During the weekend of September 22, 2024, during all liturgies here at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, MN, we celebrated and uplifted the witness of St. Phoebe, and prayed as a community for the all women leaders in our midst. 

This was a wonderful way to increase awareness of St. Phoebe in our community — many had never heard of her story! During this weekend, Fr. Daniel, our pastor, included publicity about women speaking, and celebrated St. Phoebe throughout the weekend and in his weekly recording that was sent through email and social media last week. He named the women speaking at our celebration this weekend, and invited all parishioners to attend our St. Phoebe Day celebration. 

Many were moved by the women witnesses who courageously shared during our celebration. There were many memorable and poignant quotes from their reflections. On reflecting on the Gospel question from the disciples of “who was the greatest,” one woman witness shared the compelling invitation and challenge to “stay on the margins.” We are called to recognize God’s promise in our lives, and she continued to share that, “If we do the work to serve in humility, we will come to know God.”

Having a table in the back of the sanctuary for people to share their reflections or learn more was a great addition to our celebration. We got sign ups to learn more, and there was a lot of interest, especially amongst women in our community who expressed immense gratitude for our efforts. Many even shared that they hoped that there would be more St. Phoebe Day celebrations in the future, and that they wanted to continue to have the chance to hear women in our community break open the Scriptures and reflect during Mass! 

Overall, we are grateful for the leaders in our community who helped to make this celebration happen, and we were especially grateful for our pastor Fr. Daniel who was supportive of our efforts in a multitude of ways. 

Though some of our speakers did not speak directly about St. Phoebe, instead speaking about their own experiences and calls to ministry, many parishioners spoke to us afterwards, identifying that what they saw and heard was, indeed, the essence of St. Phoebe. They made the connection — we were certainly enfleshing her spirit. 

Pictured below: Janice Anderson, Basilica of Saint Mary Parishioner and St. Phoebe Day Witness