Rev. Michael Hickin, chair of the AUSCP Leadership Team, and Svea Fraser, a lay member of the Leadership Team, are members of the Discerning Deacons delegation. They will send occasional reports and reflections. Latest reports are at the top, with earlier reports following.
October 11 — Back Home: Takeaways from Rome
By Svea Fraser, with Voice of the Faithful and a lay member of the AUSCP Leadership Team
I am back home from Rome with cherished memories both sacred and worldly for which I am very grateful. I am filled with hope and affection for every Discerning Deacon pilgrim. Faced with the impossible task of describing what the week meant to me, I will try to condense my impressions. I went as a pilgrim with Discerning Deacons/CEAMA and as a representative of Voice of the Faithful and the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests. Our three organizations collaborate on the topic of women’s roles in the church. Our
purpose was to pray for members of the Synod assembly and to share our commitment to the renewal of the diaconate. The experience of synodality among our group affirmed the following “take away”
conclusions:
- The importance of encounter for a synodal church that “prays, listens, discerns and acts” in the path of synodality. Ideas and doctrines do not change people’s hearts. When people’s hearts are touched, they are moved to action. I felt the power of synodality in Rome, as each new encounter connected me to every corner of the world. Out of individual encounters, friendships form, trust builds, and change is possible from the bottom up. I tasted the delicious fruits of synodality in Rome last week. The goal of the Synod is synodality itself. We are called to continue the process and by doing so stretch further and further out to the peripheries.
Fr. Michael Hicken is welcomed to the diaconia Santa Maria in Cosmedin by the
Deacon Cardinal. He extended a welcome and blessed us, and we returned the
blessing!
2. The necessity co-responsibility of clergy and lay, women and men as equal partners in the mission of the church. When clerics and lay people meet in “conversations of the Spirit” bonds of mutual respect and support are built, clericalism diminishes, and priests and laity walk interdependently, side by side. Synodality builds bridges between and among clergy and laity, women and men. In mutual support and shared responsibility, the church can fulfill the vision of Galatians 3:28 where all are truly welcome. Celebrating Mass in Rome with Fr. Michael Hicken and two other priests, our liturgies were a tangible sign of Spirit-filled joy when women were included in their rightful roles.
Mosaic in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastavere. What a beautiful image of
“co-responsibility.” Sitting side by side, Jesus has his arm around Mary as he supports
her with his hand on her shoulder and she points to him with two fingers (the two
natures of Christ). I love the sheep surrounding them. That’s us!
3. The reminder to be vigilant and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit moves in ways beyond our understanding. It was easy to get swept up in the politics and excitement of being in Rome at this historical time. Those of us outside of the sacred synod walls were on the periphery of the action. We were eager for information and reports from the synod members themselves. Although we were not in Rome for lobbying purposes, we hungered for news or encounters that indicated that we had an “in” or a wider crack in the door to give us hope. The Pope is at the center of the Vatican’s universe, and we were like planets orbiting around the sun. As important as our cause for women deacons is to all of us, I had to remind myself that although the pope is bishop of Rome with full authority over the universal church, God is in charge. If we remainfaithful to the Holy Spirit, our prayers will be answered: and maybe in a way we never imagined. Hope springs eternal, and hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
Mosaic in the Church of Saint Praxedes in the Chapel of Zeno depicting Episcopa Theodora, Saint Praxedes, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Saint Prudentia These images from the second to the ninth centuries suggest that the role of women in the early church was not that of a second-class citizen!
Earlier posts follow
Day Five in Rome
By Svea Fraser, with Voice of the Faithful and a lay member of the AUSCP Leadership Team
Today is Sunday, which is supposedly a day of rest. But we were excited to get up and go to Mass at the Jesuit English-speaking Oratory of St. Francis Xavier of Caravita.
Four of us were asked to take part in the liturgy. We foolishly thought that taking a taxi rather than walking a mile with the rest would get us there in plenty of time. We waited and ordered Ubers and taxis that never came. With twenty-five minutes to go, we ran to the church, pushing aside tourists packed around the Trevi Fountain and rushing into the church with one minute to spare. The priests were lined up and, without catching our breath, we were leading the procession!
