Prior to going to Brazil, I had no idea what to expect.

Friends who had attended World Youth Day (WYD) in the past said that it was a very spiritual experience and went on and on about it. So, I decided to attend it and see what it was all about. Magis, however, was an experience that I had no previous knowledge of. To be honest, the whole situation about living in a school and sharing bathrooms with at least 500 other girls was a little nerve-wrecking. Also, the idea of going on a pilgrimage didnt seem like something I could handle. But after those two weeks in Brazil, I can say that I would do Magis and WYD again if I was given the chance and if you ask me to go on a pilgrimage, I would pack my bags and would be ready to do it with you, tomorrow. When we think about Brazilian Culture, we think about Carnival and the flamboyant colors associated with it. But what really brought even more color to this already colorful culture was the presence of other cultures from all over the world in Brazil. Like I said in the interview that was just shown, and I hope I would never witness again, seeing those different cultures come together all sharing the same faith tradition was really one heck of an experience. After dinner on our first night of Magis, Erin, Gaby, Justin, Jason and I sat at our table, talking. In the background, we could hear people cheering, and there was loud music playing. I could see the crowd heading towards the gymnasium; the cheers just kept getting louder and louder. So, I decided to go check it out. When I arrived at the gymnasium, I was in awe. All of a sudden, I was filled with excitement. I really wanted to join the long train of people I didnt know circling the podium that was in the middle of the gymnasium. This podium was filled with people with flags representing their countries. As we were circling this podium, I never felt so much unity, enthusiasm and joy concentrated in one location ever (and ever is a strong word). This will seem kind of clich but I knew at that point that this trip was going to be an experience of a lifetime. This excitement was definitely on a grander scale during World Youth Day as it was the gathering of not just the Jesuit community, but of Catholic Youth far and wide (even from places that I havent even heard off). The chants like Esta es la juventud del Papa which means This is the youth of the pope and Papa Francisco juntos de Christo which means Together in Christ with Pope Francis really brought out our mission and unity. To be a part of this unity and enthusiasm of 3.5 million people cannot be expressed in words. When we would have our Magis circles where we reflected on our day, time and time again I would reflect on mass and how it brought so much diversity along with unity. Every Mass during Magis was different and each time the homily was in a different language. One time it was in Portuguese and another time it was in Spanish and another time in English. During prayers of the faithful which was said in many different languages, I recall that even though we had no idea what we were praying for, at the same time, we did; I recall praying even harder for that intention. They say Silence speaks volumes. Whether it was during Mass or Taize, the silence among the crowd was so loud that it not only showed the power of silence but the power of prayer. All this energy in one place made my prayer even more meaningful.

Our Magis experience which was a 118 kilometer pilgrimage comprised of people from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Maritius and other American Jesuit Universities. On the first day of our pilgrimage, I recall all of us just getting to know each other but by that night, we all were comfortable with each other. That was done through the universal language of music. Every night after the diverse yet powerful Mass with the community we were living with, we would gather along with that community and perform camp songs in Portuguese and Spanish. Even though we were there for one night, it felt like we knew the community for ages. These camp songs really brought about the innocence in all of us. It also brought our Magis group closer and united us in prayer. During these community events, language was never a barrier. We all felt like one big community that prayed together, ate together, laughed together and experienced together. All in all, the culture and unity of prayer among youth from various backgrounds made my experience truly meaningful and one that I would remember for the rest of my life. I can say after two and half weeks of unity, excitement, joy, and culture, that this was an experience of a lifetime.