Virtual House Meeting & Synodal Consultation

What are deacons, anyway? What do we need from the diaconate today? Would women’s inclusion in the order of deacons help or hinder the Church’s mission in our local communities?

The October 2024 Final Document of the Synod on Synodality—official church teaching—states that “the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open. This discernment needs to continue” (#60). It also celebrated the diaconate while calling for deeper study and fuller implementation of it (#73). More recently, Pope Leo has affirmed that, when it comes to the question of women deacons, he is willing to continue to listen. Now, as our Church enters the 2025-2028 Implementation Phase of the Synod on Synodality, all of the baptized are called into the work of implementing the fruits of the Synod on Synodality with the Final Document as our road map.

Rooted in our mission to engage Catholics in the discernment about women and the diaconate and to contribute to the renewal of the diaconate for our times, Discerning Deacons is committed to growing the discernment during the Synod’s Implementation Phase—and we invite you to participate!

Attendees of virtual house meetings will…

• share in prayer with one another and our Church
• learn about the diaconate—its origins and the vision of the Council Fathers who called for its restoration as a permanent order at Vatican II
• engage in a synodal Conversation in the Spirit about the future of the diaconate and the question of women’s inclusion in it
• contribute the fruits of their discernment for inclusion in Discerning Deacons’ report to Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican Synod Office
• leave with the tools to host their own house meeting in their community—online or in person

Please note that participation in this event requires your live attendance. While recordings of some large-group portions of these calls may at times be made available more broadly, much of the call will take place in breakout rooms, which will not be recorded. Please DO NOT REGISTER if you do not plan to attend live; instead email Anna Robertson at anna@discerningdeacons.org to request a recording. We plan for facilitation according to the number of registrants, so please try your best to attend if you register.