Witnesses

"You will be my witnesses."

(Acts 1:8)

The preparatory process for the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon involved 87,000 people bearing witness to their laments, hopes and dreams for their communities and the Church they love.

During the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality, calls to rethink women’s participation and to permit women to serve as deacons emerged on every continent. The Synod’s Final Document affirmed that “the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open” and that the discernment should continue.

From the heart of the Amazon, across the Americas and around the world, diaconal women are responding to the needs of the people and exercising diaconal ministries, and their communities are welcoming and receiving their gifts.

“What comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped” (Synod on Synodality Final Document, #60).

Here, we gather to listen to women serving in ministry today who are ready to be received as deacons in the Church. We also share prayers and hopes for our Church’s discernment, as we seek to bear collective witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

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Witness

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Witness

“A highlight for many present was the Scripture reflection offered by a female parishioner who specifically spoke about her experience as a minister in the Church. At St. William, communal leadership and ministry are a central part of our community’s identity and values.”

St. William Catholic Community

Louisville, KY

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Witness

“I have always viewed my ministry through this lens – out of service for and to the people of God. My intention was and is never to center myself in my ministry as a lay leader, rather my focus was always on how I could better uplift others in our midst. The Holy Spirit has certainly been active in the communities where I have ministered.”

Sr. Janet M. Peterworth, OSU

Community Leader, Pastoral Caregiver, Writer, Louisville, KY

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Witness

“The mission of Discerning Deacons is important because they are advocating for a larger role for women in the Church, which is hard to do. Discerning Deacons is unafraid to get their hands dirty to bring about a more inclusive Church for women.”

Devon James

College Campus Minister, Cincinnati, OH

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Witness

“I believe that one of the hallmarks of authentic vocation is confirmation and affirmation from the community. I have been blessed throughout my years of ministry to serve alongside others who recognized, acknowledged, and affirmed my gifts and skills to minister.”

Anne Gibbons

Retired Chaplain and Current Parish Volunteer, Richmond, VA

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Witness

“I have listened to young women’s laments around the sexist language they hear in Catholic worship and prayers, and we have shared and dreamed together our hopes for a more inclusive Church that sees women represented on the altar.”

Beth Freeman

Theology Teacher, Mercy Academy, Louisville, KY

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Organization

“In learning of St. Phoebe, the Synod and the movement for women’s ordination to the permanent diaconate, many students shared that they are hopeful that change is coming! For young people, knowing that the Church is dynamic and able to change and grow in response to the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world is profoundly important.”

Seattle Preparatory School

Seattle, WA

Witnesses

"You will be my witnesses."

Here, we gather to listen to women serving in ministry today who are ready to be received as deacons in the Church. We also share prayers and hopes for our Church’s discernment, as we seek to bear collective witness to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

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