Following Pope Francis’ pivotal decision to expand participation in the Vatican’s upcoming Synod of Bishops to include lay men and women, Discerning Deacons released the following statement:“Discerning Deacons is thrilled by this historic announcement. The Pope’s decision demonstrates a Church that is already listening to the cries and hopes of the people of God. The […]
We gathered Monday for our monthly prayer service during which the Chicago Discerning Deacons Circle led us in a “Stations of the Cross from the View of Women Along the Way.” Their reflections guided us in a prayerful meditation on women’s faithful witness to Christ’s ministry, death and resurrection and invited us to recognize the […]
We conclude this last week of women’s history month by recognizing the vital role which mothers, aunts, grandmothers and great grandmothers often have in passing on the faith to the next generation. In this guest reflection, June Caldwell shares a picturesque memory of her late mother Millie Clark’s influence on her faith formation as a […]
This week’s guest reflection was written by Jennifer Kelly, who serves as a spiritual director and music minister at correctional facilities in Washington State. She offers her testimony, inspired by the readings for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent. Sanchez came to his cell window with a gentle smile and began reciting, “Let all that […]
Today we celebrate International Women’s Day. We celebrate Catholic women and the difference we make for our families, our faith communities, and for those on the margins and the peripheries of our world. In the global synod’s continental stage document, the report from the Holy Land notes: “Those who were most committed to the synod process […]
The gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Lent is a powerful one. We see Jesus and his three disciples go up to the mountain. They go to the mountain top, and they are transformed. Jesus is transformed through his Transfiguration. His face shines bright like the sun. And how could the disciples experience Christ’s […]
For our February 3rd St. Phoebe Prayer Service, Felicia Johnson O’Brien preached on Matthew 5:13-16. During this celebration we were led joyfully and reverently by the South Bend Discerning Deacons circle – who issued a simple invitation to all of us, to turn to our own neighbors and the diaconal women we know, and come […]
Rhonda Miska recently preached about the Epiphany at our monthly St. Phoebe Prayer Service for a Synodal Church. During this January 3 service, ministerial leaders from the region of St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota reflected on the meaning and intersectionality of three stories: the story of the three magi who journey to encounter the Christ Child; the […]
Will your community join Discerning Deacons in September 2023 as we pray for the synod, celebrate women’s gifts, and bear witness to the critical and urgent call to re-think women’s participation in the Church echoed across every continent during the synod? Whether you’ve already got your Phoebe Day celebration on the parish calendar or are […]
We offer today’s reflection as an examen, a review of the remarkable synodal path on which we have been traveling. A year ago, December, we were eagerly planning for how best to accompany, train and equip potential Synod Animators as they organized local listening consultations in their dioceses for the first phase of the global […]
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