Celebrate St. Phoebe Day in September
Every September, hundreds of Catholic faith communities around the world celebrate the feast of Deacon St. Phoebe. While each celebration reflects the unique perspectives and needs of the community, all are united around four common goals:
Lift up Deacon St. Phoebe on September 3, the day she is commemorated, or on another day in the month of September
Pray for global synod leaders and the universal church as topics related to women’s leadership and the diaconate continue to be discerned.
Amplify and listen to the voices of women leaders in our communities.
Offer our communities an opportunity to exercise diakonia, their baptismal call to bridge-building and humble service, especially to those on the margins of our communities, parishes, society, etc.
Register your St. Phoebe Day celebration
Register your St. Phoebe Day celebration
RegisterStart Your Journey
Just getting started with Discerning Deacons? Here are some steps you can take right now to jumpstart your journey to St. Phoebe Day this September.
New to Discerning Deacons? Curious how you can get involved in the movement to grow the conversation about rethinking women’s roles in a synodal Church, including possibly as deacons?
Drop in for a welcome call to learn about Discerning Deacons, to connect with others across the country and world, and to get up to speed on the most current opportunities to step into your protagonism in the Church.
Find an upcoming welcome call or other event.
Discerning Deacons stands in a long tradition of Church renewal as we dare to imagine together the difference women deacons would make for our Church.
Your investment and financial support will help fuel our work to engage leaders in Catholic institutions and in decision-making positions so that we can more fully embody the vision of a listening and participatory Church that discerns and walks together.
Make a donation.
At Discerning Deacons we lift up the stories of women serving in ministry today who are ready to be received as deacons in the Church. We also invite all Catholics to share prayers and hopes for our Church’s discernment, as we seek to bear collective witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Share your witness.
Interested in learning more about the history of women and the diaconate in the Catholic Church? On our resource page, you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions, educational webinars, studies, and other free resources we’ve compiled.
Explore educational resources.
Since 2020, Discerning Deacons has been animating communities around the world to celebrate St. Phoebe in the month of September.
Read about past celebrations.
Plan Your Phoebe Day Celebration
Will your parish or institution be part of the global witness to women’s gifts for ministry in a synodal church? Here’s how you can prepare for your Phoebe Day celebration.
Throughout the year, Discerning Deacons offers quarterly assemblies for any and everyone walking with us, including those preparing St. Phoebe Day celebrations, along with a variety of trainings and other calls that can inspire your planning.
Find an upcoming event.
Planning to celebrate St. Phoebe with your community? Register your celebration with Discerning Deacons and get information on our training calls, access to our most up-to-date offerings to support your Phoebe Day planning efforts, as well as free Phoebe Day swag to help share the good news in your community.
Register your celebration.
We’ve got everything you need to begin planning your St. Phoebe Day celebration—from basics on St. Phoebe and the Global Synod, to key dates and ideas for planning your celebration.
Download the toolkit.
Explore our resource page for songs, visuals, prayers, and other resources you can incorporate into your St. Phoebe Day celebration.
Explore resources.
Prepare the Ground
Becoming a synodal church is about journeying together. How will you journey together with your community in the months leading up to St. Phoebe Day? Here are some ways to prepare the ground.
Consider using the following guide to design and facilitate a local Discerning Diakonia synodal forum with either your immediate community (parish, campus, ministry), or communities across your diocese or region.
Get six weeks’ worth of content to help you deepen the conversation in your community about rethinking women’s participation in the Church during the global synod. Designed to support small group study and conversation, this tool gathers some of our favorite resources and pairs them with prayer and guided discussion questions to support your community’s learning journey.
Get the guide.
