Welcome to Discerning Deacons, a project fueled by love and fidelity to the Catholic Church!
Our mission is to engage Catholics in the active discernment of our Church about women and the diaconate.
Embrace
We embrace the prophetic call and ministry of deacons.
Witness
We witness the historical and contemporary diaconal ministry of Catholic women.
Hope
We hope in the Spirit to lead this discernment, renew the Church and heal our world.
Our work together is supporting educational opportunities and conversations in parishes and communities so that everyone can participate in the discernment.
We celebrate the Feast of St. Phoebe on September 3rd, and work to remember St. Phoebe the deacon whom St. Paul commended to the Church in Rome, asking that they “receive her in the Lord” (Romans 16:1-2).
Background
The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) renewed the ministry of the diaconate in the Catholic Church — restoring it as a permanent state of life, opening it to married men, and teaching that deacons are ordained to serve in liturgy, word and charity to the people of God.
At the Council itself, and in the decades that followed, a question has consistently emerged among popes and bishops and many others: Might the restoration and renewal of this ministry also involve giving official recognition to the diaconal ministry exercised by women?
In the early 1970s, Pope Paul VI commissioned a study. In 2002, the International Theological Commission said, “It pertains to the ministry of discernment which the Lord established in his Church to pronounce authoritatively on this question.” In 2016, Pope Francis established a commission to study the topic. And in 2020, following the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, where a majority of bishops were in favor of ordaining women as deacons, and where the Synod formally requested to share their “experiences and reflections” with a papal commission, Pope Francis established a new commission that will begin meeting in Fall 2021.
The question of women and the diaconate is a living conversation and an active discernment in our Church. In a listening, participatory and synodal Church, it is a question not only for Synods of Bishops and papal commissions, but it is a discernment for the entire people of God.
Board of Directors
Yolanda Scott Brown, D.Min.
Board Secretary
Retired Parish Life Director at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood, California.
“As a former Parish Life Director, I could not have imagined that the Holy Spirit would have the audacity to bless me with pastoring responsibilities in lieu of an on-site pastor of a major Roman Catholic Church in Southern California. Although our baptismal crowns, filled with the royal, priestly and prophetic charisms seem fractured by humankind, the Will of the Holy Spirit dispenses the full gifts of men and women into the Body of Christ. This is what I witness as a Founding Board Member of Discerning Deacons that the Holy Spirit inspires and gently disrupts until God’s Will is done.”
Dr. Yolanda Brown raised seven children, earned both Bachelor and Master degrees in Business Administration, and applied her knowledge in the banking industry as a Senior Vice President. She pursued a Master degree in Theology and a Doctorate in Ministry that led to her eight-year assignment as Pastoral Associate at Dolores Mission in East Los Angeles. Soon after, she was assigned to Blessed Sacrament Parish in Hollywood as the Parish Life Director with responsibilities for pastoral ministries, administration and pastoral staff management. After serving 10 years in this capacity, Dr. Brown went on sabbatical in February, 2021. A former Loyola Institute for Spirituality (LIS) board member, Dr. Brown continues to serve on the boards of Discerning Deacons, Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, St John’s Seminary, Dolores Mission, The Center in Hollywood for Homeless as well as the Anti-Racism Committee in Orange County. She continues to preach, lector, and serve in other liturgical ministries along with the LIS team in forming deacon candidates and spouses as candidates prepare for ordination. She enjoys spending time with her spouse Leon and her 24 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Bridget Deegan-Krause, M.Div.
Board President
Board Certified Chaplain, Mission and Formation Consultant, Catholic Health Care
“The Discerning Deacons’ vibrant, prayerful and strategic efforts have stirred new hope in me. I look forward to the day when Catholic women may discern in freedom and joy, knowing the fullness of their gifts can be formally celebrated by the Church.”
Bridget Deegan-Krause has served for nearly 30 years in professional ministry in Catholic healthcare and higher education. As a consultant for Catholic health systems and a retreat facilitator for boards and teams, she has worked to equip mission-focused leaders for service and is passionate about exploring spirituality as a resource for leadership. Her award-winning ministry leadership formation programming has been utilized in dozens of Catholic healthcare institutions throughout the United States. Her preaching has been featured by US Catholic and Catholic Women Preach. Her forthcoming book on Catholic identity and the art of reflection will be released by Liturgical Press in 2024.
Bridget, a former Jesuit Volunteer, holds an MDiv from Notre Dame with a BA in its Great Books program. A board-certified chaplain, she has long served in leadership within the profession of Chaplaincy. She serves as a sponsor director for Bon Secours Mercy Health System in Ohio, and as a founding board member for the Discerning Deacons project. A native of Michigan, Bridget resides in the Detroit area with her husband, where they are active members of Gesu Parish. View Bridget’s LinkedIn Profile
Lizzy Hazeltine
Founding Board Member
“I struggled to find a home in the Catholic Church beyond the choir loft, but found the power of intergenerational women’s community in college. As an adult who still feels on the outside of the Church as an institution, I found belonging and a sense of agency with Discerning Deacons, a place I can bring my hopes and lament and work with others to steward the question of women and the diaconate.”
