The feast of Saint Mary Magdalene falls on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. It is a Feast, which means it ranks above a Memorial and just below a Solemnity in the Catholic liturgical calendar. That ranking tells you something important before you even read her story: the Church considers this woman significant.

And she is. But not always for the reasons people assume.

What the Church Actually Teaches About Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene has been surrounded by centuries of confusion, conflation, and legend. The Catholic Church has clarified its position clearly. Mary Magdalene is the woman mentioned by name in all four Gospels as a witness to the crucifixion and the resurrection. She is not the unnamed sinful woman who anointed Jesus's feet in Luke 7. She is not Mary of Bethany. She is not a former prostitute, despite what popular culture has long assumed.

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Church in 2016 elevated Mary Magdalene's observance from a Memorial to a Feast specifically to honor her as "the Apostle to the Apostles," a title given to her by Pope Francis because she was the first to announce the Resurrection. She was the one Jesus appeared to first on Easter morning, and she was the one he sent to tell the others.

What the Gospels do tell us clearly: Jesus cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2). She was among the women who followed him and supported his ministry. She stood at the cross when his male disciples had largely fled. She was present at his burial. And she was the first witness to the empty tomb and the first person to whom the risen Christ revealed himself.

The Apostle to the Apostles

The title the Church gives Mary Magdalene is not decorative. In John 20:17, the risen Jesus appears to her in the garden near the tomb. She initially mistakes him for the gardener. When he speaks her name, she recognizes him immediately. He then gives her a mission: "Go to my brothers and tell them."

She goes. She finds the apostles and says the most important sentence in human history: "I have seen the Lord." She does not wait to be believed. She does not qualify the announcement. She delivers the news of the Resurrection to the men who had been too frightened to stay at the cross.

According to New Advent's Catholic Encyclopedia, Eastern tradition holds that Mary Magdalene eventually traveled to Rome to proclaim the faith before the Emperor Tiberius, beginning her testimony with the gift of a red egg, which is why Orthodox Christians still exchange red eggs at Easter. She is honored in both the Eastern and Western Church as one of the most significant witnesses to the faith.

What Her Story Means for Catholic Women Today

Mary Magdalene's witness speaks to several things that feel urgent and personal for Catholic women right now.

She Was Present at the Hardest Moment

When the disciples scattered, Mary Magdalene stayed. She stood at the foot of the cross and watched. She did not have a theological explanation for what she was seeing. She did not know the Resurrection was coming. She simply refused to leave the person she loved in his worst moment.

That kind of fidelity, showing up when it is hard and staying when it costs something, is one of the most countercultural things a person can do. It is also one of the most quietly powerful. The cross that Mary Magdalene stood beneath is the same cross we wear around our necks when we put on a Vintage Crucifix Necklace. Wearing it is a small declaration of the same fidelity she showed.

She Was the First Evangelist

Jesus did not appear first to Peter or to John. He appeared to Mary Magdalene, and he entrusted the most important announcement in history to a woman who had been healed of seven demons. That is a remarkable choice, and it says something the Church has always understood: the proclamation of the gospel is not reserved for the impressive, the credentialed, or the conventionally qualified. It belongs to the ones who stayed, who showed up, and who were willing to say what they had seen.

Catholic women who share their faith in a world that does not always welcome it are doing something in the spirit of Mary Magdalene. They are saying what they have seen. That is the oldest and most essential form of evangelization there is.

She Was Loved Specifically

Jesus spoke her name. In the garden on Easter morning, she recognized him the moment he said "Mary." Not "woman." Her name. The risen Christ, at the moment of his most triumphant revelation, called a specific woman by her specific name, and that specificity matters enormously. You are not loved in the abstract by a God who is generally well-disposed toward humanity. You are loved by name, in your particularity, in the specific details of who you are.

Honoring Mary Magdalene's Feast on July 22

Here are a few ways to mark her feast meaningfully on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

Attend Mass

The Gospel reading for the feast of Mary Magdalene is John 20:1-2, 11-18, the account of the resurrection appearance in the garden. It is one of the most personal and tender passages in all of Scripture. Hearing it proclaimed at Mass on her feast day is a gift worth making time for.

Read the Resurrection Account

Spend a few minutes on July 22 with John 20:11-18. Read it slowly. Notice what Jesus does: he calls her by name. Notice what she does: she goes and she tells. Let that pattern of being known and then sent speak to whatever you are carrying into your own day.

Wear the Cross She Stood Beneath

Our Vintage Crucifix Necklace is the piece that honors Mary Magdalene most directly. She stood at the foot of what it represents. Wearing it on her feast day is a small act of solidarity with her witness and a reminder that the cross is not the end of the story, only the turning point.

Layer it with our Eucharist Necklace for a combination that holds the full arc of her witness: the cross and the empty tomb, the sacrifice and the living presence she was the first to announce. For more on layering faith pieces meaningfully, read our blog How to Layer Catholic Necklaces and What Each One Means.

Check New Arrivals

We regularly add new Catholic-inspired pieces to our collection. Our new arrivals are always worth exploring around feast days, as we design with the liturgical calendar in mind.

Common Questions About St. Mary Magdalene

Was Mary Magdalene a sinner or a prostitute?

The identification of Mary Magdalene with the unnamed sinful woman in Luke 7 was made by Pope Gregory I in a sermon in 591 AD and became widespread in Western Christianity. However, the Catholic Church officially clarified in 1969 that Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the sinful woman of Luke 7 are three distinct people. There is no scriptural evidence that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. What the Gospels tell us is that Jesus cast seven demons out of her, which the Church understands as a healing, not a moral condemnation.

Why did Jesus appear to Mary Magdalene first?

The Gospels do not provide an explicit explanation for why Jesus chose to appear first to Mary Magdalene. Theologians have offered various reflections over the centuries. What the text shows is that she was the one who came to the tomb first, who stayed when the male disciples left, and who was therefore present when Jesus appeared. Her fidelity placed her at the right place. Her love kept her there. The appearance to her first is consistent with Jesus's consistent pattern of seeing and honoring those the world overlooked.

Is Mary Magdalene a patron saint of anything?

St. Mary Magdalene is the patron saint of women, of repentant sinners, of contemplatives, of hairdressers (because of the anointing with perfumed oil traditionally associated with her), and of the Apostolic penitents. She is also increasingly recognized as a patron of those who bear false testimony, given how consistently she has been misrepresented throughout Christian history. According to Britannica, she has been venerated since the earliest centuries of the Church and her cult spread rapidly throughout the medieval period.

Related Reading

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Final Thoughts

Mary Magdalene stayed when it was hard. She showed up at the tomb when hope seemed finished. She heard her name spoken by someone she thought was dead, and she went and told the world what she had seen.

Her feast on July 22 is an invitation to ask ourselves where we need her courage. Where is the cross we have been standing near without the full conviction that resurrection follows? Where is the news we have been holding quietly that someone else needs to hear?

Wear your cross on her feast day. Go to Mass. Say what you have seen.

Shop the full Darling & Divine collection and find the piece that carries her witness forward.