Here at Our Lady of Nazareth parish in Roanoke, VA, we planned a St. Phoebe Day celebration as a part of our synodal journey and journey to accompany one another in our hopes for our Church. After participating in a few Zoom calls with Discerning Deacons, a member in our parish, Wendy Mellenthin, gathered women together to discuss St. Phoebe Day. We registered our parish, and received materials to prepare and plan. 

We held our parish’s 2023 St. Phoebe Day celebration over Labor Day weekend and celebrated and uplifted St. Phoebe during our parish’s four masses during that weekend. Our parish has a visiting deacon who preaches one weekend a month. He has been very supportive of exploring how women can use their own gifts to enhance the Church both in our parish and in the wider Church.  He introduced St. Phoebe during his homily and the prayer cards provided by Discerning Deacons quickly disappeared after the masses. A young woman from our parish, who dreams of a future for women in the Church, is an artist and also developed coloring book type pages about St. Phoebe for the children as part of our celebration.

Together, we are grateful to uplift St. Phoebe in our parish, and we will continue to uplift the witness of women in our own community and in our Church!