"It is unsettling to see that men control the institution of the Catholic Church. Being a Christian is more than being a member of an institution. I feel that the Catholic Church as it is structured is not what Jesus envisioned for his followers—so many of them were women of his day. What happened?"

"To have a woman as a deacon in my church would truly indicate that women are valued and that the Church is a true body of Christ. With all that women have suffered throughout the world, the Church as an institution should model how women should be treated and valued. Seeing a woman deacon in my parish would testify to the belief that the laity —women and men— are the Church."