I had the pleasure of hosting Rita Houlihan as a guest on my “Your Radical Truth Podcast.” The outline for her talk stemmed from her diligent work on the “#Reclaim Magdalene Project,” which encapsulates a deep dive into the Canonical Scriptural texts.

Leveraging her former technical and business consulting skills in gathering research, Rita now applies those same skills from the perspective of academic and biblical research, seeking new insights. She shares these insights with her Confirmation class, providing them with a fresh perception of their scriptural readings.

Rita also wrote a letter to Pope Francis, requesting that Mary Magdalene have a Feast Day, which she now has! Another request of hers concerns the reading of not just John 20:1-9, but John 20:1-18 on Easter Sunday. By reading only verses 1-9, crucial material pertaining to both Mary Magdalene and Jesus is sadly unheard by the majority of Catholics worldwide today. Rita is on a mission to urge both the Vatican and the Office of Sacred Liturgy to include John 20:1-18 in the Easter Sunday readings. Does it really make sense to silence the voices of Mary Magdalene and Jesus today?

To answer the question of who Mary Magdalene was, Rita referred to a quote from Sandra Schneider, professor emerita at the Jesuit School of Theology: “Mary Magdalene is the premier woman disciple of Jesus. The only leading disciple who experienced Jesus’ healing power in her own person. One of the close disciples who goes about with Jesus Christ, witnessing what He does, hearing what He says, and serving with Him in Public Ministry in Galilee.”

The above quote is wonderfully profound, connecting us back to Mary Magdalene’s close connection to Jesus’ actual Ministry. How exciting it must have been for her to witness Jesus’ ministry firsthand and to serve with Him!

Finally, Rita covered the thought of what can happen when you silence Mary Magdalene. Not only is Mary Magdalene missing, but also Jesus and His choices for Disciples in Luke 8, and the Risen Jesus’ choices for the first witness. Those are silenced when you silence Mary Magdalene!

Enjoy the full episode at: 018: Unveiling the Legacy: Rita L. Houlihan’s Advocacy for Mary Magdalene – Your Radical Truth