At St. Thomas More Catholic Church in St. Paul, Minnesota we celebrated St. Phoebe with Mass in her honor during the weekend of September 16th and 17th, 2023. The image of St. Phoebe by Laura James was displayed at the front of the Church, and a reflection from parishioner Rhonda Miska was presented at each Mass throughout the weekend. St. Phoebe and the ongoing Synod was mentioned throughout each of the Masses. After Mass, St. Phoebe prayer cards, coloring sheets and mazes were available for children of the parish. We also created a space for parishioners to share in conversation with one another about the role of women in the Church.

It was so powerful to watch little girls color St. Phoebe coloring pages after mass and to see the procession of women at the start of the mass along with our priest celebrant. Additionally, we shared videos on the St. Thomas More Youtube channel about women’s participation in the Church that were well received by the parish.

Many had never heard of St. Phoebe, and they were engaged and excited to learn more. Many took prayer cards after Mass and were excited to see the many different images of St. Phoebe that we had. 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.

All photos by Brennan Hall.