At Christ the King Catholic Church in Chicago, IL our Women in Ministry group coordinated a celebration for St. Phoebe on September 10, 2023. We celebrated a Mass which centered on St. Phoebe’s witness and involved women from the parish. We, the women of Christ the King, were an integral part of the Mass and, in doing so, we were actively living out our baptismal promises. St. Phoebe holy cards were distributed before Mass, and an image of her was displayed in the sanctuary. We shared special Prayers of the Faithful including praying for a calendar feast date for St. Phoebe on the liturgical calendar. A young woman from our group broke open the Scriptures for us during the liturgy, and a teen from the parish (named Phoebe!) read the prayer of St. Phoebe for the parish for the prayer after communion. We gave out Discerning Deacons “swag” during the coffee hour after Mass, and stickers for Discerning Deacons were on all of the coffee cups.

It was powerful and inspiring to see women involved in the Mass in such an active way. Simply seeing and hearing women during the liturgy is meaningful. Most people had not heard of St. Phoebe before this, and they were excited to learn about her ministry and witness. This celebration excited us—this is truly the time for us to rethink women’s participation in the Church. We are grateful to have celebrated the ministry and witness of St. Phoebe and are excited to continue on this journey of discernment together. 

This is truly the time for us to rethink women’s participation in the Church.