Saint Mary Magdalene
“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him, ‘Rabboni!’ — which means Teacher.”
John 20:16Saint Mary Magdalene, the great Myrrh-Bearer and Equal of the Apostles, was born in the town of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, from the tribe of Issachar. She was healed by the Lord Jesus of seven demons — a profound deliverance that transformed her life entirely. From that moment she became one of his most devoted followers, traveling with him throughout his ministry, providing for him and the Twelve from her own means, and remaining faithful to him through his crucifixion and burial when many others had fled.
Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the Cross on Golgotha, keeping watch in grief and prayer alongside the All-Holy Mother of God. She witnessed where the Lord’s body was laid in the tomb, and she was among the first to return on the morning of the third day to anoint his body — only to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.
Apostle to the Apostles
It was to Mary Magdalene that the Risen Christ first appeared. He called her by name — “Mary!” — and in that single word she recognized her Lord. He sent her to go and tell the disciples what she had witnessed. The one who had stood faithfully at the Cross became the first herald of the Resurrection, carrying the greatest news in human history to the Eleven. For this reason the Church honors her with the singular title: Apostle to the Apostles.
“The apostles proclaimed the resurrection of Christ to the whole world. But Mary proclaimed the resurrection of Christ to the apostles themselves.”
Orthodox TraditionHer Mission and Repose
After the Ascension of the Lord, Mary Magdalene traveled to Rome, where she appeared before the Emperor Tiberius Caesar. Presenting him with a red egg, she proclaimed: “Christ is Risen!” — a proclamation and a tradition that echoes in the Paschal greeting of the Orthodox Church to this day. She then returned from Rome to Ephesus, where she assisted Saint John the Theologian in his preaching of the Gospel. She died peacefully in Ephesus, and her relics were later transferred to Constantinople. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church honors her feast on July 22, remembering a woman of courageous faith who loved Christ without reservation and bore witness to his Resurrection to the ends of the earth.