Italian and a consecrated woman for 29 years, Alessandra Soldati has been in the Holy Land since December 2004, arriving with the first group of consecrated women assigned to this place. She spent 12 years in Jerusalem and has been in Magdala for five, where for the last two she has been in charge of the Duc in Altum shrine , in addition to occasionally accompanying groups of pilgrims. In the Holy Land, Regnum Christi, through its consecrated women and Legionaries of Christ, maintains a quiet but very concrete service to the Church: a chapel “of welcome and dialogue” where “the altar is not consecrated” so that different Christian denominations can pray and celebrate there. “We pray for peace, for reconciliation, and for unity,” she explains, convinced that the intention is the same: “That Christ may reign and that his Kingdom of love may translate into peace, communion, and hope.”
What is life like for a consecrated woman in a holy place like Magdala? What is your daily routine like?
I am now in Magdala, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Four consecrated women from a community of seven live here (three live in Jerusalem). In Magdala, we dedicate ourselves to welcoming pilgrims to the archaeological site and the Duc In Altum shrine , supporting visiting volunteers and clergy, cooperating with Magdala Media, which produces programs explaining the Holy Land, organizing the Women’s Encounter, and guiding pilgrim groups. Until October 2023, we received many pilgrims; with the start of the war, visits decreased significantly, although small local groups who can travel within the country have continued to come.
An important part of our apostolate is welcoming and accompanying those who arrive: explaining the place and helping them experience it deeply. Magdala has a first-century synagogue and invaluable ancient ritual baths, which also interest many Jews living in Israel. Furthermore, the Duc in Altum sanctuary—meaning “put out into the deep”—is particularly impressive: its boat-shaped altar, with the water in the background, helps one enter into prayer.
Specifically, my mission is to keep the sanctuary ready and attend to the requests of the various groups: organizing celebrations, welcoming priests who come to celebrate Mass, taking care of the liturgical details, and also coordinating other activities such as concerts. It’s a team effort with the Legionaries and the volunteers from Magdala, and it feels like an adventure of being available, because sometimes everything is scheduled… and other times someone arrives unexpectedly and I have to be there to welcome them.
What does a holy place have to do with the mission of Regnum Christi and its charism?
To be in the Holy Land, in the holy places, is to be at the heart of the Gospel. Those who make pilgrimages here, in a way, walk within the Gospel; and those of us who live here have the grace of being in the places where the Lord walked.
For Regnum Christi, which has Christ and the Gospel at its center, living in the Holy Land is a very concrete way of living the charism from within: to be immersed in Jesus, to put him at the center of life and, from there, to transmit it and help others to do so.
Furthermore, this experience allows you to understand the Gospel more deeply, including very human details that the text doesn’t always explicitly state: the distances between places, the weather, fatigue, the cold or the heat. For example, on the night of Holy Thursday, the Gospel mentions that “they were warming themselves by the fire”: and here you understand better why, because it really was cold. All of this places you, in a very real way, at the heart of the Gospel.
In these days of the Octave, what is it about this Chapel of Encounter that makes it a particularly fitting place to pray for Christian unity?
The Chapel of Encounter in Magdala is a particularly fitting place to pray for unity because its very architecture is designed as a space of welcome and dialogue. It is shaped like a synagogue and, at the same time, has an altar at its center. And this detail is key: the altar is not consecrated, precisely so that different Christian denominations can gather here to pray and celebrate, each according to its own tradition. In practice, we have hosted Catholic Mass and adoration, but also Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Evangelical celebrations, and an Orthodox liturgy would also be possible. Even some Jewish people have visited the chapel, drawn by the place and the atmosphere of recollection it creates.
In its very architecture, the Chapel of the Encounter is designed as a space for welcome and dialogue.
Furthermore, this chapel not only facilitates ecumenism through its use, but also spiritually suggests it through what it represents. The space is dominated by the image called “The Encounter,” inspired by the passage of the woman with the hemorrhage who, in faith, touches the hem of Jesus’ garment. The painting depicts that humble and courageous gesture: a fragile hand reaching out to Christ seeking life, and the Lord responding with mercy. For me, it is a very eloquent image of what we ask for during the Octave: that the Lord heal wounds, close divides, purify our perspectives, and restore our confidence so that we may meet again.
And there is a beautiful detail: in the Gospel, this healing encounter happens “on the way,” in the midst of life, and opens the way to even more life. Here too, in the Chapel of Encounter, many people arrive with their own wounds—personal, familial, social—and pray for peace, for reconciliation, and for Christian unity. In the end, beyond our differences, all Christians share a profound desire: that Christ may reign—in hearts and in the world—and that his Kingdom of love may translate into peace, communion, and hope for all.
When welcoming pilgrims of different faiths, what specific gestures do you see that most help unity: listening, prayerful silence, reading the Word, a common intention…?
I believe what unites us most is our shared intention. It’s not just about having many “religious” gatherings, but about praying together for the same thing. In fact, in Magdala we’ve held the Women’s Encounter for several years , where women of different faiths have come together: Muslim, Jewish, and Christian—Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.
These experiences clearly show that when we share the same intention, a real bond is created: praying for unity, for peace, and for healing. Ultimately, this prayer for a shared intention is a profound point of encounter, because it places us all before God with the same desire in our hearts.
Do you remember any ecumenical experience you had here that moved you or made you think, “This is what the Lord was asking for at the Last Supper”?
One experience is that, in addition to being in Duc in altum , I also have to take care of the liturgy: that everything is ready and prepared, and in Holy Week I organize the celebrations with the help of the volunteers, for example, the monument of the Garden of Gethsemane and other details.
And in that context, we experience a beautiful sign of unity: every Tuesday we have adoration in the Chapel of Encounter. We place the Blessed Sacrament there because adoration is a Catholic prayer, and most of us are Catholic, but some Protestant volunteers also participate. Specifically, there’s a young Protestant man who plays the violin, and for him, that music is a way to praise the Lord. He does it with great respect, and we also show him great respect. We’ve been doing this for several months now: adoration with music and praise, where a very real unity is felt in what is essential: the praise of God.
