With a couple weeks to spare before the Feast of Saint Phoebe (September 3), we sit down with Kascha Sanor, director of social and environmental justice for the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and Elise Stankus, a Rosemont College graduate student deeply involved with Discerning Deacons. Kascha and Elise went to Rome as pilgrims for Discerning Deacons during the two-part Synod on Synodality, where they engaged with synod delegates and carried stories and prayers from women across the world. Kascha and Elise are beautiful examples of messengers—like Saint Phoebe—carrying lessons that help our church expand and deepen.

Kascha and Elise presented a breakout session at the 2024 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) titled “Synodality and Reimagining Women in Ministry.” Breakout session applications are now open for the 2025 IFTJ: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iigy3r4avV8zT-9mPa9C-HPh-IwJAHwS1VCMoGcQ4gc/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.z5wv44ihaqud

Elise covered her experience in Rome through her blog. Dive into it here: https://elisestankuswrites.wixsite.com/witnessing-synod/my-blog

Read Kascha’s powerful reflection on the readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/05/26/peace-justice/

Discerning Deacons is the throughline of this episode. Learn more about this organization here: https://discerningdeacons.org/about/

Discerning Deacons welcomes everyone to participate in the Feast of St. Phoebe Virtual Prayer and Celebration on September 3, 2025, at 7 PM ET. Learn more about this celebration and other ways to honor Saint Phoebe in your own community: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_yxc8kEDEIKl2L58ldAjjddbX5ok4tvPSmXBlcPnEwc/edit?tab=t.0

Elise participates in the Synodality in Catholic Higher Education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (SCHEAP). Learn more about SCHEAP here: https://synodalityinphillyhighered.wordpress.com/latest-updates/