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Witnesses
St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church
Columbia, MD
May 1, 2024

At our parish, St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Columbia, MD, we honored St. Phoebe at our Sunday Mass on September 3, 2023. Before Mass, we handed out literature and prayer cards, and during Mass our priest celebrant gave an introduction to St. Phoebe at both the beginning and the end of the Mass. So many older adults from our congregation, both men and women, were thrilled to hear of this discernment and of the witness of St. Phoebe. The response from our community most definitely helped us to realize and remember that we are not alone on this journey of uplifting women in the Church! 

Witness
“As a college campus minister, diaconal ordination wouldn’t change how I encounter my students on the margins, but it would change how they encounter the Church through me. I wouldn’t be only Julia, their campus minister who tells them that God loves them unconditionally, but an official representative of a Church that loves them too.”
Julia Erdlen
College Campus Minister and Hospital Chaplain, St. Louis, MO
Witness
“Restoring the diaconate in my church, to include women, supports the hopes and desires of our whole community where I see a longing for both male and female deacons to serve. As soon as I had the opportunity to become an acolyte, I became one. If I had the opportunity to become a deacon, I similarly would rejoice at the opportunity!”
Jessica Kenny
Chaplain, ConnectEd, Alta-1 College, Perth, Western Australia
Witness
“If I were ordained a deacon, it would only be because I have accepted a call to a vocation that is equally accessible to women.“
Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB
Executive Director of United Catholic Youth Ministries, Chicago, IL

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This is the hub where we share relevant news, events and opportunities to participate in the work. 
*We will send the newsletter only once each week, and we will never share or sell your information.