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Testigos
Sonja Grace
May 2, 2023

The first Apostle was a woman, Mary Magdalena. She continues to remain a tower of strength for women in ministry today. If more women were ordained to the diaconate in the Roman Catholic Church, I believe we would have more meaningful and spiritually enriching homilies, and our liturgies would embrace and welcome all to the Eucharistic table.

I would attend church regularly, if we were all treated as equals with gifts to share with each other and support one another's spiritual journeys.

The organisation Discerning Deacons which promotes the synodal way, gives me hope that the Catholic Church could still be meaningful to those on the peripheries of our church communities in the 21st century. However, it is up to us to reach out with love as a disciple of Christ and be a credible witness of our faith.

In 1992, I followed a spiritual prompting to organise an ecumenical Mass for survivors of abuse in church communities in New Zealand. To meet abuse survivors' need for healing, I went on to write and publish the book, Garlands from ashes – healing from clergy abuse in 1996.  

I am currently working on translating my book into German and Spanish to give other cultures a hope that healing is possible for survivors of abuse, despite the deep spiritual wounds received from priests and those in authority in church communities, including nuns. 

If I was ordained as a deacon, I would minister to those on the peripheries of our society. I find ministry in prisons especially rewarding. 

I would also like to offer hope to all those who have been abused, including sex offenders who were abused as children. To stop abuse, we need to offer sex offenders compassion and understanding in a sacred, safe place, where they can begin their own journeys of healing.

Sonja Grace has served as an acolyte in Austria

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Ser testigos
“Being able to be educated on who St. Phoebe is and giving others the chance to meet her, being part of a community of women who promote an inclusive model of the church, and seeing my own community come alive and heal from division provides a vision of what can and will be possible one day in the Catholic Church.”
Kathleen O'Brien
Maryknoll Bay Area Regional Coordinator in the Mission Formation Department
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Ser testigos
“I have witnessed these women become Catholic high school teachers, professors, writers, administer parish life and leaders of prayer services. Women have been my peers and supervisors, except in diaconal ministry. I continue to hold out hope that women’s gifts for ministry and service can and will be acknowledged by the church.”
Fr. Tom Cwick, SJ
Pastoral Minister, North Side, St. Louis, MO
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Ser testigos
“I am grateful as a pastor and a part of the BCCs here to learn and journey together with others. As a priest in our community, I am proud to be a part of this ministry to uplift women who are struggling. It is great joy and fulfillment. In my personal life, I have experienced the richness of acknowledging and uplifting the witness of women in the early Church and also in our Church today.”
Fr. Vincent Dsouza, SJ
Pastor and Base Christian Community Leader, India

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