My dear friends, Magdala Family,

As summer comes to an end, we want to reach out from the Holy Land with a warm greeting and an invitation to begin this new season—whether it’s a new school year, new jobs, projects, and more—with a renewed “Duc in Altum”, that is, with determination and full trust in God’s help.

Here in Magdala, we’ve experienced a rather special summer. At the beginning, we were still under the impact of the reciprocal attacks between Iran and Israel—a truly difficult time. The hotel was closed, and there were no visitors. Things were not looking good. Around July 10, however, things started to improve, and we began to see more local tourism. Even though they mostly come for vacation, there’s always room for deeper exchanges—learning, connection, and openness. Magdala truly is a crossroads of spiritual and religious paths, and we experience that reality every single day.

We’ve also endured an extremely hot summer. Temperatures were close to 50°C (122°F), something we hadn’t seen in ten years. Besides being quite a challenge, it caused a lot of water to evaporate from the Sea of Galilee, which is once again nearing a historic low. For those who don’t know, rain here falls mainly between Christmas and Easter, and outside of that, not a single drop! Last year’s rainfall was very scarce, so we can say we’re in a drought. Thanks to real drip irrigation, Israel is still able to maintain a flourishing and prosperous agriculture.

As I write these lines in mid-August, pilgrims are slowly beginning to return. We pray that this continues and grows in the near future.

On August 21, the movie “Rabbuní” was released in many countries. It tells a story that happened here in Magdala when the war broke out on October 7, 2023. It’s worth watching! It leaves the heart filled with trust in God, hope, and confidence in the power of prayer. Please watch it, recommend it, and help keep it on the big screen. A big thank you to everyone who made it possible and to all who have seen and promoted it. Truly, thank you so much.

During these days of August and early September, we also commemorate the anniversary of the archaeological discoveries—especially the Magdala synagogue, officially announced on September 13, 2009. God truly gave us an extraordinary gift: an evangelical setting we didn’t have before—a first-century synagogue, a place visited by Jesus, where He taught, healed, and participated in worship and the reading of the Torah. How could we not recall those days full of excitement and surprises? This is the perfect moment to share that we are planning to resume archaeological excavations, likely in the summer of 2026. Sign up as a volunteer—it’s an incredible experience!

God willing, we are also resuming work on the restaurant and the priests’ residence, projects that were abruptly interrupted on October 7, 2023, due to the war. We deeply appreciate anyone who can support these two projects. Let me remind you of our “drip irrigation” campaign—figuratively speaking—since monthly donations, even small ones, help us plan our expenses and organize our work for the medium and long term. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all who already help us and to those who wish to join us at this important time for these projects.

Lastly, I’d like to share that from August 27 to September 23, I will be visiting several cities in Mexico to give the talk “Touching the Mantle.” I hope to visit places I haven’t been to often. Stay tuned to our social media for updates on locations and schedules. I truly hope we can shake hands soon.

May God bless you all. With a fraternal embrace from Magdala,

Fr. Juan María Solana, L.C. and the Magdala Team

P.S. I hope that in our next newsletter, we will be able to share some very encouraging news with you.

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