Thank you. I found this site earlier today and was "put off" by the following:
"...In the 13th century, the Church set great store by the conversion of prostitutes, the most devout of whom where incorporated into communities of penitents by the bishops. These communities, which were given a Dominican constitution, took St. Mary Magdalene as their patron, as the saint herself was believed to have belonged to their ranks."
For many years the Catholic Church taught, (whether oficially or not is not relevant) in error, that Mary Magdalene was a reformed prostitute. Even the linking of Mary Magdalene to prostitution is disturbing to me.
scroll down for more sketchiness.
Thanks again. I particularly appreciated the Dominican/Mary Nagdalene reference.
If I find anything more discursive and complete I will let you know.
(Fr.Bruno Shah whose posts there are is a great guy. He did a summer at our Parish and is now on the staff at Easter Province (St. Joseph) headquarters at St. Vincent Ferrer's Church on, I think 63rd and Lex in Manhattan. It's a beautiful Gothic revival church, AND in one of the chancel windows you will see Aristotle ... with a HALO! Cracks me up.)
Back in 2003 my Surge Protector took a direct hit from a lightning bolt. The Surge Protector, the computer, and my backup disk attached to the "protector" were all fried. My "library" of information on Mary Magdalene was lost. In spite of my good intentions I have not built my data up again.
I did find a 2003 post which touched on the subject.
"To: XXXXXXXXXXX
A question: mrs. xxxx and I have been having a similar conversation and we both were wondering why Jesus chose Mary of Magdala to appear to first after his resurrection. Got any comments on that?"
(OLD REGGIE) Before my computer was done in by lightning I had done some research on Mary Magdalene. Of course it all went up in smoke. It seemed to me she had a very powerful relationship with Jesus and I wondered if we were getting the full, true story. I had intended to spring that story into our discussions when the time was appropriate.
I will have to go back over that ground and build up my "Mary Magdalene" database one more time. Suffice it to say, I believe she was much more important in the early Church than we can glean from Scripture or Church History.
In the meanwhile a Google search on "Mary Magdalene" "Apostle To The Apostles" will yield much information.
60,692 posted on 07/22/2003 3:44 PM EDT by OLD REGGIE
((I am a cult of one! UNITARJEWMIAN))
Obviously, at the time I had sympathies with the Unitarians, the Jews, and the Ariminians. (I still do, but Unitarian is easier to say.) :-)
Whatebver the truth of the Magdalene's life was, I think that as prosperity increased and economic inequity persisted, there must have been a lot of young women who were prostitutes. So whether the hagiography was on the beam or not, I think it was a good thing that it was possible for them to have a place where they could be fed and housed and spend their time in better ways than fornication for hire.
The first "house" that Dominic established was for "second order" (women, contemplatives, cloistered) sisters who were, the story goes, recovered fro Albigensiansism.
I think we forget that in the times, the "religious life" was likely to be a lot healthier, pleasant, and more moral than what was possible otherwise for unmarried women of modest means.
I think the point for Dominicans is, first, preaching in general, and second, in being prepared to hear the good news from unexpected quarters. I'm guessing more of us will be more superficial than you are when it comes to MM.
Anyway the legend gives us a key to the iconography since MM was thought to have red hair ....