For many centuries in the Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary of Bethany and St. Mary Magdalene were believed to be the same person.
Some evidence for this belief in the Roman Rite is even shown in the liturgical calendar, where St. Mary Magdalene is celebrated on July 22 and a feast for St. Martha was celebrated on July 29. St. Martha is the sister of St. Mary of Bethany and the two are mentioned together in the Bible, so with these dates, their feasts were just a week apart.
Yet, Pope Francis decreed a few years ago that "July 29 be designated in the General Roman Calendar as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus."
This new liturgical commemoration appears to separate Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene, giving them two separate feasts.
Orthodox Christians have celebrated these siblings like this for many centuries on a single feast. The June 4 feast is entitled, "Righteous Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus."
What does the Bible say about Mary of Bethany?
Biblical scholars continue to debate the identity of Mary and Mary as the Bible is scare on details about St. Mary of Bethany.
St. Luke mentions her by name when Jesus visits Martha:
Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. (Luke 10:38-39)
He then proceeds to explain how Martha is busy about many things and Mary sits at Jesus' feet to listen attentively.
Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42)
St. John provides for us another detail about St. Mary of Bethany, identifying her as the woman who wiped Jesus' feet with her hair:
There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. (John 12:2-3)
It does not appear that Mary of Bethany is the same as the woman who washes Jesus' feet with her tears in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 7:36-50).
This is all we can definitively say about St. Mary of Bethany from the Bible, though her identification with St. Mary Magdalene is still open to debate and not an article of faith.
