St. Mary of Clopas
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.”
St. Mary of Clopas remained near Jesus at the Cross and is honored among the faithful women of the Gospel.
The story
Almost nothing is known with certainty about Mary of Clopas beyond the brief testimony of the Gospel of John. John places her near the Cross of Jesus with his mother, his mother's sister, and Mary Magdalene. The Greek wording of John 19:25 can be punctuated and interpreted in more than one way. Mary of Clopas is generally understood as a distinct woman associated with a man named Clopas.
Some Christian traditions identify her with the Mary whom the Synoptic Gospels call the mother of James the younger and Joses or Joseph. Mark says that this Mary watched the Crucifixion from a distance and later observed where Jesus was laid. Matthew also names Mary the mother of James and Joseph among the women at the tomb. These identifications are ancient and plausible, but Scripture does not explicitly state that all these references concern the same person.
Clopas has also sometimes been identified with Cleopas, the disciple who met the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus. The names are related, but the identification is not certain. The early Christian writer Hegesippus, whose testimony survives in Eusebius, described Clopas as a brother of St. Joseph and named Clopas's son Simeon as a later leader of the Church in Jerusalem. This does not settle every question about Mary's family relationships, and later expansions of her biography belong to pious tradition rather than established history.
The secure heart of her witness remains John 19:25. Mary stayed close to Christ in the hour of his humiliation and death. The Gospel records no words from her and gives no reliable account of her later life or death. She belongs to the ancient company of Gospel saints honored before the development of formal canonization procedures. The Roman Martyrology commemorates her on April 9. Her quiet presence shows the fidelity of disciples who could not remove the suffering of Christ but refused to abandon him.
What Mary teaches
St. Mary of Clopas teaches the courage of remaining present when suffering cannot be solved or explained. Her witness also recalls the dignity of the women who followed Christ and stood near his Cross. As CCC 618 teaches, Christ associates his disciples with his saving sacrifice.
Patronage
faithful disciples, women of the Gospel, those mourning loved ones, witnesses to Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you received the faithful presence of St. Mary of Clopas beneath your Cross. Through her intercession, give strength to those who accompany the suffering and steadfast hope to those who mourn. Keep us faithful to you in every trial. Amen.