Christianity's Sexiest Saint

The first witness to Jesus' resurrection was a woman, Mary of Magdala, who visited his empty tomb on Easter morning and then rushed to tell his apostles what she had witnessed. But she is commonly--though erroneously-- remembered as a reformed prostitute rather than as the faithful first bearer of the Good News.

Finally, this centuries-old case of mistaken identity is being rectified. Mary's true biblical portrait is being resurrected, and this "apostle to the apostles" is taking her rightful place in history as a beloved disciple of Jesus and a prominent early church leader.

"We're trying to right a 2,000-year-old wrong," says Christine Schenk, C.S.J., executive director of FutureChurch, a Cincinnati-based church-reform organization that launched nationwide observances of Mary Magdalene's feast day, July 22, two years ago. The idea quickly grew from a handful of celebrations to nearly 130 prayer services last year at Catholic parishes, college Newman centers, schools, retreat houses, hospital chapels, convent motherhouses, and small faith communities.

"People see this as a positive, constructive way to show they support women's equality," says Schenk, who believes that reclaiming Mary Magdalene's reputation as an early church leader will have implications for women's leadership in the church today, including the ordination of women.

Many cradle Catholics are shocked to learn that there is no biblical evidence that Mary of Magdala was a prostitute or public sinner. She is mentioned 12 times in the New Testament--making her the second most mentioned woman in the Gospels, after the Virgin Mary. Unlike most other women in the Bible, she is not identified in relation to another person; she is not anyone's mother, wife, or sister. Instead, she is simply called Mary of Magdala, a title that implies some prominence in the city of Magdala, a center of commercial fishing on the northwest bank of the Sea of Galilee. She left her home to follow Jesus, and it is believed she was among several well-off, independent women who financially supported Jesus' ministry.

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