A few days ago, I came across a piece of news that filled me with joy and moved me deeply. It wasn't recent, but somehow it had escaped my notice: during the great ecumenical gathering held last November in Nicaea to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Pope Leo and the other leaders of the Christian Churches announced that they would meet in Jerusalem, in the Upper Room, to celebrate two thousand years since the birth of the Church in 2033, the bimillennium of the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

It moved me because this is something we have been saying from Magdala for years  it's the very reason our annual gathering was born, now called Rabbuní. Our bags are already packed.

But beyond what is immediately before us, the Pope and the other Christian leaders of the Orthodox and Protestant Churches have lifted their gaze toward the near future  only seven years away in order to begin the journey again with renewed vigor, enthusiasm, and, above all, with our eyes fixed more firmly on Jesus Christ.

This is where we come in: the great herald of that event was Mary Magdalene. She is and will be an important figure in that celebration, and this has already set in motion a series of initiatives and projects inspired by her example and her very being.

Witness. I believe this is the key word. To be a witness. It is not something improvised, nor simply something voluntary or desired. It is a gift from God. To be His witness is an undeserved gift. God grants it to whom He wills, as He wills, and when He wills.

I would like to share with you one of these initiatives: we are already writing a book of reflections on Mary Magdalene. I would dare say it is roughly 75% complete. We hope it will see the light of day this same year, 2026. Through it, we want to lay the foundations for dialogue, for deeper reflection, and for greater knowledge of this great saint and apostle of the Gospel.

As we now prepare to celebrate the feast of our beloved patroness on July 22, we would like to invite you to join the novena in her honor. Click here to begin it. We also invite you to be with us in spiritual communion during Rabbuní Magdala 2026, taking place July 19–26 in Kraków. To that end, we will try to broadcast the main events, testimonies, and talks each day, so that you may live this moment of grace from your own homes, united in faith, prayer, and the love God gives us.

We shall see what comes from these days, because we feel that the Holy Spirit is in haste to enkindle many hearts and to renew that "leaven" which we are called to be in this world: above all, a leaven of hope and Christian courage, as the Cardinals recently gathered in Rome around the Successor of Peter reminded us.

We ask for your prayers, as always. For peace. Let us pray for our beloved Church at this time, as she suffers the pain of the schism with the Lefebvrians. Let us pray for each and every one of us who will be making the pilgrimage to Kraków. Let us pray for all the members of the Magdala Family. Let us continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Venezuela, who are still suffering the trauma of the earthquake that deeply struck their lives and their country. Let us pray for all the intentions that arrive at Magdala, as a Family, especially through the prayer of intercession.

I cannot close without offering a very heartfelt "thank you" to all of you who continue to support us with such affection and generosity. May God bless and multiply your generosity in this life and in eternity.

Fraternally,
Fr. Juan María Solana, L.C. and the Magdala team