Apart from being confronted with a translation in the Lectionary that I had not seen before, the honor of proclaiming the Scriptures in Rome in that Jesuit Oratory was awe-some. And after Mass everyone was offered a little cup of Prosecco to lift our spirits even higher!
The afternoon retreat offered time for quiet reflection and sharing impressions of the week. Our closing ritual ended with singing and blessing by our Canadian indigenous leaders Kinoshameg and Mary O’Donnell, and gifts from the Amazon shared by Sister Laura Vicuña.
At 5:00 Pope Francis led a Rosary for peace with Synod delegates at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Some of us went to the church while the rest of us prayed at Casa Saint Rafaella.
This was the last day of our pilgrimage. I will write more about my thoughts on what it is like being at the periphery of the action at the Synod. But for now, I must pack and like most of us, I’m exhausted!
There will be more pictures and words to follow. Thank you for coming along with me and for giving me the opportunity to share “postcard images” from this side of the Tiber.
Ciao for now, but please stay tuned!
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Day Four in Rome: Deacon Day
By Svea Fraser, with Voice of the Faithful and a lay member of the AUSCP Leadership Team
On this day we found ourselves in the Saint Lawrence Basilica, built as a diaconiae (not
to be confused by that word). A diaconiae started as a simple structure to serve the
needs of the poor in the area. Over time it was developed and expanded to include an
oratory where deacons could gather in prayer. To this day, this oratory contains the
Easter Candle as well as the ambo for the proclamation of the Gospel. Eventually a
sanctuary was added to the oratory. This three-part design of the oratory and the
sanctuary is a graphic reminder of the deacon’s threefold ministry of the Word (oratory),
Sacrament (sanctuary) and Charity (the nave). These three make up one sacred
reality! Pope Francis resumed the ancient custom of entrusting a church to a Deacon.
Lawrence was one of seven deacons who oversaw giving help to the poor and the
needy. Big trouble began when Christians were being martyred for their faith. After
suffering pain for a long time, the legend relates, Lawrence cheerfully declared: “I’m well
done on this side. Turn me over!”
We got to sit in the oratory and celebrate Mass together: Fr. Michael Hicken presided
and acknowledged that our liturgy modeled the co-responsibility of clergy and lay, men
and women, joined in inclusive worship. When Jessica Morel (the military deacon
chaplain who cannot claim either of those titles) climbed the marble stairs to the ambo
above us, I could not hold back tears both happy and sad. THIS is what a woman
deacon is ordained to do. As she preached the Word with deep faith and compassion it
was a prophetic sign for me of the future we hope for.
We all wore our green T-shirts today. They have an image of St.Francis and St.Clare
with the words “Every Francis has a Clare” on the front. Our dreams of an inclusive and
just church will not be accomplished without the full support of all the baptized: women
and men, clergy and lay for the good of all the People of God and the Good News of the
Gospel.
For me this day was a tangible culmination of my dreams of a church that sings “All are
Welcome” and really means it. Our collaboration with AUSCP and partnership with
Discerning Deacons expands the orbits of our mission and has the potential to enlarge
our synodal circle of influence and expands the space of our tent.
Getting out of the rain we stopped to take a photo of everyone, wearing our T-shirts, the
one we offered to the Pope! When we climbed back onto the bus, we heard a whoopee as (Angela) shared the Vatican photo of Pope Francis. Pope Francis has a Clare! Can I hear an “AMEN”?!
Day Three in Rome: The Basilica of St. Mary Major
By Svea Fraser, with Voice of the Faithful and a lay member of the AUSCP Leadership Team
Early in the morning we went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The Basilica ties its origins to a miracle that occurred in the fourth century: a snowfall on August 5 in Rome—a sign revealed to Pope Liberius in a dream. To commemorate that event every year on that date a snowfall of white rose petals cascades down over the altar.
It felt dreamlike to be here! We had a special opportunity to celebrate Mass in one of the side chapels. Our two priests presided with their backs to us, tucked into that side altar in a church with snowfalls, Bernini statues, marbled mosaics and a relic from the nativity crib!