Lizzy is a lifelong Catholic and Southerner. Current Executive Director of the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund, a non-profit dedicated to sustaining public news outlets to promote the common good in local communities.
Anthony Russo
Admissions dean at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry
“I have been inspired since Discerning Deacons’ beginning at the ways they have worked to animate the call stories of women and the ways that women all over the world are already essentially serving as deacons. I also particularly appreciate that DD does this through a posture of relationship within the church.”
I believe strongly that all people should have access to pursue their vocation – that which comes as a calling from God. I am privileged to hear the call stories of lay people (and certainly religious as well) from all over the country and world, and am committed in my work to helping them pursue their vocation. Unfortunately for many, including young women, there are structural barriers to their full participation and leadership in the Catholic Church.
A motto of mine for as long as I can remember has been, “you have to be in the game to change the game.” While there certainly are exceptions to that, I am committed to change and reform from within, and am eager to continue supporting the crucial mission of Discerning Deacons through board membership.
Bio
Originally from Stratford, CT, Anthony Russo has lived in the Boston area for the past decade. He studied political science and peace and conflict studies at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. After graduating, he served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Oakland, CA. His time at Holy Cross and with JVC reconnected him with his Catholic faith in a deep and meaningful way. He then attended Boston College for graduate school, first at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and then at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry. Since 2019, he has served as the admissions dean at the Clough School, which has put him in ongoing relationship with lay faithful discerning their role within the church as well as with Catholic and other faith-based national and global organizations. In his free time, Anthony enjoys walking, thrifting, shopping and eating locally, and watching Survivor.
Fr. Warren Sazama, SJ
Treasurer
Regional Superior of the Twin Cities Jesuit Community and Pastor Emeritus (retired) of the St. Thomas More Catholic Church in St. Paul, MN.
“I am inspired and committed to be on the Discerning Deacons board for several reasons. Frankly I’m inspired by the women involved, their passion and love of the Church. We need to expand the role of women in the Church to leadership roles where women can be seen and heard so that women and girls feel they belong and are an integral part of the Church and not second class citizens.”
Fr. Warren entered the Jesuits in 1964 and was ordained in June 1977. He has Master’s Degrees in Pastoral Counseling, Philosophy and a Master of Divinity. He became the Pastor of St. Thomas More in June, 2016 and retired in June, 2022. He has enjoyed his 50+ years as Jesuit and is grateful for the various ministries he’s been called to that have provided opportunities to make a difference in the world and in peoples’ lives.
Kim Smolik
Board Member
Ed.D. in Critical Pedagogy
“I am inspired to serve on the board of Discerning Deacons because of their commitment to fostering a culture of discernment, community building, and synodality in the Catholic Church. Their work in creating spaces for deep listening and collective reflection is vital for a Church that seeks to live authentically as a synodal, inclusive community. I deeply value their efforts to elevate women’s leadership as both a moral and practical imperative, aligning with my commitment to supporting vocational discernment and service in the Church, especially for lay people. I am honored to contribute to their mission of nurturing these essential practices for a healthy, loving Church.”
Kim Smolik, Ed.D. in Critical Pedagogy, is a leadership expert passionate about fostering environments where creativity, humanity, and partnership drive success. Using a people-centered, coach approach that values the full human experience, she promotes excellence, inclusivity, and equity, leveraging her expertise to drive measurable results and sustainable change. As an artist, she explores the intersection of art, spirituality, and leadership, designing innovative programs that blend leadership practices with creative methodologies for personal and systems transformations.
Kim has 20 years of executive leadership experience, including as CEO of the international Catholic consulting organization, Leadership Roundtable. She co-hosts The Catholic Leaders Podcast, and is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator specializing in executive leadership development, feminine leadership, fundraising, governance, cross-cultural teams, and transformational change. She founded the Nonprofit Servant Leadership Program in Washington, DC, developed international programs with Franciscan Mission Service on four continents, and has served on boards focused on service, human rights, and racial justice. An experienced leadership coach, she holds certifications from the International Coaching Federation, Coaching Training Institute,s Leadership Circle Profile and the Standards for Excellence Institute.
Kim is currently a resident scholar and Donald Ottenhoff Fellow at the Collegeville Institute at St. John’s University in Minnesota. Her project explores the leadership voices of women saints and mystics through contemplative painting.
Advisors
Most Rev. Randolph Calvo
Bishop Emeritus of Reno, Nevada
Deacon William T. Ditewig, Ph.D.
