Dear Magdala Family, We are close to celebrating Thanksgiving here at Magdala with our guests, pilgrims, and team members. As you know, this is a festivity allowing us to reflect on Divine goodness and be grateful for the blessings we receive. This year, 2022, we in Magdala have a lot to be thankful for, and…
Dear Magdala Family: October has us hooked on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. This month, the Church wants us to once more return to those mysteries that embody the life of Christ and for us to contemplate them by the hand of the Virgin Mary, the most important protagonist in salvation history. Last month you joined…
A Church in Sad Condition By Fr. Cristobal Vilaroig On July 4, 1187, the Crusaders were defeated definitively in the Horns of Hattin. The Holy Land returned to the hands of the Muslims. Christian holy places started falling into oblivion, and their destiny was abandonment and deterioration. One hundred years after the Muslim conquest, a…
The Sound of Rosh Hashanah By Kathleen Nichols Since the beginning of September, I have seen many early risers from the Magdala Guest House approach the shores of the Sea of Galilee silently and with a tender step, priming their senses to experience the sunrise as Jesus had done so long ago, perhaps from this…
Dear Magdala family: I just returned to Magdala from a family visit to Mexico. The reason, obviously, was that I had not visited them during the pandemic, but also the state of health of my older brothers. I greatly appreciate your expressions of affection and support for these reasons, but above all, I appreciate your…
The Rock of Ants By Fr. Cristobal Vilaroig One kilometer south of Magdala, a little offshore, there is a rock of considerable size. Possibly it fell off from Mount Arbel in ancient times and since then it remained there, a few meters from the shore. Locals call it the Rock of Ants. A dubious popular…
The Pilgrim’s Stones By Rosaura Sanz-Rincón The stone, a symbol of permanence through time, strength, and security, has been used by many cultures throughout history to highlight important places. In Buddhist and Taoist traditions, ephemeral stone accumulations represent balance. In recent years, we have seen that the creation of these burial mounds has become a…
Pilgrims at the time of the Crusades By Fr. Cristobal Vilaroig During the Crusader era, pilgrims continued to visit Magdala. In the year 1130 in a guide of the Holy Land, entitled De Situ Urbis Ierusalem, the anonymous author wrote: “Two miles from Gennesaret, there is Magdalum, where Mary Magdalene came from, and two miles…
Dear Magdala Family, Greetings from Magdala, where in the middle of summer, we find ourselves sizzling with heat. The warm weather is accentuated as we find ourselves 211 meters below sea level. Nonetheless, even among this, we are working hard to prepare ourselves for a cooler autumn and one filled with many pilgrims wishing to…
The Smart and Sweet Crusaders By Fr. Cristobal Vilaroig In 1099 the Crusaders entered the Holy City and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Thousands of Europeans came to the newly created kingdom in search of a new life. They would bring some of their customs that would transform this land. Their imposing buildings are well…
