tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post8849933451213083142..comments2024-03-07T17:08:03.583-05:00Comments on Lionel Deimel’s Web Log: State of the Diocese of PittsburghLionel Deimelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08363018512775944659noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post-61637850651371094692013-06-19T10:37:35.828-04:002013-06-19T10:37:35.828-04:00I made one edit to my post. I said that the first ...I made one edit to my post. I said that the first session of the summer would be held June 22. There were not enough people available on that date, however, so the first session will be held June 29. I apologize for the error.Lionel Deimelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08363018512775944659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post-39516078509627507262013-06-19T10:35:16.182-04:002013-06-19T10:35:16.182-04:00I think we are already seeing revised expectations...I think we are already seeing revised expectations regarding the dialogue. The original plan did not have a definite end date, and the team seems ready to continue sessions only through the summer. Also, since they cannot achieve balance and accommodate everyone, there needs to be some rethinking about how the sessions are going to work. (I suspect that, in the end, the team will not be able to accommodate all comers.) In the group I was in, one conservative was missing. I certainly felt bad about that, and the conservatives who were there probably did, too.Lionel Deimelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08363018512775944659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post-53223078167373155902013-06-19T10:22:09.595-04:002013-06-19T10:22:09.595-04:00Thanks, Lionel. My point is that rather than to s...Thanks, Lionel. My point is that rather than to say "conservatives are being passive-aggressive by not participating in the conversations," it would be more accurate and possibly more helpful in the long-run to say that hardly anybody, conservative or liberal, seems very interested in participating. When you consider the census of the diocese as a whole, the difference between self-identified conservative sign-ups and self-identified liberal sign-ups fades to statistical insignificance. Everybody is staying away in droves. <br /><br />I don't have a particular interpretation of why essentially nobody seems much interested in participating, but I think your observations in the blogpost may have some relevance. There is I think a general war-weariness after the events of the last decade, and that isn't something that will go away simply because someone attempts a "better job of selling the diocese." It's going to take time--different for everybody, of course, but my sense is that for many the process may take years and decades, and it may be that the picture will in hindsight look more generational. It will get better, and people will re-engage, but gradually, incrementally. In the meantime, I think we probably should be a bit more realistic about expectations.<br /><br />Bruce RobisonBruce Robisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193701138386039942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post-13190497089755436032013-06-18T16:39:13.303-04:002013-06-18T16:39:13.303-04:00Bruce, I think the number of conservatives who hav...Bruce, I think the number of conservatives who have signed up is closer to 20 than 30. We were not given precise numbers, however.<br /><br />Thanks for the link to the post I had not remembered writing, but I am unclear as to just what point you want to make. Are you saying that we need to be doing a better job of selling the diocese? Perhaps leading with the sexuality dialogue is not the most enticing pitch. Or perhaps I have misunderstood your point.Lionel Deimelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08363018512775944659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post-77498196521389321802013-06-18T15:12:16.243-04:002013-06-18T15:12:16.243-04:00With thanks for this, Lionel. Sounds like a very ...With thanks for this, Lionel. Sounds like a very interesting meeting, and I'm glad to hear the summary. <br /><br />In terms of your take on the "participation" issues, with only about 100 (roughly 70 self-identified "progressives," I gather from your statistics, and 30 self-identified "conservatives, out of a baptized diocesan membership approaching 9,000) signing-on for the conversations, I would also add some very helpful insights a friend composed a couple of years ago.<br /><br />http://ourpghdiocese.blogspot.com/2011/09/getting-involved.html<br /><br />Blessings,<br /><br />Bruce Robison<br /><br /><br />Bruce Robisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00193701138386039942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3320087.post-58287684156362623772013-06-18T15:07:22.389-04:002013-06-18T15:07:22.389-04:00We are doing the Blessing conversations parish by ...We are doing the Blessing conversations parish by parish with the support of the diocese. Prayers for yours who simply can't deal with same sex relationships. I wonder if they ever think about how they were conceived. Perhaps they need to be reminded that sex is only a small part of life for most people of any orientation so what are they really thinking about? Surely not love.PseudoPiskiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12070541512355253553noreply@blogger.com