Was Mary Magdalene an apostle?

[scottNoll]

My Comparative Religions professor was making the argument that Mary Magdalene was in the same circle with the apostles, which if she was, to me that would mean that she was pretty much a priest. What is the Catholic teaching on this?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

She was not named in the lists of the Twelve given in several places in the Gospels (e.g., Matt. 10:1–4, Mark 3:14–19, Luke 6:13–16). When Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ and killed himself, he was replaced by Matthias, not Mary Magdalene (Acts 1:15–26). If your professor is going to make the case that Mary Magdalene was an apostle, he will need to explain why she was not included in the lists of the Twelve or in contention to replace Judas.

That said, Mary Magdalene is sometimes honored as “the apostle to the Apostles.” This does not mean that she was one of the Twelve or shared in the apostolic office. It is acknowledgment that she was entrusted by Christ to bring the news of his Resurrection to his apostles (cf. John 20:11–17).