Living AMDG: A Journey of Faith, Service and Discernment

The program draws deeply from Ignatian traditions to help young people encounter Christ, build community, and discern how to live Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam in their everyday lives.

This past year’s journey combined structured formation with hands-on service and key travels. Participants completed faith modules throughout the year, committed to monthly service at St. Leo Food Connection, and gathered for major trips including the kickoff at Boston College’s Ever to Excel in July 2025, and a silent retreat at the Grand Coteau Jesuit Retreat House in Louisiana in February 2026. These experiences equipped students with practical tools for discernment and service while fostering lasting connections across the Jesuit network.

In June 2026, ten Bellarmine students, along with Ms. Debra Sauvage, Theology Faculty and Fr. Greg Celio, S.J.,, Jesuit Superior, joined the Regis Girls Division AMDG cohort from Denver, Colorado on the historic Ignatian Camino in Spain. They walked in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola along the route he traveled in 1522 after his conversion, from his family home in Loyola through the Basque country, mountains, and plains, ending near Manresa where he developed the Spiritual Exercises.

Walking about 80 miles of the 400 mile pilgrimage, participants combined rigorous daily walking with intentional prayer, reflection, group sharing, and visits to key Ignatian sites. Participants faced physical challenges together, practiced the Examen, and deepened their understanding of companionship, resilience, and vocational discernment. 

The Lilly Endowment grant funds the AMDG Program for two years. This last summer, the new cohort from the Class of 2028 went to Boston College to kick off the second year of this impactful initiative.

View the first two of five YouTube videos, produced by the Institute of Advanced Jesuit Studies, providing an overview of the silent retreat. The remaining three videos will be released the following three Tuesdays of this month.