✦ About Us
Our Mission &
Our Community
✦ Who We Are
An Independent Catholic
Eastern Rite Mission in Arizona
Magdalene House is an Independent Catholic mission community established in the Phoenix metropolitan area of Arizona. We are an Open and Affirming congregation — welcoming people of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and backgrounds into full participation in our church’s life, ministry, and leadership. We are a member community of the Ascension Alliance, celebrating the ancient liturgical rites and spiritual traditions of the Christian East under the omophorion of Archbishop ALAN (Kemp) and our local bishop, Bishop HILDEGARD (Longoni).
Our name honors St. Mary Magdalene — the Apostle to the Apostles, the first witness of the Resurrection — as a patron of those who have been wounded, who have sought and found Christ, and who now carry that encounter to others. We are a community for the seeking, the wounded, and the faithful alike.
We draw from the richness of the Eastern Catholic tradition — its icons, its chant, its theology of deification, and its deep integration of prayer and daily life — to offer a full sacramental and communal life to all who come.
Eastern Rite
We celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Great Vespers, Matins, and other services of the Eastern rite in English, with elements of Church Slavonic and Greek.
Ascension Alliance
We are a member community of the Ascension Alliance, an Independent Catholic body. We celebrate the Eastern rite under the omophorion of Archbishop ALAN (Kemp) and Bishop HILDEGARD (Longoni), who provide episcopal oversight and apostolic succession for our community.
Open & Affirming
We are an Open and Affirming congregation. People of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and backgrounds are fully welcome here — not merely tolerated, but embraced as beloved members of the Body of Christ, with equal access to all sacraments, ministries, and leadership roles.
Growing Community
We are a young and growing mission, with families, singles, and people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. We share meals after Liturgy, celebrate feast days together, and support one another in the spiritual life. Our community is stronger because of its diversity.
✦ Our Patron
St. Mary Magdalene
Apostle to the Apostles
Our community takes its name and its spirit from St. Mary Magdalene — the woman who stood at the foot of the Cross when others fled, who came to the tomb in the darkness of early morning, and who became the first witness of the Resurrection. The Risen Christ entrusted to her the greatest news in human history: “Go and tell my brothers.”
The Eastern Catholic tradition honors her with the title Isapostolos — Equal to the Apostles — and venerates her as a model of repentance, perseverance, and fearless love. Her feast is celebrated on July 22, and she is commemorated throughout the Eastern liturgical year as the Myrrh-Bearer who first proclaimed the Resurrection.
We chose her as our patron because she embodies the spirit of this community: a place for those who have sought Christ through darkness and doubt, who have encountered him in the breaking of bread and the light of the Resurrection, and who now carry that encounter to others. She is the patron of the wounded, the seeking, and the found.
“I have seen the Lord.”— St. Mary Magdalene, John 20:18
✦ Her Feast Day
July 22
The feast of St. Mary Magdalene is celebrated on July 22 in both the Eastern Catholic and Western traditions. At Magdalene House, this is our patronal feast — a day of solemn Divine Liturgy, festive fellowship, and special devotion to our patron.
Myrrh-Bearer
St. Mary Magdalene is venerated in the Eastern Catholic tradition as one of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women who came to anoint the body of Christ and became the first witnesses of the empty tomb.
Equal to the Apostles
The Eastern Catholic Church honors her with the title ‘Isapostolos’ — Equal to the Apostles — because Christ himself sent her to proclaim the Resurrection to the Twelve.
Patron of the Seeking
Her story of encounter, loss, and renewed encounter with the Risen Christ makes her the perfect patron for a community that welcomes all who are searching for God.
✦ Our Pastor
Fr. Joseph
Priest · Pastor · Teacher
Father Joseph is a pastoral leader dedicated to helping others encounter the living love of Christ. Rooted in the wisdom of the Christian mystical tradition, he teaches a faith centered on compassion, unity, and transformation. Through preaching, writing, and community, he invites people into a deeper life of prayer and service.
His work seeks to bring the ancient wisdom of Christianity into meaningful dialogue with the modern world. His particular charism is revealing the boundless love of Christ through pastoral care, contemplative teaching, and sacred community — inviting people to rediscover Christianity not as a system of rules, but as a path of transformation, compassion, and living wisdom.
Above all, his mission is to witness to the boundless love of God for all people.
✦ Our Tradition
What is the
Eastern Catholic Tradition?
The Eastern Catholic tradition is one of the great liturgical families of the Christian East, rooted in the ancient practice of Constantinople. At Magdalene House, we celebrate this tradition as an Independent Eastern Catholic community — drawing on the fullness of Eastern theology, iconography, and sacramental life.
Ancient Liturgy
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, celebrated since the 4th century, is a full sensory encounter with the mystery of God — incense, chant, icons, and the Eucharist at the center.
Iconographic Theology
Icons are not merely art but windows into the heavenly realm — theology written in color and form. They teach the faith and invite the faithful into communion with the saints.
Deification (Theosis)
The goal of the Christian life, in the Eastern tradition, is theosis — the participation of the human person in the divine life of God. This is the heart of Eastern Catholic spirituality.
The Liturgical Year
The Eastern liturgical year is rich with feasts, fasts, and commemorations of the saints. Each day, week, and season draws the faithful deeper into the mystery of Christ.
The Rosary & Akathist
Our community prays both the Western Rosary and the Eastern Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos — a beautiful expression of our devotion to the Mother of God and our breadth of Catholic tradition.
Full Sacramental Life
All seven sacraments are celebrated in our Eastern rite: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and the Anointing of the Sick.
✦ Our Bishops
Apostolic Oversight &
Episcopal Leadership
Magdalene House is a member community of the Ascension Alliance, an Independent Catholic body that provides apostolic succession, episcopal oversight, and canonical structure for its member communities. We are blessed to be under the omophorion of two dedicated bishops.
Presiding Archbishop
Archbishop ALAN
(Kemp) — Ascension Alliance
Archbishop ALAN (Kemp) serves as the presiding bishop of the Ascension Alliance, providing canonical oversight, apostolic succession, and episcopal leadership for all member communities. His ministry ensures the sacramental integrity and ecclesial continuity of the Alliance.
Local Bishop
Bishop HILDEGARD
(Longoni) — Local Ordinary
Bishop HILDEGARD (Longoni) serves as the local ordinary for Magdalene House, providing direct pastoral and episcopal oversight for our community. Her ministry ensures the faithful are served with the fullness of the sacramental life of the Church.
✦ The Ascension Alliance
The Ascension Alliance is an Independent Catholic body committed to preserving the apostolic faith, sacramental life, and liturgical traditions of the Catholic Church outside of institutional Roman jurisdiction. Member communities celebrate a variety of rites and traditions, united by a common commitment to valid orders, orthodox doctrine, and the fullness of the sacramental life. The Alliance affirms the dignity and full belonging of all people, including LGBTQ+ persons, in the life of the Church.
✦ Come and See ✦