St. Mary Salome

St. Mary Salome was one of the holy women who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry and ministered to him and the apostles. The Gospels name her among the women present at the crucifixion, standing near the cross, and she is traditionally identified as the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the apostles James the Greater and John — the mother who once asked that her sons might sit at the right and left of Christ in his kingdom, and was taught that greatness lies in service and in drinking the Lord's cup.

She is remembered above all as one of the "myrrh-bearing women" who came to the tomb on Easter morning with spices to anoint the body of Jesus and were the first to learn of the Resurrection from the angel. Ancient tradition, especially in Provence, associates her with the group of holy women who spread the Gospel in southern Gaul, and she is honored as a saint and a model of faithful discipleship that endured to the foot of the cross and beyond.