A detail from the “Procession of Female Saints,” a Byzantine mosaic in the Basilica St. Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy. More than 1,000 years after disappearing from the Catholic Church’s vocabulary, the question of female deacons, or “deaconesses,” has reemerged in the form of a study commissioned by Pope Francis. In a special report for Angelus starting on page 10, contributing editor and Church historian Mike Aquilina examines historical evidence outlining the roles of service taken on by women since the primitive Church. In an exclusive interview with Angelus on page 13, respected theologian Sister Sara Butler, MSBT, wonders whether the focus by some advocates on women’s ordination is distracting us from the more fundamental role of women in the Church.