It takes persistence, determination, resilience and—most of all—patience to achieve true change.

Just ask S. Mary Lamski, S. Joan Mitchell, and S. Carolyn Puccio, who have been working for decades to expand the role of women in the Church. They are part of Discerning Deacons, an organization formed in 2022 that engages Catholics in active discernment about women and the diaconate. The group promotes educational opportunities and conversations in parishes and communities so that everyone can participate in the discernment.

But the three CSJs’ work began long before the Discerning Deacons group was formed. “The Strong Interest Test I took when I was in high school suggested I become a minister,” says S. Joan. “But I was a woman and not a man.” After the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) renewed the ministry of the diaconate in the Catholic Church, allowing deacons to serve in liturgy, word, and charity, she and many others began to question whether this renewal might include recognizing the diaconal ministry exercised by women.

In divinity school at Harvard, S. Joan made a promise: she would preach whenever asked. “I have preached a lot over the last 35 years,” she says. “My reason for doing so is that people need to see women in this role if we want change. There has been change but at the same time there have been major shutdowns of women in the Church.”

S. Joan notes that when women began studying scripture and theology in the 1960s, they noticed early on the women of Galilee who followed, served, and accompanied Jesus in his ministry. In a homily at St. Catherine University in 2023, she reflected on this topic in Luke’s gospel:

“When the women bring the good news that Jesus is risen to the whole community in the upper room, the men dismiss their report as an idle tale.

The women of Galilee witness the primary events enshrined in the Creed:

Jesus was crucified; they were there.
Jesus died and was buried; they were there.
and on the third day he rose from the dead; they were there.
They are us, the women of our parishes who follow and serve;

They are us, the anonymous many others who serve the fall festival meal, take communion to the sick, and announce Jesus’ good news in religion classes.”

S. Mary’s interest in the diaconate began in 1974 when the St. Paul Archdiocese announced it was starting a permanent deacon training program at the St. Paul Seminary. “When I applied to the diaconate program, I was told that they were starting with the men and would then with women,” she says. At the time, she was a pastoral minister at St. Peter’s Church in North St. Paul. In her role, the pastor asked her to supervise a man who was in the diaconate program. All went well until one Sunday after mass the parish council president told her she would no longer be needed at the parish because a deacon was going to take over her work — and they wouldn’t need to pay him. When she was able to speak to the pastor, they both came to the realization that she was actually doing the work of a deacon as a pastoral minister.

Fast forward to 2022 when S. Mary was invited to join Discerning Deacons. Pope Francis held a synod and invited women to participate at roundtables with cardinals, bishops, and others. She was delighted that a selection of the Minnesota group of Discerning Deacons planned to go to Rome to visit with the synod members and encouraged them to discuss the possibility of accepting women as deacons. This year, a special commission has begun to meet in Rome to focus on women’s participation in the church and what their roles might become as “co-responsible and equal in baptismal dignity.” 

Like S. Joan and S. Mary, S. Carolyn says the role of women “has long been on my heart.” Over the years, she has found it painful to tell people she isn’t allowed to baptize their baby or preach. “It has been a great sadness that I could not do for people the things a deacon can do. And I’m not saying this to brag, but I was often a better preacher than the priest in the parish.” She made an initial connection to the Discerning Deacons while attending a meeting of the U.S. Association of Catholic priests, a group that supports the role of women in the church. Today, she is part of the Discerning Deacon’s local coordinating committee, helping host meetings and an annual celebration of St. Phoebe, the woman whom St. Paul commended to the Church in Rome (Romans 16:1-2).

Discerning Deacons emphasizes that the question of women and the diaconate is indeed a living conversation. S. Carolyn says the fact that there is a group like this is a sign of progress. “My great hope is that the Catholic Church will soon welcome the full gifts of women at all levels,” she says.

S. Joan acknowledges that the Church never moves fast. “I’m 84 now and I’ve been at this since the 1970s. Sometimes it’s hard to hope that the Church will evolve and welcome women’s gifts. But there are signs of progress. And I remind myself, if you wait for permission, it will never come.”