“As our Church continues its discernment, I would hope the question it considers is not, ‘Can we permit women deacons?’, but rather, ‘Are we absolutely certain we are justified in withholding the grace of the diaconate from women?’ I hope our Church is big enough to contain the possibility and dignity I see in my daughters, and in so many other women.”
“Yet, over the years as I’ve tried to find my place in the Church, the diaconate has remained my guiding light. I cannot imagine anything more exhilarating than embodying a bridge from the pulpit to the marginalized.”
“It was especially meaningful to hear a woman break open the scripture for our community. This is just the beginning of raising awareness on our campus of the witness and ministry of St. Phoebe, and the witness of women in our community. Together, we are just beginning our journey of rethinking women’s participation in the Church.”
“The energy following mass was palpable! We heard hopeful murmurs saying that this truly might be the time for change. We were encouraged in the reflection shared to collaborate with one another. Priests and laity, women and men all need to affirm and partner together so that, as the People of God we can discern the movement of the Spirit.”
“Together, we can be fearless. God moves in us, and God moved in St. Phoebe! It felt so freeing to honestly speak both our laments and hopes as women in the Church. If we do not use our voices, the Church will never change and grow to be what it can be for all of us.”
“While I’m not necessarily the one who is called to do the proclaiming, I feel called to be the one who holds the microphone for every woman who does. I hope that there are going to be generations of witnesses coming after us who will do the same. I am praying for our Church to institutionally recognize the calling of so many women already serving and leading globally.”
“St. Phoebe’s intercession in our community is powerful! This is just the beginning of our spirit-filled journey of rethinking women’s participation alongside one another.”
“We are committed to praying for the synod and for continuing to raise awareness about St. Phoebe and the ministry of women in the Church in our area. During the preparatory discussions for our celebration, some women in the group expressed that they had tried to organize around women’s leadership over 40 years ago, unfortunately receiving too much push back at the time. They are overjoyed to be a part of this discernment and conversation today; this might be the time!”
“It was powerful and inspiring to see women involved in the Mass in such an active way. Simply seeing and hearing women during the liturgy is meaningful. Most people had not heard of St. Phoebe before this, and they were excited to learn about her ministry and witness. This celebration excites us—this is truly the time for us to rethink women’s participation in the Church. We are grateful to have celebrated the ministry and witness of St. Phoebe and are excited to continue on this journey of discernment together.”
“Together, we were able to share an experience that, through imagery, prayer, reflection and conversation was able to concretely connect the life and witness of St. Phoebe to the Synod and the discernment of women’s ordination to the diaconate today. The witness of St. Phoebe is powerful for us as a community, and we are committed to continuing to center women’s voices and uplift women’s experiences, especially in spaces of prayer, so that in our community and others we can all “receive her.””
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