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
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?
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 –
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
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