Evening Prayer on the Feast of St. Phoebe

Evening Prayer on the Feast of St. Phoebe

On September 3 we gathered at St. John to celebrate the Feast of St. Phoebe with song, prayer, and readings from scripture.

Sr. Colleen preached on the life of St. Phoebe, a deacon and mother of the ancient Church, who shared the Good News of Christ’s resurrection through the letter she carried to Rome and the witness she gave by her life. She reminded us of the significance of the St. Paul’s letter to the Romans and the trust and faith he must have had in Deacon Phoebe’s ability to effectively preach it to an unfamiliar and important community. Phoebe’s example still brings hope for women in the Church, and reminds us that we are all called to share the good news and to receive others in the Lord…

Tuesday, September 3: Please Join Us to Celebrate the Feast of St. Phoebe

Tuesday, September 3: Please Join Us to Celebrate the Feast of St. Phoebe

Please join us on Tuesday, September 3 at 7:00pm for our Feast of St. Phoebe Evening Prayer Service at St. John.

“I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a benefactor to many and to me as well.”              

Discerning Diakonia: Renewing a Prophetic Diaconate for a Co-responsible Church  

Discerning Diakonia: Renewing a Prophetic Diaconate for a Co-responsible Church   

On Monday, April 29th at 4:00pm on Zoom, Discerning Deacon will host a virtual gathering to hear from stakeholders from the United States and Canada whose stories, experiences and examples give us living witness for what is needed and what could be possible for our church in this third millennium. 

All are invited to a focused synodal encounter with a listening presence from voting synod delegates. This will include a conversation in the Spirit to expand and deepen the discernment.  Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish will be available.

Visit discerningdeacons.org for more information and to register…

Saint Phoebe

Saint Phoebe

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a minister (diakonos) of the church at Cenchreae,
that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones,
and help her in whatever she may need from you,  for she has been a benefactor to many and to me as well.

-Romans 16:1,2

TONIGHT at 7:00pm! Virtual Prayer Service and Gathering on the Feast of St. Phoebe – REGISTER NOW!

TONIGHT at 7:00pm! Virtual Prayer Service and Gathering on the Feast of St. Phoebe – REGISTER NOW!

Discerning Deacons invites Catholics to gather virtually to pray for the intercession of St. Phoebe, listen to powerful testimonies from Catholic women engaged in diaconal ministry, and express our collective hope that the Church would “receive them in the Lord,” just as St. Paul asked the Church in Rome to receive Phoebe the diakonos in Romans 16:1-2.

Click here to register for the Zoom liturgy.

Background

The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) renewed the ministry of the diaconate in the Catholic Church — restoring it as a permanent state of life, opening it to married men, and teaching that deacons are ordained to serve in liturgy, word and charity to the people of God. At the Council itself, and in the decades that followed, a question has consistently emerged among popes and bishops and many others: Might the restoration and renewal of this ministry also involve giving official recognition to the diaconal ministry exercised by women?

From Discerning Deacons: “Called to Serve: Two Women’s Witness”

From Discerning Deacons: “Called to Serve: Two Women’s Witness”

Discerning Deacons, a group whose mission is to engage Catholics in the active discernment of our Church about women and the diaconate, has released a short introduction to two women seeking ordination to the diaconate in the Boston region: Philomėne Pèan and our own Kelly Meraw. Both Philomėne and Kelly are working in full time positions to serve members of their communities and churches, and feel a longing to be ordained as deacons. This would, they say, be a faithful restoration of ancient orders for women to the diaconate, a respected role women held for centuries before it fell out of practice.

This fall, Pope Francis invites the Church around the world to go on a journey of renewal by becoming a more listening, participatory, and inclusive Church. Discerning Deacons hopes stories like Kelly and Philomėne can have space to be heard within this inspiring process.  They seek to acknowledge these women’s work and dreams, and to hopefully reimagine how their gifts can be received within the Church… Please take a few minutes to watch this inspiring introduction to two extraordinary women of faith – 

This Thursday, August 26 at 7:00pm: Join Us for a “Discerning Deacons” Conversation

This Thursday, August 26 at 7:00pm: Join Us for a “Discerning Deacons” Conversation

In response to the call of the Holy Father to a synodal and listening Church, the SJSP Discerning Deacons Circle is hosting a collaborative-wide evening to explore the role of the Deacon, the history of women in the Diaconate, and the restoration of women to the Diaconate.

“There’s a glove somewhere that’s been thrown down. The women have put up a sign and said, ‘Please listen to us. May we be heard.’ And I pick up that gauntlet.”
Pope Francis

Please join us for conversation and refreshments or join us via Livestream:

Thursday, August 26 at 7:00pm
St. John the Evangelist Parish Sanctuary

Join Us Thursday, August 26 at 7pm for a “Discerning Deacons” Conversation

Join Us Thursday, August 26 at 7pm for a “Discerning Deacons” Conversation

In response to the call of the Holy Father to a synodal and listening Church, the SJSP Discerning Deacons Circle is hosting a collaborative-wide evening to explore the role of the Deacon, the history of women in the Diaconate, and the restoration of women to the Diaconate.

“There’s a glove somewhere that’s been thrown down. The women have put up a sign and said, ‘Please listen to us. May we be heard.’ And I pick up that gauntlet.”  Pope Francis

Please join us for conversation and refreshments or join us via Livestream:

Thursday, August 26 at 7:00pm
St. John the Evangelist Parish Sanctuary