Thanksgiving: Bearing witness to women’s call to the diaconate

When Jazmin Jimenez recently shared about her call to preach she bore witness. She bore witness to the workings of the Holy Spirit that calls forth women’s gifts for preaching. She bore witness to the hunger in our Catholic faith communities to hear a woman’s voice among those formed and authorized to preach. She bore witness for women to be the deacons the people of God need in turbulent times. 

“We have an opportunity here in our parish to allow women to break open the Word and to reflect on Scripture once a year,” said Jazmin Jimenez, Director of Liturgy and Worship at American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach, CA. “The gratitude that we receive from parishioners in the pews is overwhelming. It’s like we were starving them for a woman’s voice, and all of sudden, they got it. They were given that opportunity to hear a scripture reflection from a woman’s perspective, and it breathed life into them and their experience of church.” 

At Discerning Deacons we provide opportunities for Catholic women to bear witness to their vocational calls to ministry and to the permanent diaconate. 

• This summer we entered into a collaboration with Loyola Productions to help amplify women’s testimonies of being Called to Serve.
• Earlier this year, we submitted the vocational stories of Catholic women to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Office of the Synod. Whenever and however possible, we contribute to the Church’s ongoing discernment about women and the diaconate. This discernment needs to continue. 
• Our inaugural group of Diakonia Fellows are seeking to animate faith communities that are ever more diaconal, synodal, and merciful by developing ministry leaders and equipping them to animate diakonia in their communities. 
• 136 parishes, schools, religious orders and Catholic organizations lifted up women’s voices in St Phoebe celebrations.
• This fall Discerning Deacons welcomed the first cohort of women into PROCLAIM, an innovative formation opportunity designed to grow Catholic women as ministers of the Word and preachers.

This Advent we invite you to bear witness to your hope – that a synodal Church will continue to remove the obstacles to women living out their charisms. That we are on our way to becoming a more collaborative, co-responsible Church. That the Church will complete its discernment about women and the permanent diaconate in our lifetimes. That we can be the deacons our communities need in these fearful times, and accompany those who most need to know that God never abandons anyone. 

We are launching an Advent Appeal to raise $50,000 by Christmas Eve to support next year’s work. We have wonderful news to share. We have received a $25,000 lead gift from an anonymous donor. We are already halfway towards the goal!