In the afternoon, Discerning Deacons and CEAMA (Amazonian Ecclesial Conference) hosted a panel in Pope Pius XI Hall. Four women from our group spoke passionately on the urgency of action in every part of the globe where the earth and its people are suffering. Each spoke about their personal experiences where the people and the earth are bleeding the most, and whose wounds will soon be everyone’s if ignored. Synod member Cardinal Barretto was on the panel and was visibly moved. At the end we all stood and held hands as Sr. Laura Vicuna led us in song. Although I didn’t understand the words the electricity of love and
commitment flowed through our connected hands. This is not the place to give the details that this panel so worthily deserves, but the energy of the moment lifted our hopes and commitment to the
journey.
Unlike yesterday, this evening brought some gladness to all of us. Here is what was reported from one of our pilgrims who had asked the Cardinal to give one of our T-shirts to the Pope: “For every Francis, a Clare.” “We just ran into Cardinal Barretto, who confirmed that he gave Pope Francis the T-shirt, and Pope Francis made this face (emoji “O” and smiley face) and it was captured by the official Vatican photographers and will be available tomorrow on their page. The Holy Spirit is at work.”
Little steps. Little joys.
Praying and mingling with delegates
Rev. Michael Hicken, chair of the AUSCP Leadership Team
Clearly, there’s so much going on, and we are only given a very small peep hole to look through. I’ll share some snippets of what I have experienced.
Pope Francis’ opening Mass was fine. The crowds were mediocre, perhaps still in the tens of thousands, but nowhere even close to half of St. Peter’s Square. The entrance procession paraded a long line of priests and even longer line of bishops. I did not see if the delegates had special seating; if they did, they entered by another way. Nothing remarkable about this liturgy. Francis was most animated in his double tour of the crowds afterwards. He seems most himself when he is near the people. There was one moment however when during his homily he put aside his text. He spoke off the cuff about harmony: there are majorities and minorities, and we need that, people taking a stand, but what the Holy Spirit does for us, the same as at Pentecost, is create harmony from a good diversity. We remain different, but we work together in the Harmony that the Spirit bestows upon us.
After the Mass, we gathered near one of the entrances to Vatican City. Gatekeepers did not allow our group to be together. We got to pray with a few people but not many; some of them may have been delegates. We were looking for white lanyards. When we broke for lunch, Svea and Warren (Jesuit from Minneapolis) and Daryl (layman from Seattle) and I went to Café San Michele, just beyond the colonnades of St. Peter’s Square. Sitting at a small table on the cobblestones, we drank coffee and visited. Then a wave of delegates and experts passed us by and we got to speak to a number of them. Fr. James Martin, S.J. was walking with archbishop Lori (Baltimore) and stopped to visit. Fr. David McCallum, executive director of Discerning Leadership Program, spent some precious minutes sharing with us about the importance of women in leadership, but the need for more time regarding orders. Some theologians, one from Belgium another from Lebanon, also spoke to us.
In the afternoon, the Discerning Deacons delegation gathered at Casa Santa Raffaela for a retreat. The highlight was an exercise led by Dr. Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieux. She walked us through four stages of meditation on 1.) our personal calling; 2.) the reality of our situation viewed from the position of brokenness; 3.) the treasures of our tradition (pick one); 4.) the action I see myself called to do to bring healing. We each drew pictures in four quadrants of a sheet of paper to focus our meditation. The point of departure for all of this was her meeting with Pope Francis on Monday morning.
Before all the pilgrims gathered, a small cohort from our group, about 8-9 women, had an audience with Pope Francis. A cardinal, who is a friend and colleague of Sr. Laura Vicuña, vice-president of CEAMA (Episcopal Conference of the Amazon) and one of our pilgrims, arranged this meeting. Cecilia shared how when she had her one-on-one moment with Francis, he mentioned how badly his knee felt. She thought of her own Dad. It touched her deeply. She felt immense, simple human compassion for him. She also saw in this…
Thursday, St Phoebe Prayer Service. This NCR article has a photo of our St. Phoebe Liturgy of the Word yesterday in which AUSCP member Dave Bruning (Toledo) is seen in the bottom right corner.
[Previously, Discerning Deacons co-founder Casey Stanton met with Pope Francis.