My name is Adam Pangan, and I am 23 years old. I’m from Virginia, and I went to school at Virginia Tech. It was during my time in college that I agreed to give a full year volunteering. Long story short, God guided me to Israel, and the month of my graduation, He highlighted the…
The daily 5-minute drive to Magdala from the apartment where our community lives in northern Tiberias follows a road that skirts the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. My eyes never tire of looking out over the waters. The glowing rosy surface reflecting the pre-dawn sky becomes a smooth slate blue, streaked by fire…
By Fr. Cristobal Vilaroig On March 15 of the year 44 B.C. Julius Caesar died at the hands of Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Brutus. Cicero himself applauded the feat: by cutting short the dictator’s career, they saved the Roman Republic. Yet, not all shared the euphoria of the conspirators: in the eyes of the…
Dear Magdala Family, In the midst of the pandemic and a thousand vicissitudes, we come to “our” month, the month in which Mary Magdalene’s feast day is celebrated around the world. For this reason, you will see our Facebook (Magdala and Magdala Español) and YouTube (Experience Magdala) transmissions packed with references to ‘our’ patron Mary…
My name is Daviana Hernandez, I´m 22 years old and a student of Gastronomy in Le Cordon Bleu IEST Anahuac University. I´m Mexican and from the state of Tamaulipas which I hold dear in my heart. I came to the Holy Land to volunteer in Magdala. I can say that my experience has been enriched…
Several months ago, I was searching for a smooth rock seat on Mt. Arbel at dawn, when I surprised a herd of Palestinian mountain gazelles grazing below in the morning twilight amidst a myriad of wildflowers decorating the bright green hillside. As I settled in with my Bible, surrounded by peach-colored flowers and red tulips,…
By Fr. Cristóbal Vilarroig No written document mentions when Magdala was founded. However, archeologists have concluded that the city was established somewhere in the second half of the 2nd century B.C. In those days, the successors of the Maccabees reigned in the region. Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria (which at the time included the territory…
Dear Magdala Family, There is an idea that has been turning around in our hearts these past months: surprises. We are surprised by COVID-19: surprised by the drastic changes in our lives because of it, surprised by how we react to it, surprised by the absence of so many unnecessary things day-to-day because of the…
The long quiet time during weeks of isolation here in Magdala has allowed me to more attentively admire the incredible beauty of the Galilean countryside. The late spring flowers, seeds and trees, with deer, sheep and birds, the sunshine, winds and clouds, all proclaim the Gospel by their very existence. It is no wonder that…
By Fr. Cristobal Vilaroig LC There was a long-standing prohibition among Jews preventing from cutting acacia trees in the area of Magdala. This ban sought to honor an ancient tradition, according to which the Ark of the Conant was built with Magdala wood. According to the Midrash of the Song of Songs, as the patriarch…