Former Executive Director, Secretariat for the Diaconate, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Cecilia González-Andrieu, Ph.D.,
Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University
Featured Endorsers
Fr. Scott Santarosa, S.J
Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Diego, former provincial of Jesuits West province.
Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M.
Founder, Center for Action and Contemplation
Deacon Greg Kandra
Creator, “The Deacon’s Bench”; senior writer and outreach program manager, Catholic Near East Welfare Association
Nicole Perone
National Coordinator, ESTEEM
Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.
Founder, Homeboy Industries
Fr. Jude Siciliano, O.P.
Promoter of Preaching, Southern Dominican Province (USA)
Anna Nussbaum Keating
Author
Anne Hansen
Executive Director, Ignatians West
Donna B. Doucette
Executive Director, Voice of the Faithful
Are you a leader in our Church?
Are you interested in endorsing the project and sharing why this discernment is important to you today? Help encourage others to participate by expressing your support as a public endorser.
Leadership Team
Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons
Durham, North Carolina
I hope our project can be a way to live into a vision for the Church’s renewal as we listen and seek to learn how the Holy Spirit guides, leads and presses us forward. The diaconate touches my own vocational desire to proclaim the Gospel and help move our faith out into the world.
You can contact Casey at casey@discerningdeacons.org.
Casey Stanton has spent over a decade working in the field of social concerns ministries within parish life and as part of broader, faith-based coalitions. She most recently served as Adult Faith Formation minister at Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina. She holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School where she graduated with a certificate in prison studies. A Boston native, Casey is proud to make a home in Durham with her husband Felipe and their two children, Micaela and Teddy. She is a product of Sacred Heart education and invokes St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, along with Dorothy Day, to accompany her in helping to lead and shepherd this new project! She loves reading poetry out loud and seeing her favorite band, Hardworker, perform live (back when we went to concerts).
Ellie Hidalgo, co-director of Discerning Deacons
Miami, Florida
I’m excited we’re building a bridge of sisterhood and brotherhood to the Amazon. It is here, in the peripheries of the Amazon, where the Holy Spirit is calling forth Catholic women to preach and preside at baptisms, weddings and funerals, with the blessing of their bishops. They work toward the vision of a listening, participatory, synodal Church that is grounded in caring for each other and our common home.
You can contact Ellie at ellie@discerningdeacons.org.
Ellie Hidalgo served for 12 years as the pastoral associate and previously as a pastoral assistant for Dolores Mission Catholic Church and School, a Jesuit parish in the Latin American immigrant community of Boyle Heights, just east of downtown Los Angeles, California. This small church with a giant heart is known for its restorative justice ministries and faith-based community organizing, and for being the home parish of Homeboy Industries. Ellie holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Pastoral Theology from Loyola Marymount University. She was commissioned as a pastoral associate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2013. Inspired by the prophetic role of grandmothers, mothers, women and girls in bringing forth God’s dream for God’s people on earth, Ellie has preached for Catholic Women Preach in 2018 and 2020. She recently moved to Miami, Florida, to live closer to her family. She enjoys walking, writing, telling or listening to a good story, and cooking.
Lisa Amman, deputy director of engagement
St. Paul, Minnesota
I am here to invite and connect people to the living discernment about receiving women as deacons in our global Church. I have seen women struggle in the mistaken belief that it may not even be discussed, and I have witnessed the joy and hope in their eyes when they learn the pope has invited the discussion! I dream women will have the ability to discern this call. I hope one day my daughters will hear women preach at Mass and see that women speak with knowledge and authority about Jesus. I hope children will never again experience our faith as “just about boys,” as my daughter declared when she was six. It is an honor to serve the wider Church in this mission of Discerning Deacons.
You can contact Lisa at lisa@discerningdeacons.org.
Lisa Amman, the deputy director of engagement for Discerning Deacons, has learned, prayed and worked in Catholic institutions her whole life. Inspired by the civic and ecclesial leadership of Benedictine sisters, she attended the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. She served for five years as the director of social justice at her parish in St. Paul, and she worked for 10 years as a community organizer with ISAIAH, an alliance of more than 100 faith congregations. She coached, mentored and trained thousands of lay and ordained people of faith to advance the Gospel vision of justice and equal dignity in public policy. She is an active member of Saint Thomas More Parish, where she is currently working her way through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in everyday life. A native of Louisiana, she and her husband have two daughters. Lisa’s work to ordain women deacons is for her daughters.
Maureen O’Connell, Director of Synod and Higher Education Engagement
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I am excited to bring my passions for teaching, writing and community-building to the synodal movement that Discerning Deacons is helping to cultivate. I am inspired by educators who remind us of the transformative power of learning for individuals and whole communities, and by community leaders, often women, who model inclusive ways to vision and work toward change. I revel in the creativity and possibility that comes with integrating the liberatory dimensions of our Catholic traditions with the diverse charisms of Catholic education.
