Since the re-introduction of the permanent diaconate for men after the Second Vatican Council there has been debate over whether women should be included. Would diaconal ordination be a support in the charitable and ecclesiastical tasks women are already performing? Is it necessary? Would it be a help or a hindrance in women's attaining the priesthood? In A New Phoebe, women in the U.S. and German--the two countries with the most deacons--write about their ideas and experiences of ministry: some would seek the diaconate if it were open, others would not. The concluding essays, including an...