For the first time ever, relics of Saint Mary Magdalene are being brought to the United States, and not a moment too soon. They are in the care of the Dominicans of a French province, who themselves honoured the conversion of the penitent woman:
The saint's relics are kept in the Grotto of St. Mary Magdalene, known as La Sainte Baume, where tradition has it that Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life. The relic--a piece of the tibia, or shinbone--is accompanied by a letter of authentication signed by the local bishop.
The cult of Mary Magdalene began to rise to prominence in the 11th century, and began flourishing in particular in the Dominican Order. 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.
Charles II of Anjou, King of Naples, had founded the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene in the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume and strongly promoted the cult of the saint. Pope Boniface VIII put the basilica under the jurisdiction of the Dominican Order. In 1297, relics believed to be those of Mary Magdalene were discovered in the town's Church of St. Maximin.
That year the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene was first celebrated throughout the Order. It was thus that Mary Magdalene became a patroness of the Order alongside the Virgin Mary. The Dominicans honor her as the "Apostle to the Apostles" by virtue of her mission to announce the news of the Resurrection to Christ's disciples-a mission the Friars compare to their own.
This will be discussed on EWTN on Oct 27th -- details here. Let us hope that her profound purity and love of Christ will be a means of grace for our continent, which is so confused about God's gift of human sexuality.
Thanks for participating in Sunday Snipppets--A Catholic carnival. This week's posts can be found here http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2009/10/sunday-snippets-catholic-carnival_24.html
Posted by: RAnn | Sunday, 25 October 2009 at 05:40 PM