My Dear Magdala Family,  

After our arduous journey of Exodus, we finally come to Easter, or, as the catechism used to say, ‘Pascua Florida’ (Feast of the Flowers).

Happy Easter to every one of you and your family and friends!

Circumstances and time tend to surprise us. Sometimes when we think that more intense periods could not arrive, they do. Allow me to review with you a few of our last weeks in Magdala: 

1. Our 2023 Lenten Virtual Pilgrimage ended. I will not go in depth into it as many of you may have followed it. I appreciate your comments, participation, prayers, and all your support. It has been an unforgettable experience of faith, encounters with God through the Holy Scripture, the Doctrine of the Church, and our great virtual community growing through social media. Thank you, Magdala Family. May this Exodus experience keep moving us to walk together, seeking to love God above all things and our fellow brothers and sisters as ourselves. This is the Law and that of the Prophets!    
2. The weeks of February and March have been filled with many pilgrims coming to the Holy Land. We have had up to 3000 pilgrims in Magdala on a day: some are hotel guests, others are visitors, some come just for lunch or dinner; and some arrive to pray by themselves, meditate, or contemplate.  
   Each one of us in Magdala, staff, employees, volunteers, priests, and consecrated women are delighted to serve and grateful for the presence of so many pilgrims. Furthermore, as we have many local guests, our motto of “Crossroads of Jewish and Christian history” is lived out daily in enriching and interesting ways.
   
3. From 31 March to 4 April, we had the grace to receive our Superior General, Fr. John Connor, L.C., accompanied by some priests who work with him in the government and General Administration of the Legion of Christ. Thank you, Fr. John, for your closeness! Having moments of friendly brotherhood, community, and solemn prayers has been fantastic, as well as time for work and meetings. We had the opportunity to present how the Magdala project has been carried out through the years and the strategic plan that we will develop with God’s help in the upcoming years. We continue to develop our work with our vision to grow and continue our pastoral plan with the year 2033 as a significant goal of our faith: the two thousandth anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, we will have many other events, programs, and activities to watch for.  
4. At the end of March, from 30 March to 1 April, we also hosted the 9th International Women’s Encounter, with numerous guests, speakers, ministers, etc., participating in this growing and exciting event to promote the dignity of women and to help them discover the beauty of their being, their vocation, and mission in the world and the Church. We invite you to watch these special conferences on our Youtube Channel. Thanks to Kathleen Nichols, the whole team, and the special guests for all the work.  
5. Finally, our climax event. It has been a great blessing to solemnly celebrate Holy Week in Magdala and share it with all of you. This year and due to the renewal of our alliance with God, many of you have been asked for the text which priests silently say before communion. I must say this is truly special, and my heart is always overwhelmed as we say, “Keep me always faithful to your commandments and never let me be parted from you.” 
6. As I write these lines, we are starting the fundraising campaign for a suitable house for our Magdala volunteers. I would be incredibly grateful if you could help us generously. Volunteers in Magdala are essential to carrying out our service and accompaniment of pilgrims, and for 30 people on average, we need a more extensive and suitable house. I was inspired by the “Teleton” (Telethon) made in some countries to start this campaign. We trust each and every one of you to support us in achieving this. Click here to collaborate with this cause. We will keep you informed.  
    

May the Risen Jesus Christ fill our hearts with joy. We bless you from Magdala. Thank you, Magdala Family!  

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