Over 350 Magdala Celebrations Inspire, Delight

Leadership and Witness of Catholic Women , Da Vinci Code, Highlighted

Vatican officials skeptical of feminism might learn something from the thousands of Catholic women and men who organized and attended St. Mary of Magdala celebrations in July.

“May Mary of Magdala be our model of courage,” declared Eileen McCann from the altar of St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church in Wycoff, NJ. “By her example, may we delight in the presence of Jesus.” McCann’s homily was quoted in a full-page story in the Bergen Record. FutureChurch/CTA Women in Church Leadership (WICL) “anchor,” Mary Ann McCarthy organized the celebration.

St. Mary Magdalene parish in Corona, CA celebrated with a nine day “novena.” Parishioners were invited to a bilingual prayer service, a communion service, a reconciliation service and programs on women in scripture, Jesus and women and justice for all. The nine-day event also served to welcome their new pastor.

“Our St. Mary of Magdala celebration was truly beautiful. It was a first for our parish- well attended and received - with requests from many women for more of the same,” wrote a Massachusetts parishioner. A Georgia priest writes: “I told the truth about Mary of Magdala and what has happened to women in ministry over the years.”

Over 350 celebrations (the most ever) attracted an estimated 40,000 people seeking to honor this “Apostle to the Apostles” and find a loving, creative way of honoring Catholic women leaders even though the Vatican can’t quite recognize them yet.

With colorful banners, original music, inspired preaching, choral readings, ingenious costuming, liturgical dancing and theatrical presentations, committed lay and ordained Catholics celebrated the woman who has become an icon for women’s full ministerial equality in the Catholic Church. Biblical scholars discussed Mary’s real identity as the Apostle to the Apostles. Academics addressed the importance of the divine feminine even while they acknowledged that, The DaVinci Code is largely fictional.

For the first time, many more celebrations were held in parishes with the support and encouragement of the pastor. Small faith communities, Newman centers, convents, Catholic schools, private homes and Protestant churches also held services. Several retreat and prayer programs were also held during Lent and Holy Week.

FutureChurch members and Call to Action chapters led the way with over eighteen regional groups and seventeen WICL “anchors” organizing area wide celebrations.

CTA Northwest Ohio and CTA New Mexico hosted ecumenical services. Heart of America’s Janelle Lazzo was quoted in an excellent feature article advocating for women and married priests. CTA Iowa’s celebration at St. Cecilia’s parish had Mary of Magdala tell her story followed by other great woman witnesses of the church. CTA Michigan’s Mary Magdalene Bodacious Woman and Weaver brought forth “supposed demons of doubt, despair, discouragement, defeat, depression, debilitating weariness and disbelief” to be woven into wellness.

Lalor Cadley organized the fifth annual celebration in Atlanta, GA where Sr. Jose Hobday OSF was the featured presenter. CTA New Hampshire sponsored a creative celebration of WomenWitnesses such as Prisca, “Anna, a beguine,” Teresa of Avila and Dorothy Day.

Cleveland FutureChurch welcomed an overflow crowd of over 250 to hear Dr. Joseph Kelly’s popular presentation on The DaVinci Code, What is Fact, What is Fiction? Kelly, a specialist in church history and Chair of the Religious Studies Department at John Carroll University, also convulsed the crowd with many witty asides.

FutureChurch’s Sr. Chris Schenk gave presentations and homilies in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Sedona, Arizona. In Cincinnati, WICL “anchor” Sr. Louise Akers, SC was interviewed by the local PBS radio station after organizing over 20 cosponsors (including Cincinnati’s Friends of CTA) for a large celebration in a local parish. In Sedona, AZ, WICL “anchor” Barbara Littrel, organized a workshop which drew over 175 people from all over the state. They heard Schenk discuss Mary of Magdala and Women’s Leadership in the Church and United Church of Christ minister, Rev Matthew Baugh dissect The DaVinci Code. A popular resource in Cincinnati, Sedona and several other venues was a lovely choral reading adapted from Edwina Gately’s book Soul Sisters.

Other WICL “anchors” were also busy. Arlie Ketchum SC helped organize a large celebration of over 140 to hear Sr. Teresa Kane speak at the motherhouse of the New York Sisters of Charity. Gloria Ulterino spoke about Mary of Magdala: Weaving a Church, Then and Now. in Annapolis and Hartford. Nancy Stephani (CTA NW Ohio), Sallie Stearns (CTA New Hampshire, Sarah Wellinger (CTA Pittsburgh), Patty Hawk (CTA Nebraska) and Mary Phillips (CTA New Mexico) also organized well received programs.

The FutureChurch/CTA Celebrating WomenWitnesses resources were widely used in programs such as those at St. Peter’s parish in Eagle River, Wi; CTA Iowa in Ames; and Portland, Maine. Portland’s parish celebration, organized by members of Pax Christi, Maine, used specially designed banners, adding a new one for “poor Haitian women.”

Many other justice and reform minded Church organizations sponsored events including the Topeka JustFaith group, at least eight Dignity chapters from all over the U.S. and the Women’s Ordination Chapter in Red Wing, Minn. The Commission for Women in Church and Society in the Diocese of Buffalo honored local women leaders with a Celebration of Women in Honor of St. Mary of Magdala.

Religious sisters were hugely instrumental in making the celebrations a success. In Davenport, the Sisters of Humility chapel hosted a narrative concert about women’s spirituality with original music and art by Alexandra Olenka Gadzik. Wheaton and Oldenberg Francisicans, Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of Charity and the Dominicans also sponsored celebrations in parishes, schools and convents.

International Celebrations Fourteen international celebrations were held including seven in Canada, two in Australia, two in England, and one each in South Africa, Ireland and Trinidad/Tobago. A leader from Canada’s Catholic Network for Women’s Equality wrote that she hopes to use the prayer services ecumenically to help plan for the Women’s Ordination Worldwide event to be held in Ontario in 2005.

Media Interest from the media continues unabated. CNN producer and author David Gibson filmed Atlanta’s Mary of Magdala celebration for a special on women in the bible to air in mid- December. Substantive news stories also appeared in The National Catholic Reporter, The Detroit News, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Gainesville Sun, The Mobile Register, The Deseret Morning News (Utah), The Springfield Missouri News Leader, The Bloomington
Pantograph (Ill), The Las Cruces Sun News,Church World (Portland, Mn) and Cleveland Fox 8.