This week, over 1,600 young people from 50 different countries are gathering in Lodz, Poland, for MAGIS 2016. Inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits, participants will engage in prayer, fellowship and service ahead of World Youth Day in Kraków, Poland, which kicks off on July 25. 

“You meet someone from North America, then South America, then Australia, and it’s like going all around the world,” said Monica Gorpan, who came from Egypt. “So I hope, I really hope, to grow bigger with God through these people.”

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Stay tuned throughout the week for America Media’s on-the-ground reports from MAGIS and World Youth Day. 

 

Correction: July 19, 2016
A previous version of this article misspelled the name of the Polish city. The events took place in Lodz, Poland, not Lotz.