EXPLORING THE NEED FOR DIACONAL MINISTRY AND THE FEMALE DIACONATE, May 19, 2024

Does the Church really need a female diaconate? Couldn’t lay people just do this type of work? These are questions that have been frequently posed to the St. Phoebe Center.
While the St. Phoebe Center wholeheartedly supports lay ministry in the Church, we also acknowledge a place for ordained ministry as well. This seminar focused on the question of the diaconate broadly, as well as the female diaconate specifically.
We first contextualized the issue-examining the order and its relationship with the other major orders of the Church-and spoke to the differences between ordained and lay ministry. Then we heard and shared stories of how a robust diaconate-especially a female diaconate-is needed to meet the ministerial needs of the Church and our mission to the world today.
Moderator: Board Member Ms. Mardi Perry
Panelists: Fr. Marc Dunaway, Dr. Teva Regule, and Dr. Dee Jaquet