“St. Phoebe reflected the courage and perseverance that we all hope to embody on this journey. We will need her intercession and example to speak fearlessly and to truly attend to the participation and witness of all. We must keep listening! We have been told that we do not have to wait for the Church we want to see. Our St. Phoebe celebration was a true example of that.”
“As religious Sisters, we are called to the margins, where people are hungry for spiritual nourishment. And somehow, I have been blessed to end up in roles that appear very similar to the diaconate, working for dioceses in chaplaincy and remote ministries. For the past 3 years I have also been interviewing many deacons and those in similar ministries for the Liturgy on the Margins blog. It has given me a great appreciation of the diaconate, with all of its challenges and joys, but especially the potential of deacons to make a difference in the most significant times of people’s lives.”
“Some mothers from our parish shared their fierce hope that maybe their young daughters will have the opportunity to serve as deacons.”
“The time is right, and frankly, long overdue for the pastoral leadership of these women to be acknowledged through their ordination as deacons in the Church. The current ordained ministry of the Church is increasingly impoverished by the absence of women serving in this official capacity.”
“There was an inherent openness at our celebration that reflected a deep sense of invitation. We are inviting the experiences of all to be shared, and in-turn, inviting the presence of the Holy Spirit in our community.”
“Before our celebration, 10 women from the parish joined together to pray and prepare for our St. Phoebe day celebration. This was such a profound experience. A few of the women shared reflections at the Masses, and we met together to workshop and practice these reflections. This was deeply rewarding and humbling to be in this community of women supporting and praying for one another.”
“This was definitely a new experience for all who were involved in planning our celebration—there is value, risk and vulnerability in public witness! We are grateful to accompany one another on this journey.”
“Our experience together was such a blessing, and we will continue to reach out to others amongst us to uplift the witnesses of women in our community on our journey together.”
“Some parishioners had not heard of St. Phoebe and her diaconal ministry, while others were familiar and excited to share their
knowledge of her ministry with others. Overall our community was open to this celebration, and some were extremely
excited to learn more! Some parishioners asked when there would be more celebrations or sessions uplifting St. Phoebe and her ministry.”
“In preparing for our celebration, those involved in planning were able to demonstrate how change within the Church does not need to be cause for division, but rather can bring our community together. The Church has experienced change before; we should not fear! We will continue on this journey alongside one another.”
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