You can contact Maureen at maureen@discerningdeacons.org
Maureen O’Connell has more than 20 years of experience in Catholic higher education, the majority of them anchored in teaching and learning spaces oriented by social justice pedagogies. In addition to her work with Discerning Deacons, she is Professor of Christian Ethics at La Salle University in her native city of Philadelphia where offers courses in peace and justice, racial justice, feminist engagement with religion, community organizing, and place-based learning. She is also engaged with faith-based organizing through POWER, Faith in Action’s affiliate there. She has authored three books, the most recent of which, Undoing the Knots: Five Generations of American Catholic Anti-Blackness (Beacon Press, 2021), examines her family’s history with racism in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She holds a BA in History from Saint Joseph’s University and a PhD in Christian Ethics from Boston College. She and her husband Dan live in close proximity to her parents, siblings, and niece and nephews; romps with her dog, Smiley, in the woods near her house in the world’s largest urban park are among her favorite things.
Anna Robertson, Director of Distributed Organizing
Seattle, Washington
I’m thrilled to be a part of the creative and dynamic team at Discerning Deacons working to celebrate, draw out, and elevate the relational, prophetic, and pastoral leadership of women throughout the Church—at a moment, no less, when the Church has re-committed to cultivating a culture of encounter and deep listening. As the Church and society at large face the cascading and overlapping crises before us, we are called to be “protagonists of transformation,” to borrow Pope Francis’s words, embodying a community grounded in Gospel love and justice. Throughout history, women have been at the forefront of transformation, and I believe that is no less true today than it has ever been. I’m humbled by the opportunity to journey together with women throughout the world who are answering God’s call to transformational leadership in the Church—and with men who are ready to receive, recognize, and welcome the Phoebes in our midst.
You can contact Anna at anna@discerningdeacons.org
Anna Robertson worked as Director of Youth and Young Adult Mobilization at Catholic Climate Covenant and Campus Minister for Retreats at Seattle University, along with various experiences supporting families of women experiencing incarceration, serving as a hospital chaplain, conducting research on collective memory in El Salvador, and accompanying students on international immersions at the intersection of faith and justice in Latin America. The common thread running through her work has been a passion for helping people articulate their stories and step into their power as protagonists of transformation toward a more just world.
Anna is a cradle Catholic with an eye toward the threads of mysticism that cut across faith traditions. Anna was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee and, since graduating from high school, she has called many places home, including Cincinnati, Central America, West Virginia, Boston, and Seattle. She has a Master’s of Theological Studies from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Xavier University in Ohio. In her free time, Anna enjoys practicing yoga, playing music, riding her electric bike around Seattle, jumping into bodies of water, cooking, reading, and having heart-to-hearts with friends.
Lisa Orchen, Program Director, Compelling Preaching Initiative
Lisa M. Orchen, M.Div. has served in a wide variety of lay ministry assignments for over 30 years in the Archdiocese of Hartford from hospital ministry, campus ministry, parish pastoral associate and diocesan leadership. Most recently Lisa has served as the Communications Director at St. Josephine Bakhita Parish in Rocky Hill, CT in addition to consulting assignments as a spiritual writer, workshop and retreat leader, lay ministry formator and theology teacher. Lisa is married to John Baker and together they have two college age children. Lisa has both a B.A. and Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame.
You can contact Lisa at lisa.orchen@discerningdeacons.org
Lisa is joining the Discerning Deacons leadership team as the Program Director for the Compelling Preaching Program Grant and will be leading the development of our new Certificate Program forming Roman Catholic Lay Women as Ministers of the Word and Preachers coming in 2025.
Our Story
At the end of 2020, we were invited to dream, to propose a project to engage the Church’s faithful in this time of discernment around whether or not to open the diaconate to women.
It was the end of a long year. We had each carried losses: loved ones buried, vocations in transition, the weight of the pandemic.
But we had also been praying together, listening to the Word of God, the witness of the Church in the Amazon, the stories of women and men, and the words of the Holy Father.
When we came together to pray on the Feast of St. Phoebe, we were reminded of the surprising power of encountering stories of faith in a sacred time of prayer, and we believed that more encounters could help break the tendency toward polarization and could help bear fruit. It is an act of faithful discipleship to witness to how God is calling us.
The stars aligned to invite us to believe in what we could not yet see.
So we have begun the journey: engaging, drawing together, growing in leadership and love, building a living community grounded in encounter.
We are grateful for the team of advisors who offer their wisdom and guidance, for the endorsers who express words of encouragement as we get started, and for you, as you prayerfully discern how you might participate in this unfolding work of renewal and hope.
April 25, 2021
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Our project is a designated 501(c)(3) publicly supported charity in good standing with the IRS and with the Archdiocese of Raleigh.
Continue Your Journey…
Pray
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Learn
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Join the Discernment
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