text: Whether a woman was "prominent" or "emerged as a leader" is beside the point. Considering the patriarchal times in which they lived, it's a miracle that even one or two female figures made it to the Book. During my formative years in the Church there were several good priests and many,many good Catholic women who mentored or led me as needed at the time. Most of them have either died or "disappeared" and their names will never be mentioned beyond the oral histories of their own families. The point is those women (and men) were so inspired by the Spirit of the Lord that they made an enormous difference in my life then and continue to inspire me now. They were Church for me. In these more enlightened times and considering the fullness of women's  contributions down through the ages,  bickering about the propriety of their  insurgence into more prominent leadership, such as the diaconate, seems a bid absurd.