Magis is a Latin term for “more” that was adopted by St. Ignatius of Loyola and suggests the spirit of generous excellence in which ministry should be carried on. Living the magis calls us to examine how our choices affect others and guides us to make decisions that benefit the greater good. At Saint Joseph’s University, the magis is at the core of everything we do. Tell us, what’s been your experience of living the magis?
One of the ways I am continually awakened to the Magis is by noticing beauty, even when it is not so obvious. Some years ago as a Jesuit scholastic I worked with Father Horace McKenna in serving the homeless in Washington. The ways in which Fr. McKenna saw beauty in poor men, women and children and greeted each of them with compassion and dignity taught me to see the beauty of Christ in every person. In so many words Fr. McKenna awakened my eyes to the mysteries of the Magis as he invited and encouraged me to learn how God gazes at all creation, especially the poor and marginalized.
C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J. ’72
President
For the greater glory of God and living the Magis are values that have been instilled in me throughout my education. It began with the Sisters of Mercy and continues with my Jesuit education at SJU. Everything I do and the decisions I make have a ripple effect. These actions affect others, sometimes in ways that I am not even aware of. And so it is, in all that I do each day, I strive to think before I act and to think before I decide, always considering the outcome that would better reflect the glory of God and bring about the most good for others. Taking the time to pray in silence but also seeking the counsel of others, helps me to hear the still small voice of God and to feel the call of the Holy Spirit. Living the Magis is a daily choice and a gift to be shared with others!
Like any well-formed Jesuit educated student, I had to do my "research" before offering my reflection! According to Wikipedia, magis is taken from Ad majorem Dei gloriam, which means "For the Greater Glory of God." What we do for others, we do for God, and visa versa.
Living the magis is not an easy calling. To me it means, cultivating an awareness between the work of the Spirit, and the events of everyday life. I'm not sure when I "officially" awakened to the Magis, yet I believe this way of life became deeply ingrained within my body, mind, and soul, during my journey at Loyola University Maryland.
I am forever grateful for this gift.
Colleen Koning
Christian Service
As we changed our lives from that of corporate lawyers and litigators to that of grapegrowers and winemakers, we gave ourselves over to that inner voice that the compassionate universe seeds in each one of us. And once that happened, the way we saw the rest of the world changed - we realized that every thought, every action, every idea we have impacts the world around us in a very real way - put another way, that EVERYTHING MATTERS. We have built our new lives and our new business on that principal. We both connect our ability to be receptive to this experience, and our willingness to take the risks necessary make it a way of life, directly to our time at St. Joe's. Though we may not have realized it at the time, that was the beginning of our Awakening to the Magis.
Scott & Julianne Donnini - owners, Auburn Road Vineyards & Winery
My "awakening to the Magis" was a journey that started when I was an undergraduate student at Saint Joseph's University. My service-learning courses allowed me to see the beauty of people in our city - but also the poverty and other injustices they face. The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius introduced me to a loving God, to discernment, and to the question, "How am I called to serve?" The Jesuit Volunteer Corps led me to be "ruined for life" after teaching in Tanzania, East Africa. Now, I invite student to the Magis by introducing them to those living on the margins of our communities, by asking them to prayerfully reflect on the transformative impact of these relationships, and by asking them to discern, "How am I called to serve?"
Beth Ford
Campus Minister, Service and Social Justice Programs
I was initially awakened to the Magis as an undergraduate at Saint Joseph's University, a community in which I felt (and still feel) a deep sense of having been cared for and having been supported and challenged to be and do more. I thrived in this environment and developed a lasting love of learning and commitment to social justice, which ultimately informed my vocational choice of education. In returning to Saint Joseph's as an employee over six years ago, I've awoken to the Magis present in our community on a continuous basis, through efforts collective and individual, in ways large and small. I am blessed to be a part of Saint Joseph's University.
-Melissa McClory, Career Development Center
My position at Saint Joseph's University is somewhat externally focused, but after being on campus for a year and focusing so much energy outward, something was urging me to be more involved on campus. Around the same time, I became more curious about Ignatian Spirituality and the Jesuit Tradition. My awakening to the Magis began with various people and interactions on campus, and was enhanced through my experience during the Spiritual Exercises. My work is now inspired by the Magis in a purposeful way, rather than by coincidence, and I attribute that awakening to my SJU colleagues and the students on campus.
Jennifer M. Rossi
Career Development Center
When I came to SJU eleven years ago to teach in the education department’s doctoral program I did not quite know what it meant to be associated with a Jesuit university. I quickly learned on the surface the Jesuit phrases – cura personalis, “men and women with and for others” and Magis. These were not internalized for me until I made the 28 week annotation of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. It was through these meditations that I felt the breath of God through His son Jesus Christ. It is this that has drawn me to seek this same breath in the children of Haiti, the peasants of Bolivia, and the students at our partner university in Santiago, Chile. Magis for me? – Continually seeking to breathe the breath of God.
Terry Furin,
Educational Leadership Department
My awakening was not one moment, but a series of reflections that led to a deeper understanding that we are not a part of “society”, but a global community. We belong to one another and it is our faith that calls us to foster the inherent human dignity in all people.
Jill Amitrani Welsh,
Faith-Justice Institute