A devoted follower of Jesus present at the crucifixion and the first witness to his resurrection, honored by the Church as “apostle to the apostles.”

Saint Mary Magdalene appears throughout the Gospels as one of the women who followed and supported Jesus during his ministry, was present at his crucifixion when most of the male disciples had fled, and was the first person to encounter the risen Christ on Easter morning, whom he then commissioned to announce the resurrection to the other apostles. Later tradition, especially in the West, associates her with Provence, France, where she is said to have died.

Quick Facts

• Died: 1st century, Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, France (by later Western tradition)
• Feast Day: July 22
• Venerated as: Disciple of Jesus; “Apostle to the Apostles”

Who Was Saint Mary Magdalene?

Mary Magdalene was one of the women who traveled with Jesus and the Twelve, supporting the group’s ministry, and the Gospels consistently place her among the small group of women who remained at the foot of the cross during the crucifixion, when nearly all the male disciples had scattered. In the Gospel of John, she is the first person to see the risen Christ, who instructs her to go and tell the other disciples, a mission that has earned her the ancient title “apostle to the apostles.”

Historical Setting

First-century Judea saw Jesus’s ministry supported by a number of women of independent means and initiative, a notable feature of the Gospel narratives given the social conventions of the time; later Western medieval tradition, less securely rooted in the New Testament itself, developed an extensive legend placing Mary Magdalene’s later life and death in Provence, in southern France.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Mary Magdalene

The Church remembers Mary Magdalene above all for her presence at the two most decisive moments of the Gospel: the crucifixion, where she did not abandon Jesus even in his darkest hour, and the resurrection, where she became the first herald of the central proclamation of the Christian faith, that Christ is risen.

Canonization and Feast Day

As a New Testament figure, Mary Magdalene’s veneration predates the formal processes of beatification and canonization, resting on the Gospel record and continuous devotion since the earliest Church. In 2016, Pope Francis raised her July 22 liturgical celebration to the rank of feast, emphasizing her apostolic role.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Mary Magdalene’s steadfastness at the cross, when fear had scattered so many others, and her joyful obedience in carrying the news of the resurrection, model both faithful presence in suffering and courageous witness once grace has broken through; she shows that the first to proclaim the resurrection was not a bishop or an apostle by office but a woman whose love kept her close to Christ when it mattered most.

A Prayer to Saint Mary Magdalene

Saint Mary Magdalene, first witness of the risen Lord, you did not leave Jesus even at the foot of the cross, and you ran to share the joy of the resurrection. Help us to remain close to Christ in our own sorrows, and to proclaim his victory with your same courage and joy. Amen.

Sources

• John 20:1-18; Luke 8:1-3
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
• Vatican.va (2016 decree raising her celebration to a feast)
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints