Feast: July 22
Titles: Penitent, Apostle to the Apostles, Companion of Christ, Myrrh-Bearer
Patroness of: Penitent sinners, contemplatives, converts, women, perfumers, hairdressers
Life and Conversion
Mary Magdalene was a native of Magdala, a town on the western shore of Lake Gennesaret, from which she derives her surname. The Gospels tell us she was possessed by seven demons, from which she was delivered by Our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9). According to traditional interpretation—particularly held in the Latin Church and attested by many Church Fathers—Mary Magdalene is identified with the sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus with costly ointment in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50), as well as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.
This understanding was consolidated in the teaching of Pope St. Gregory the Great, who emphasized the unity of these three figures in the person of Mary Magdalene: the repentant sinner, the sister of Lazarus, and the faithful disciple of Christ. Her dramatic conversion is remembered as one of the greatest examples of penitence and divine mercy, and her love for Christ was unmatched, leading her to remain with Him even at the foot of the Cross when others fled.
Faithful Disciple and Witness to the Resurrection
Mary Magdalene followed Christ during His public ministry, ministering to Him out of her own means (Luke 8:3). She stood at Calvary with the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John (John 19:25), a witness to His crucifixion and death. Her love drove her to seek the Lord in death as she had in life: she was one of the myrrh-bearing women who went to anoint Christ’s body early on the morning of the Resurrection (Mark 16:1).
To her was granted a singular privilege: she was the first to see the Risen Lord (John 20:11–18) and was sent by Christ to announce the Resurrection to the Apostles. For this reason, she has been honored from ancient times as the “Apostle to the Apostles” (apostola apostolorum), not by any preaching office, but by her privileged witness and faithful love.
Later Life and Apostolic Mission
According to early and consistent Western tradition, after the Ascension, Mary Magdalene, with Martha and Lazarus and others, was expelled from Palestine during the persecutions. Set adrift at sea, they landed in Provence (southern Gaul). There she labored in evangelization. Mary Magdalene eventually retired to a life of penance and contemplation in a cave called La Sainte-Baume, where she spent the remaining years of her life in prayer, solitude, and mystical union with God.
She is said to have been miraculously transported to the heavenly liturgy daily by angels. After many years, she died in the peace of Christ and was buried at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where her relics were venerated for centuries.
Legacy and Veneration
The devotion to Saint Mary Magdalene has flourished throughout Christian history. In the West, especially in France, she has been venerated as the model of perfect repentance, a contemplative soul utterly devoted to Christ. The Dominicans, particularly in Provence, have long promoted her cult, and she appears frequently in medieval art with her symbol—the alabaster jar of ointment.
The Traditional Latin Mass honors her with a Double Feast of the Second Class, and her Collect celebrates her love and penance:
Collect (Traditional Latin Mass, July 22):
“O God, Whose only-begotten Son vouchsafed to be born of a pure Virgin, and to suffer the cross for our salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that we, who venerate this festival of the blessed Mary Magdalene, by her intercession may obtain from Thee everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Spiritual Significance
Saint Mary Magdalene is a radiant symbol of:
- Penitence and hope – showing that no sin is beyond the mercy of Christ.
- Contemplative love – a soul who clung to Christ with deep affection.
- Fidelity in suffering – she stood at the Cross and sought Him in the tomb.
- Evangelical witness – boldly proclaiming the Resurrection.
She is particularly recommended to sinners seeking conversion, those pursuing a deeper interior life, and those struggling with attachment to the world, for she turned her life from one of sensual pleasure to spiritual fervor.