Six students and one chaperone will represent Fordham at this year’s World Youth Day (WYD) in Krakow, Poland, a gathering of some 2 million young Catholics from around the globe from July 25 to Aug. 1.

The students left on July 14 to participate in the Jesuit-sponsored MAGIS week of service and reflection leading up to the WYD event.

“MAGIS is a program that allows students to grow deeper in their faith through practicing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises,” said John Gownley, chief sacristan and assistant director of liturgy for Campus Ministry.

Following that, students will take on individual “experiments” in which they will be grouped with other Jesuit students from around the world. Christopher Dollesin, a rising sophomore majoring in marketing at the Gabelli School of Business, will be heading to Lubin, Poland, where he will join 25 French and Lebanese students in a project meant to teach unity through multiculturalism.

Over a six-day period, his group will work to overcome language differences and create a pantomimed theater piece using as few words as possible.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ve got a great local theater to help us. So I’m extremely excited, to say the least,” he said.

On July 25, the students reconvene in Krakow for WYD, where Pope Francis will deliver a welcome address, and celebrate a universal Mass in which the pope is expected to offer prayer in several languages.

Gownley said that prayer and reflection are an essential component of the students’ WYD experience.

“To practice their faith on an international level, which they haven’t done yet, and to see it in another country and share the universal Mass, is a very moving experience,” he said.

(Patrick Verel assisted with the reporting.)

All eyes were on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this July, when a newly elected Pope Francis encouraged 3 million young people to use their Catholic faith and friendship with one another to build a more tolerant and just world.

For a Fordham delegation of 14 students and two campus ministers, the pope’s message, along with the 17 days of prayer, music, service, and cultural events at World Youth Day (WYD) and Magis 2013, were worth the months of preparation and fundraising it took to get there.

The delegation’s twofold journey began in the city of Salvador da Bahia, the site where the Society of Jesus arrived in the Americas in the 17th century. There, the group participated in Magis 2013, an Ignatian pastoral experience that brings together members of Jesuit institutions from around the world. Magis, which takes its name from the Jesuit phrase meaning “the more,” is held in the days leading up to each WYD.

After convening in Salvador, the group broke into small theme-based immersion experiences, which ranged from volunteering at a children’s center to visiting an urban eco-park in a Brazilian favela.

Fordham College at Rose Hill junior Patrick Cahill joined students from Argentina, Uruguay, and the islands of Mauritius (located off the southeast coast of Africa) for a 73-mile pilgrimage across Brazil.

“We relied totally on the generosity of the people we met,” Cahill said. “They fed us, gave us a place to sleep, opened their homes to us. And we eventually realized that the food they were making for us was all they had.”

Trekking across the rugged terrain, Cahill said, helped highlight the commonalities about the diverse group, which spoke English, Spanish, Creole, and more.

“It was powerful to see that despite language barriers, we were united under a similar way of thinking—looking at the world through an Ignatian lens,” he said.

Later that week, the Fordham delegation joined millions of their peers in Rio de Janeiro for the WYD festivities. The group even caught a glimpse of Pope Francis as his motorcade passed by the Jesuit college where they were staying. Students reported that the pope periodically got out of his car to embrace people on the street.

“We had talked so much about Jesuit spirituality during Magis, so to see the pope putting it into practice was inspirational,” Cahill said. “This whole experience has taught me how Ignatian spirituality can mold the entire way you experience the world, especially seeing God in the people you meet.”

Although the delegation could not attend the closing Mass on Copacabana Beach, they watched live from the airport as the pope told the crowds, “The church needs you, your creativity, and the joy that is so characteristic of you.”

“He embodies magis,” said Fordham College at Lincoln Center junior Deborah Adewale. “He thinks about what’s best for the people of the church. I feel his attitude makes people listen to him.”

Fordham’s delegation of 14 students and two campus ministers checked in with us from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they areparticipating in World Youth Day 2013.

Philip J. Florio, S.J., assistant vice president for Campus Ministry, sent this update from Sunday, July 13, where the group attended an open air mass presided by Father General Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus.

“The Fordham delegation could not get close enough to Father General to get a group picture after mass, but it’s only day three of the trip, they have time yet and they were given the mission!”

Last week millions of Catholics participated in one of the largest and most anticipated events for young people globally—and among them were 16 members of the Fordham community.

A delegation of 14 students and two campus ministers left July 11 for World Youth Day 2013, held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group joined more than two million young Catholics from around the world for a week of prayer, music, cultural events, pilgrimages, and a celebration of Mass with the pope.

The group provided live updates of the experience from its Twitter account @FordhamWYD and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/FordhamWYD2013. While in Brazil, they celebrated Mass with Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, made a 73-mile pilgrimage through the Bahia region, and visited the famed Christ the Redeemer Statue at the top of Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

Their journey began in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, the site where the Society of Jesus arrived in the 17th century to begin their mission in Latin America. There, the group participated in Magis 2013, a pastoral experience held in the days leading up to each World Youth Day. Grounded in Ignatian spirituality, Magis brings together members of Jesuit institutions from around the world for a week of cultural immersion and solidarity.

The Fordham delegates and their international companions convened in Salvador da Bahia and then split into groups for immersion experiences. Activities ranged from volunteering on themed service projects, such as justice-oriented and environment-oriented excursions, to going on a pilgrimage.

“The students are really excited about the Magis component, because it means we’ll immerse ourselves in the Brazilian community as men and women for and with others,” John Gownley, assistant coordinator of liturgy for campus ministry and a chaperone for the trip, had said before the group departed.

They traveled to Rio de Janeiro on July 20, and on July 23 they joined their fellow World Youth Day pilgrims to officially launch the experience.

In addition to being an event held only every two or three years, this World Youth Day was particularly exciting for participants, because it is the first one to be attended by the newly-elected Pope Francis.

“When the students signed up to go on the trip, Pope Benedict was still the pope,” Gownley said. “Once we found out that a Jesuit had been elected, it changed things in a sense, because we feel a deep connection.”

The group—which comprised seven students from each of the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, as well as Gownley and Carol Gibney, associate director for campus ministry at Lincoln Center and director of Ignatian Programs—met throughout the academic year to prepare for the trip. In addition to fundraising, they had met monthly for spiritual reflection, cultural instruction, Portuguese language lessons, and even packing tutorials.

“I told them that before they leave, they should pack their bag and then walk down to their local mall and back. If they can do that with no problem, then they have packed well,” Gownley said.

For Deborah Adewale, a rising junior at Lincoln Center, knowing what to pack was hardly a concern. The Staten Island native went with her home parish to attend the 2011 World Youth Day in Madrid. The effort it takes to prepare for the trip is well worth the experience awaiting the pilgrims, she said.

“It’s so uplifting to see youth like myself praising and worshipping together,” Adewale said. “The beautiful thing is that it shows how religion can unite people from different countries and walks of life.”

And despite being a World Youth Day veteran, Adewale felt the anticipation as the date of departure drew closer.

“I would like to grow more in my faith through this experience,” she said. “But I do not know what to expect, so I hope for all the best.”

Gownley said that he hopes each student will receive from the experience just what he or she needs.

“At World Youth Day, you get to experience Catholicism on a global platform and see the real presence of God’s work in a way that is alive and active and not isolated to me here in my community,” Gownley said. “It validates something for them, especially because our students are growing up in a world where faith is secondary and is constantly challenged for them.”

See the group’s adventures live on their Twitter account @FordhamWYD and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/FordhamWYD2013.

This week around the world, millions of Catholics are gearing up for one of the largest and most anticipated events for young people globally—and among them are 16 members of the Fordham community.

A delegation of 14 students and two campus ministers leave tomorrow for World Youth Day 2013, held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The group will join more than two million young Catholics from around the world for a week of prayer, music, cultural events, pilgrimages, and a celebration of Mass with the pope.

In addition to being an event held only every two or three years, this World Youth Day is particularly exciting for participants, because it is the first one to be attended by the newly-elected Pope Francis.

“When the students signed up to go on the trip, Pope Benedict was still the pope,” said John Gownley, assistant coordinator of liturgy for campus ministry and a chaperone for the trip. “Once we found out that a Jesuit had been elected, it changed things in a sense, because we feel a deep connection.”

