The Basque José Luis Iriberri SJ is the director of Camino Ignaciano. This summer he was the spiritual guide of four Hungarian young adults, whose 22 day pilgrimage in Spain was accompanied by a Hungarian filming crew. The three weeks were spent in extraordinary circumstances: how did he endure the heat, the restrictions due to the pandemic and the shooting itself? While the cuts are under way in the studio, we asked the Jesuit about his experiences of the filming.
2021/22 will see a worldwide commemoration of the famous pilgrimage of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The documentary, titled „Camino Ignaciano”, recalls the journey of the founder of the Jesuit order from Loyola to Manresa. It is planned to be screened at the 500th anniversary celebrations of the renowned event worldwide. In the film a Jesuit guide will accompany the spiritual exercise of four pilgrims.
This May and July saw the heavenly birthday of two Jesuits who were born in Europe, but embraced Japan as their second home. On the 20th of May 2020 the Spanish Adolfo Nicolás, former superior general of the Society of Jesus, passed away in Tokyo, shortly followed by his Hungarian master and professor, Péter Nemeshegyi on the 13th of June in Budapest at the age of 97.
There was a peace treaty after World War I that deprived Hungary of most of its territories and population, and annexed them to Romania, the adjoining Slavic states and Austria. And here is the leader of the province of the Hungarian Jesuits, P. Elemér Vízi S. J., whose family history, like an ocean in a drop, comprises the peculiar past of this European region. On the 100th anniversary of the peace treaty signed in Trianon, we asked him how he experienced the dismemberment of his nation, and how God may be found in all things.
A month ago Hungarian Jesuits and their friends were full of hope about organizing this year’s Saint Ignatian youth festival, Magis Europe 2020, despite the current global pandemic. Although their enthusiasm is the same, and the situation seems to start getting better slowly, the central team of Magis 2020, in accordance with the experiment leaders of the meeting, decided to cancel – or rather, postpone – the event.
Hungarian Jesuits have been offering a full-scale range of online Eucharist since the outbreak of coronavirus epidemic. When elaborating our broadcast plan, we focused on the various age groups, and developed our approach according to their special needs. Besides, there are other initiatives as well, including spiritual direction and support via internet, guidance for praying at home and online interviews with Jesuits
As summer is approaching, there are more and more details revealed about this year’s Ignatian youth festival held in Hungary, Austria, Romania, and Slovakia. In January, we sent reports about the launch of the event’s website (magis.jesuits.eu) and that the registration process has begun; February saw the revealing of the various experiments the gathering will offer; and now the latest news is the opening of the application from 1 March to 15 May.
We ask your help to support a group of 10 young Christians from Syria, to partake in spiritual programs and recreational activities in Europe this summer. To draw from Christian spiritual wellsprings, experience religious community and solidarity, build new connections, get some rest and refreshment. They will affect their home communities when they return to daily life and service with renewed strength and hope.
