We celebrated the Memorial of St. Phoebe during our regular 9:15pm Wednesday Mass for students at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa on September 6, 2023. At Mass, we encouraged students to pray for the Synod and introduced students to St. Phoebe and her ministry in the early Church. Fr. Ross, St. Ambrose’s chaplain and the priest celebrant at our St. Phoebe day Mass, shared a homily that centered on St. Phoebe. We also had a female alumna share a witness statement with our community, as well.

In his homily, Fr. Ross said:

 “The names that we read in scripture: St. Phoebe, Prisca, Aquila, etc. are not just names on a page. These are real people with real lives, who embraced a mission to work alongside one another in building the Kingdom of God. They are our ancestors in faith!” 

This was a wonderful learning opportunity for our community. Most were unfamiliar with St. Phoebe and the ministry of female deacons in the early Church. We are planting the seeds of a larger conversation about women’s involvement in the Church. Our celebration was well-timed before the General Assembly of the Synod in October and it was a reminder of how important it is to pray for the movement of the Spirit at this time.

Together, we have hope for the future. We are grateful to have examples of women leaders on our campus who are committed to ministering to our campus community with dedication and strength. We pray that this celebration is just the start of uplifting women on our own campus and throughout the entirety of the Church. St. Phoebe, pray for us!