The Boat Chapel on the Sea of Galilee

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Continuing our posts on the Duc In Altum spiritual center at Magdala, here is the scene that greeted our large Jewish group when we entered the atrium.
Beyond the baptismal font and behind the glass doors--the unique Boat Chapel.

Mass was in progress so we did not go in.

But still, I could see the priest with his hands over the chalice.
We could see the outline of the boat-shaped altar, as if floating on the blue waters of the Sea of Galilee right behind it.

The 12 apostles on the sides.
And icons of Mary and of Jesus as Pantocrator in the front.

The square box to the right of the boat's cross (or mast and sail) is the tabernacle (where the Blessed Sacrament is kept).
Pope Francis blessed it during his visit to Israel in late May 2014.
Duc In Altum was dedicated in 2014.
On the left of the photo is Mexican priest Father Juan Solana, the driving force behind the whole conception and construction of the Magdala Center, which began in 2006 when he found and purchased these 20 acres of shoreline property for 16 million dollars.

The glossy brochure shows the Boat Chapel from the outside looking in.
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If you are still with me, here is a bonus, some really interesting points from the brochure:

• "Materials, colors and designs ... were carefully selected to create the sensation of a journey by boat."
• "The ... altar was crafted from a Lebanese cedar tree."
• "It is modeled after the 1st century goat discovered down the road from Magdala at Nof Ginosar ..."  [what Israelis call "the Jesus boat," I might add]. 
• "A relic of Mary Magdalene [brought from France] is imbedded in the top of the altar."
• "Notice the [apostles'] halos are lightly painted to reflect the ongoing journey they are on as they accompany Jesus. During his public life, their faith in Jesus as the Son of God often faltered and was, as well, strengthened through trials."
• The image of Judas Iscariot, holding the money bag, appears to be a contradiction among the icons. No halo is painted around his head.  Nonetheless, he is included among the first 12 apostles who were called to follow Jesus .... We can look upon him as a reminder of the frailty of human nature as well as the call to repentance .... It stands also as a reminder of God's unfailing plan amidst the frailty of human freedom." 

So, dear readers, I think we can feel how some very dedicated Roman Catholics have invested much time, thought, prayer, and money in their vision of building, and also writing about, Duc In Altum.

(More in the coming posts.)
UPDATE April 12: Good pictures of the Boat Chapel during Mass for Mary Magdalene's feast day:
https://www.lpj.org/saint-mary-magdalene-magdala/

(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday and Our World Tuesday.)
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Sprucing up for the holidays

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A friend and I walked down to the Kidron Valley and up to the Mount of Olives this morning.
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One stop was the Russian Orthodox Convent and Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
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On the rails and benches outside the church, rugs were hanging, just waiting for a good beating.
And an airing-out.
A mop stood at attention.
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And I thought only we Jews were frantically trying to get the houses and yards clean before Pesach. It looks like Christians too are busy with pre-Holy Week spring cleaning.
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A Russian Orthodox nun was carefully re-painting a tiny white spot where the paint had chipped off the wall.
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Such devotion to details and to cleanliness.
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Mary Magdalene

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Mary Magdalene's feast day today, and many Christians in Israel are in church.

The first Jerusalem church that comes to mind is, of course, the landmark Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives.
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From their website:
"Today, the church is the place of daily worship for the women’s convent of St. Mary Magdalene, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. The sisterhood was established in 1936 by Mother Mary (Robinson), an English convert to Orthodoxy. The convent is a thriving community of 30 nuns from all over the world: Russians, Americans, Australians, Arabs, Serbs and Romanians."
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I was surprised to encounter native-English-speaking nuns when I browsed their gift shop. For more about that, please see my post from last July.

This is a Catholic friend and neighbor who was ecstatic to receive this 1787 engraving.
The German below it says (if I understand well) that it is after the original artwork by Cavalieri Celesti that was or is in the St. Johann Nepomuk church in München.

But enlarge the photo!
Is it not a highly unusual depiction of the story in Luke 7:36-50?!
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Mary Magdalene, her feast-day and church

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Mary Magdalene's feast day is celebrated tonight and tomorrow by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Anglicans. No question, she is one of the New Testament's most important and interesting women. 

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene graces the slopes of Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. 

It was built by Czar Alexander III and was inaugurated in 1888. Seven gilded cupolas stand atop a monumental Muscovite-style body. 

The iconostasis is a work of art. The prayer hall has wondrous icons, relics, art, two sarcophagi, history, -- and special people too. 

Several native-English-speaker nuns man the gift shop and are helpful and friendly. They offer religious objects and books and CDs of their own singing (I bought the Russian Christmas carols and a CD of liturgy).

If you enlarge this last photo you can see how the tall gilded Russian Orthodox crosses are tied down. I always like to imagine this is to keep them on earth and to curb their natural desire to take off into heaven.

My pastor friend in Arkansas, preaching a sermon on Christ the King Sunday, revealed to us that the onion-shaped domes like these on the Church of St. Mary Magdalene are like crowns, meant to remind Christians of the Kingdom and of the kingship.