Following our celebration at St. John – St. Paul Collaborative in Wellesley, MA our hearts are full, and our community is ready to continue on the journey of uplifting the witnesses of women in the Church. We celebrated St. Phoebe at our Masses on September 3, 2023 in collaboration with Voice of the Faithful. Prayer cards were distributed, and information about St. Phoebe was made available in the parish bulletin. At two of the Masses, we shared an announcement about St. Phoebe and information regarding an upcoming synodal follow-up. At the other two Masses, our director of pastoral care shared a reflection.

Many parishioners were not aware of St. Phoebe’s ministry before this event. The priest celebrants at the Masses praised the director of pastoral care’s reflection, and further uplifted the participation of women in the Church to the congregation. The energy following Mass was palpable! We heard hopeful murmurs saying that this truly might be the time for change. We were encouraged in the reflection shared to collaborate with one another. Priests and laity, women and men all need to affirm and partner together so that, as the People of God we can discern the movement of the Spirit. As a community, we are still savoring this event; there is no going back now! We will continue to learn, discuss and most importantly, to pray for the Synod and for one another.