The Magdala Archaeological Project: A project for life

By Marcela Zapata Who would have thought that an eight-year-old´s dream would have become reality and furthermore reach its 10th anniversary! Looking in retrospective it is incredible. We remember in detail each year that we have spent in Magdala. They have been ten great years of experiences, lessons, and overall meeting amazing persons who have…

Magdala through history. The Best Salted Fish

By Fr. Cristóbal Vilarroig, LC The ancient world outside Palestine knew Magdala with the name of Tarichaea (salting factory). The city´s salted fish was quite famous. Only one author could lead one to think that Tarichaea and Magdala were two different cities. Pliny the Elder, in his work “Natural History” (around 70 AD), says that…

In Memoriam by Fr. Juan María Solana, L.C.

This past 14th of July we commemorated the tenth anniversary of the passing of Don Eduardo Sanchez Junco (Palencia, Spain 1944 – Madrid, Spain 2010), may he rest in peace. We take this opportunity to remember him and ask the Magdala Family and our friends to pray for him and his family. This great man…

Letter from Fr. Juan (XXXVI)

Dear Magdala Family, We continue to find ourselves living in and through this unique period of time. In Magdala we recently reached an important anniversary, the tenth year of our volunteer program. I want to share with you a brief historical recap and reflection of it. It was back in 2009 when the first archaeological…

The Sea. By Kathleen Nichols

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…

Letter from Fr. Juan (XXXV)

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…

Wildflowers. By Kathleen Nichols

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,…