Instagram handle @MAGIS.KARNATAKA_2026.

By Anson Clement

KJES Youth Works