By Martha Ligas

Before the start of this fourth and final session of the Synod on Syndality, the delegates gathered for a retreat in preparation for their work ahead. During the retreat, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, reflected on Resurrection: 

“Without Mary, they would not have come to the tomb. She declares that the Lord is present.”  

There is no doubt about it: We need Mary Magdalene– her voice, her story, and her witness to Resurrection. Without Mary Magdalene, we would not have come to the tomb. Without Mary Magdalene, the story of the Resurrection isn’t complete. 

Yesterday was the FutureChurch team’s first of four full days in Rome during this opening week of the Synod. When we woke up in the morning we headed out to visit the Dicastery for Divine Worship right off of St. Peter’s Square. There are 16 different dicasteries in the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church, and each one exists to spread Catholic doctrine and to defend the Church from heresy. I can honestly say that it’s a place I never imagined I would be. 

But yesterday we had a mission– bring Mary Magdalene to Rome. Our FutureChurch community is counting on us to deliver. So with shaky confidence we found our way to the right office and asked to speak with someone from the Dicastery. While our team had reached out on multiple occasions requesting a meeting, we had never heard back. So there we were: showing up unannounced to the Vatican. But we were sent up an elevator and greeted by a gentleman who directed us to a room off the main entrance. There, we were met by an assistant to Cardinal Grech, the prefect of this particular Dicastery. 

During our meeting, we explained with poise and with joy how important it is that the full story of Mary Magdalene’s Resurrection proclamation be told on Easter Sunday morning. Easter Sunday is when our churches are the most full! What would it mean if, in packed churches all across the world, Catholics everywhere heard Jesus call Mary Magdalene by name? How would this naming reverberate within and beyond the walls of the church? How would this naming resonate with young girls sitting in the pews, young girls who may not realize Jesus knows their name, too? 

To our surprise, we found a friend at the Dicastery. Our conversation partner nodded along enthusiastically, took our prayer cards of Laura James artwork, and retrieved a lectionary to clearly see what we were talking about and asking for. He understood the request, was grateful for the conversation, and promised to take our letter and literature to the dicastery at large. It was all we could have asked for in a pop-in at the Curia, and we were honored as always to carry our community with us in our advocacy.