Before joining fellow World Youth Day pilgrims, the Fordham delegation will first head to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, the site where the Society of Jesus arrived in the 17th century to begin their mission in Latin America.

There, the group will participate in Magis 2013, a pastoral experience that is held in the days leading up to each World Youth Day. Grounded in Ignatian spirituality, Magis brings together members of Jesuit institutions from around the world for a week of cultural immersion and solidarity.

The Fordham delegates and their international companions will convene in Salvador da Bahia and then split into groups for immersion experiences. Activities range from volunteering on themed service projects, such as justice-oriented and environment-oriented excursions, to going on a pilgrimage.

“The students are really excited about the Magis component, because it means we’ll immerse ourselves in the Brazilian community as men and women for and with others,” Gownley said.

The group—which comprises seven students from each of the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, as well as Gownley and Carol Gibney, associate director for campus ministry at Lincoln Center and director of Ignatian Programs—has been meeting throughout the academic year to prepare for the trip. In addition to fundraising, they have met monthly for spiritual reflection, cultural instruction, Portuguese language lessons, and even packing tutorials.

“I told them that before they leave, they should pack their bag and then walk down to their local mall and back. If they can do that with no problem, then they have packed well,” Gownley said.

For Deborah Adewale, a rising junior at Lincoln Center, knowing what to pack is hardly a concern. The Staten Island native went with her home parish to attend the 2011 World Youth Day in Madrid. The effort it takes to prepare for the trip is well worth the experience that awaits the pilgrims, she said.

“It’s so uplifting to see youth like myself praising and worshipping together,” Adewale said. “The beautiful thing is that it shows how religion can unite people from different countries and walks of life.”

And despite being a World Youth Day veteran, Adewale has felt the anticipation as the date of departure drew closer.

“I would like to grow more in my faith through this experience,” she said. “But I do not know what to expect, so I hope for all the best.”

Gownley said that he hopes each student will receive from the experience just what he or she needs.

“At World Youth Day, you get to experience Catholicism on a global platform and see the real presence of God’s work in a way that is alive and active and not isolated to me here in my community,” Gownley said. “It validates something for them, especially because our students are growing up in a world where faith is secondary and is constantly challenged for them.”

Follow the group’s adventures live on their Twitter account @FordhamWYD and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FordhamWYD2013.

The group, which consists of students, administrators and Jesuit scholastics, arrived in Australia on July 4. Several members headed to Brisbane to participate in MAGiS 2008, a week of spiritual and service experiences for the pilgrims. The second part of MAGiS begins on July 12, when some 1,500 pilgrims converge on St. Ignatius’ College in Sydney to share what they have learned from their experiences.

World Youth Day is one of the largest youth events in the world. It runs from July 15-20 in Australia’s unofficial capital and is expected to draw more than 125,000 people from around the globe and 100,000 Australians. The event is an invitation from Pope Benedict XVI to the world’s youth to celebrate their faith. It will mark the pope’s first visit to Australia. He is scheduled to arrive via boat-a-cade on July 17 in Sydney Harbor.

“Events like World Youth Day are great models for revitalizing young Catholics and transforming our worldview into one where we do everything with faith,” wrote student blogger Dave de la Fuente, a Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) junior majoring in political science and theology. “This will be an opportunity for me to examine my own faith, my knowledge, my actions, and work towards improving them and grounding them in God.”

Also in attendance from Fordham are Jason Appelgate, an FCLC sophomore, Patrick Callaghan, a student in the Graduate School of Social Service and Campus Ministry staff member , Katy Corum, an FCLC ‘junior, Roxanne de la Torre, a Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) senior, Joseph Hill, S.J., a member of Ciszek Hall Jesuit Community and a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), Stephen Hill, an FCRH  junior, Kristina Lessard, an FCRH senior, Ethan Lingenhol, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration (CBA), Diana Mazzuca, an FCRH senior, Michael Powell, an FCRH ‘senior, and Vincent Strand, S.J., a member of Ciszek Hall Jesuit Community and a GSAS student.

World Youth Day is expected to be the largest event Australia has ever hosted, with approximately 500,000 people attending the pope’s closing mass on July 20 at Sydney’s Centennial Park. The celebration is expected to draw some 500 cardinals and bishops.