St. Mary of Magdala

4-Week Course

Overview

Who was St. Mary of Magdala? What does scripture tell us about her ministry? What impact does her saintly life have on us today? This course explores the imagery of St. Mary of Magdala, both positive and negative, that have shaped our view of the Apostle to the Apostles. This course also explores the impact of her life on the ministry of women in the church. To complement the informative text and videos, a scripture study text is included to provide an optional prayer experience of St. Mary of Magdala as portrayed in the Gospels.

This course has an optional text: Dinah Chapman Simmons., Mary Magdalene: Apostle to the Apostles. Little Rock Scripture Study, 2018. ISBN: 978-0-8146-4439-3.

Topics

• Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course
• Week 1: Mary of Magdala: Negative, False Images
• Week 2: Mary of Magdala: Positive, True Images
• Week 3: Mary of Magdala: Apostle to the Apostles

Special Features

• Weekly videos;
• Text transcripts of each featured video;
• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about topics discussed in this course.

All STM Online: Crossroads courses include these features

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site.
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course has ended.
• An orientation on how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Optional Materials

Dinah Chapman Simmons. Mary Magdalene: Apostle to the Apostles. Little Rock Scripture Study, 2018.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Content Scholars

• Madeleine Boucher, Ph.D. (text) is a former professor of New Testament and director of the Women’s Studies Program, Fordham University
• Barbara Reid, O.P., (video) is Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies and President of Catholic Theological Union at Chicago.
• Christine Axen, Ph.D., (video) is a medieval scholar and professor at Fordham University and Manhattan College.
• Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., (video) is professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
• Sandra Schneiders, I.H.M., (video) is professor emerita of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
• Nontando Hadebe, Ph.D., (video) is a theologian and senior lecturer at St. Augustine College in South Africa.
• Dinah Chapman Simmons (optional prayer text) is director of Sacramental Preparation and Liturgy at Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax. She also serves in parish ministry in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

Certificate Requirement Categories

Sacred Scripture
Themes from Our Christian Tradition

Image Credit: Original photo by Fr. Ted Bobosh (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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