The Spirituality Hub Kirup in the Diocese of Bunbury, Western Australia based its second celebration of St. Phoebe Day in both Kirup and in Tuart Hill in the Archdiocese of Perth, Australia on September 3, 2024. Our celebration consisted of shared prayer, information about St. Phoebe, witness talks from women involved in diaconal work in our community and an open group discussion. Participants gathered both in-person and online.

Our gathering included representatives from four Australian dioceses from east to west of the country. We were glad for this opportunity for our community to gather, share with one another and to increase our devotion to St. Phoebe. St. Phoebe’s intercession and example is deeply important for women leading in the Church, including many in our community.

We also together learned about roles which are being undertaken by women in other dioceses. We pray that we can live into the example of others and continue to be encouraged by their leadership.

In a church where many of us feel discouraged by experiences of our leadership not being valued and seen, our celebration was an important place for us to be together to pray and share.

We plan to continue to support and uplift one another as we are accompanied by one another and by St. Phoebe. It felt so wonderful for us all to be a part of something bigger together.