On the Feast of St Phoebe, the 3rd of September, we hosted our fifth annual webinar, along with Catholic Religious Australia.
It was a fascinating discussion and inspiring experience, to honestly ask the question ‘Is St Phoebe still relevant today?’ First, we were moved by the opening reflection from Gail Gill, who shared music and images to highlight women in prayer, ministry and advocacy. Then, Elizabeth Lonergan, Elizabeth Young rsm and Deacon Adrian Gomez offered their reasons for continuing the discussion on women deacons.
Next, Dr Michele Connolly RSJ, a scripture scholar, explored St Phoebe and other ministerial women in the bible. She spoke of St Paul having an ‘affective relationship’ with St Phoebe, calling her ‘sister’. And she had the great responsibility of being called a ‘patron’ in a society that depended on patronage. As a ‘deacon’, Phoebe was a go-between who preached the gospel and served as an emissary for Paul. She not only had a leadership role in Cenchreae, but beyond: bearing and interpreting the letter to the Romans to Rome – or maybe Ephesus. Michele concluded by highlighting the pastoral reasons for women deacons and the ordinariness of women in church ministry in Paul’s time.
This was followed by a powerful talk by Maddie Kelly, a young Catholic changemaker, about young people and St Phoebe. She firstly asked why she hadn’t heard about Phoebe until more recent times? Maddie spoke about people who, like St Paul, had seen her potential and entrusted her with responsibilities. She said that representation matters to young women today – they need to know that there is room for their gifts in our Church. Young people know the difference between appreciation and empowerment. Like that of Phoebe, diaconal service can mean the courageous use of one’s gifts for the life of others. She show us that such ministry is not an optional modern addition to Christianity – it is at the heart of our faith.
Finally, Dr Nimmi Candappa shared the results of her 2026 survey on the reactions to the 2025 Report on the Study Commission into Women Deacons. Of the 383 responses, around 2/3rds were aware of the results and a different 2/3rds identified with ‘I feel disappointed, ordained ministry for women is critical if the Church is serious about including women in formal leadership roles within the Church’. The highest response to the third question was that the Report ‘Alienates me from the Church as I find it hard to relate to a Church that limits women’. These did not come from outsiders looking in, but most participants remained connected to the Catholic Church in active and varied ways. Interestingly, 27 women recorded that “I feel held back, I believe I have a vocational call to the diaconate as a woman”.
We concluded with some discussion and a final prayer. Thank you so much to everyone involved, who helped to organise, speak, present and attend. St Phoebe, pray for us!
Liturgy on the Margins 