Mary Magdalene, Feminist Icon?

Tomorrow Christendom observes the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. The woman from Magdala in Galilee was a financial supporter of Christ's ministry, one of the last faithful to remain at the foot of the cross, and, according to St. John, the first witness of the Resurrection. The Church Fathers honored Mary with the title “Apostle to the Apostles,” as she first announced to the disciples that their Lord had risen from the dead—what they would then announce to all nations. And yet there are some today who believe Mary's role as faithful evangelist is not enough to make her relevant to the modern female. Certain feminist voices would turn her into something else: a victim of stigmatization by a male-dominated church, and a prototype for all marginalized women who dare to work as equals among men.