The Rehabilitation of Apostle to the Apostles, Mary Magdalene
Participants in our social media dialogue have properly been challenging the assumption that apostleship belongs solely to the group of twelve men named in Scripture. This view has been shaped by 2,000 years of male-dominated selection, proclamation, and interpretation of texts. Modern scholarship that now includes centring of women’s experiences is illuminating that there were women Apostles. Mary Magdalene is one of them. Her vital role in the early Church and her identity as an Apostle has been the work of recent recovery that has had support from the Vatican.
Key Historical Facts
* Early Church tensions pit communities honouring her authority against those insisting that Peter's leadership be elevated.
* The 4th-century rise of Christianity under Emperor Constantine shifts the Church from Jesus’, St. Paul’s, and early communities’ inclusivity toward Roman patriarchal norms. Women are shut out.
* 591 AD: Pope Gregory I conflates Mary Magdalene with the ‘sinful woman’ of Luke and Mary of Bethany, distorting for centuries Mary M's legacy as one of Christ’s most faithful followers.
Road to Rehabilitation
* 1969: Pope Paul VI revises the Roman Calendar clarifying Mary M was not a prostitute. He includes commemoration of her in the list of annual Memorials. That this was done without fanfare means the 'repentant sinner' image has continued to linger both in culture and Catholic consciousness.
* 1988: Pope John Paul II refers to Mary M as 'Apostle to the Apostles' in Mulieris Dignitatem (n. 16). He recognizes her as the first to be commissioned by the risen Christ to proclaim Good News of the Resurrection.
* 2016: Pope Francis elevates her liturgical memorial to the dignity of a Feast Day to be celebrated universally on 22 July 22 throughout the Church. He affirms her as Apostle to the Apostles, the first to be commissioned by Christ to announce the Good News of the Resurrection, and a vital early Church leader. Unfortunately, readings associated with her Feast Day are not part of the Sunday Lectionary. The Feast Day usually occurs on a weekday. This timing limits exposure of ordinary Catholics to learning the truth of her story.
The advocacy of our friends at FutureChurch has been pivotal in this restoration. The Church continues to be in need of remedial work to correct the historic wrong. (See here for more about their work on this.)
The Eastern Church has always referred to Mary Magdalene as Apostle to the Apostles.
-Therese Koturbash, BA, LLB, GDCL
WOW Communications
22 January 2026
