Thanks for your commentary on the synod and the 'process' which would seem to be vague. But as I was reading the sentence 'Say something in Spanish' brought to mind a part of my bachelors thesis on Multicultural Management Methods. Very specifically I had written a brief segment on communications in formal group meetings in which 1 or 2 people of color were among a group of many others. It is not just my experience, but the source that inspired my choice of topics.
~ The experience of my source, Floyd and Jacqueline Dickens wrote about their experiences of being in board meetings with many other managers and directors. Individually, they had experienced speaking to a particular issue being focused on, and then being cut off by another board member who was not black - in fact all of the others were white. Thus, having experienced this many times, they concluded that unless there were more people of color in those meetings, they would not be heard, they would be cut off. This has been my own experience, not only out in the world, but within the Church itself at whatever meeting being held.
~ Who is at the meetings, and who is being heard, and who is not being heard matters.
~ Who is allowed to speak, who is given the floor by a 'leader' speaks of the dynamics in 'the Church', and this dynamic itself says something about 'what' is treated as important, and what is brushed off as 'not important'.
~ As an example, when Pope Francis released 'Vos Estis Lux Munci', mentioned the document in a group session made up mostly of women in the parish - I was the only Latina. I mentioned VELM and suggested out loud that it should be translated into Spanish and posted in both English and Spanish in the parish bulletin. There was silence! Nobody spoke in favor of or against.
~ This, it seems to me, is part of what Pope Francis is trying to deal with. People must express the needs of the community and address what is to be done, what can be done and not expect 'the pope' to handle everything. VELM is something that laity can deal with locally, that was the purpose for writing it, yet it seemed not to occur that there are actions that parishioners, laity can take and be assertive. Only those with privilege in the parish and diocese dare assert themselves. The dynamics are recognizable to one trained in communication, and group dynamics. But we are also programmed to be silent and defer to whoever has been somehow designated 'a leader' - this is the role of 'gate keepers' and parishioners understand this dynamic.
~ That is what is being seen at the synod, and I'm willing to bet that those who do attend the synods as they develop are the ones who are 'gate keepers' who have left others out merely by silencing.
~ These are difficult dynamics to break... but Pope Francis knows it must be done if we are to 'clean up the Church' (which only parishioners have the real power to do if only...), and move the reforms forward, but those are reforms that have to do with eliminating the hierarchical dynamic in our parish communities. This is what I 'see'. Such a long road to travel...
Thanks for your commentary on the synod and the 'process' which would seem to be vague. But as I was reading the sentence 'Say something in Spanish' brought to mind a part of my bachelors thesis on Multicultural Management Methods. Very specifically I had written a brief segment on communications in formal group meetings in which 1 or 2 people of color were among a group of many others. It is not just my experience, but the source that inspired my choice of topics.
~ The experience of my source, Floyd and Jacqueline Dickens wrote about their experiences of being in board meetings with many other managers and directors. Individually, they had experienced speaking to a particular issue being focused on, and then being cut off by another board member who was not black - in fact all of the others were white. Thus, having experienced this many times, they concluded that unless there were more people of color in those meetings, they would not be heard, they would be cut off. This has been my own experience, not only out in the world, but within the Church itself at whatever meeting being held.
~ Who is at the meetings, and who is being heard, and who is not being heard matters.
~ Who is allowed to speak, who is given the floor by a 'leader' speaks of the dynamics in 'the Church', and this dynamic itself says something about 'what' is treated as important, and what is brushed off as 'not important'.
~ As an example, when Pope Francis released 'Vos Estis Lux Munci', mentioned the document in a group session made up mostly of women in the parish - I was the only Latina. I mentioned VELM and suggested out loud that it should be translated into Spanish and posted in both English and Spanish in the parish bulletin. There was silence! Nobody spoke in favor of or against.
~ This, it seems to me, is part of what Pope Francis is trying to deal with. People must express the needs of the community and address what is to be done, what can be done and not expect 'the pope' to handle everything. VELM is something that laity can deal with locally, that was the purpose for writing it, yet it seemed not to occur that there are actions that parishioners, laity can take and be assertive. Only those with privilege in the parish and diocese dare assert themselves. The dynamics are recognizable to one trained in communication, and group dynamics. But we are also programmed to be silent and defer to whoever has been somehow designated 'a leader' - this is the role of 'gate keepers' and parishioners understand this dynamic.
~ That is what is being seen at the synod, and I'm willing to bet that those who do attend the synods as they develop are the ones who are 'gate keepers' who have left others out merely by silencing.
~ These are difficult dynamics to break... but Pope Francis knows it must be done if we are to 'clean up the Church' (which only parishioners have the real power to do if only...), and move the reforms forward, but those are reforms that have to do with eliminating the hierarchical dynamic in our parish communities. This is what I 'see'. Such a long road to travel...