Yeah, I know. It's been a month. I'm not very disciplined...but I at least thought about it. I would say, "Anna, you need to write," but I would get sidetracked or I was traveling and exhausted.
So the last two weeks I've been in North Carolina/Virginia.
Now let me be clear...I have not been to the place of my birth in 15 years. But before you get all judgie, there was nothing untoward going on. I haven't been home in 15 years for two reasons. One: The last Christmas I went home was 2003. I decided it would be my last because I got stuck in an airport in Chicago for 36 hours. Yes...36 hours of my life. There was no ipod, no cell phone or tablet to watch Netflix on. I had a small CD case filled with DVDs in my backpack along with my computer, so I sat near an outlet and watched movies and slept for 36 hours. Two: Humidity. Humidity is of the devil. It does not do good things for my hair. It makes me sweat unnecessarily. It makes me feel icky. And that's not ok.
So the last two weeks I've been in North Carolina/Virginia.
The first week was for a conference hosted by Latino/Hispanic Ministries. We worshiped together, shared stories, listened deeply, and danced. It was amazing. But it was also really hard. It is easy for us white folks to talk about being self-aware about our privilege. During that week, I was one of a handful of English-speaking only folks, and that meant I often ate meals either alone or at tables where I had no idea what was being said. It meant I had to wear a translation headset and sit in the back of the room near the translation booth. It meant that I inadvertently made a social/cultural faux pa that caused unnecessary harm to another. In other words, I was treated like the "other" and being the "other" is dehumanizing, belittling and NOT respecting the dignity of every human being. But I also had really incredible conversations, I learned so much from my colleagues across the church, I laughed, I sang, I danced, and I made new friends who were supportive and challenging. And I am grateful.
When I travel, I wear a necklace that some may consider "superstitious" or silly. I don't really care about that opinion. I wear a necklace that has a Guadalupe charm, two "Miraculous Medals" (one from France and one from a Mary shrine), a shell from the Camino de Santiago, a Hand of Fatima, and a sand-dollar. It means that I travel with Mary, with the saints, with protection, and with hope. She is always with me.
And at this first conference, She kept showing up on people's business cards, on prayer cards being shared with friends, in communal prayers, on jewelry and tattoos. She became a point of connection across language and cultural differences. She liberated us from our uncertainty. She supported us as we shared space and sacred conversations.
The second week was for a conference hosted by a leadership development team associated with the Church. It was about leadership development and formation across the orders of the church (clergy and lay), getting our finances in order and more transparent, and how to dream big as ministry teams. It was interesting. But here's what I noticed...other than 3 people (I think, maybe 4), the entire audience of the conference, as well as the presenters, were white. There were no translation services available. The receptions and meals were very "business casual" but not exactly the fun fiestas or quiet meals I had experienced the week before. And I needed to say something about it. I also felt rather diminished on at least two occasions, when a presenter kept dismissing my ideas of/experiences in ministry...and there was mansplaining. LOTS of mansplaining.
Mary showed up in a presentation by the Diocese of Alaska. They have a traveling icon of Her, and she takes up residence in a difference worshiping community each year. She is depicted in cultural dress and she is beautiful. Mary showed up in a conversation between new friends. And I felt that She used the experience of the previous week to inspire me to ask the question about why there were so few people of color present, and especially no Latino/Hispanic individuals or clergy in a diocese that has a Latino bishop.
(In case you're keeping a bit of score here, that's two major issues facing our Church...sexism and racism.)
She was the source of my liberation because of my experience the week before. But for the most part, Mary was not as present at this conference...which has also been part of my experience with Her. In more culturally and ethnically diverse communities, She is part of the Christian identity, organically and traditionally. Likewise, in more Anglo-centric communities, she comes up in the Creed, maybe gets mentioned in a Eucharistic prayer, or in the reciting of her Magnificat.
And look at what we're missing! We are missing a fuller sense of humanity...diverse language, culture, and holy gender identity. We are missing a more complete understanding of God when Mary is understood as representing the feminine Divine or gives us an image for what gender inclusive language might look like. We are missing an invitation to share more intimately...to tell our stories of her presence in our lives, to share our prayers to her, to give a new friend a prayer card with her image.
So I will continue traveling with Mary...on my necklace, on prayer cards that I both share and receive, and in my heart.
So the last two weeks I've been in North Carolina/Virginia.
Now let me be clear...I have not been to the place of my birth in 15 years. But before you get all judgie, there was nothing untoward going on. I haven't been home in 15 years for two reasons. One: The last Christmas I went home was 2003. I decided it would be my last because I got stuck in an airport in Chicago for 36 hours. Yes...36 hours of my life. There was no ipod, no cell phone or tablet to watch Netflix on. I had a small CD case filled with DVDs in my backpack along with my computer, so I sat near an outlet and watched movies and slept for 36 hours. Two: Humidity. Humidity is of the devil. It does not do good things for my hair. It makes me sweat unnecessarily. It makes me feel icky. And that's not ok.
So the last two weeks I've been in North Carolina/Virginia.
The first week was for a conference hosted by Latino/Hispanic Ministries. We worshiped together, shared stories, listened deeply, and danced. It was amazing. But it was also really hard. It is easy for us white folks to talk about being self-aware about our privilege. During that week, I was one of a handful of English-speaking only folks, and that meant I often ate meals either alone or at tables where I had no idea what was being said. It meant I had to wear a translation headset and sit in the back of the room near the translation booth. It meant that I inadvertently made a social/cultural faux pa that caused unnecessary harm to another. In other words, I was treated like the "other" and being the "other" is dehumanizing, belittling and NOT respecting the dignity of every human being. But I also had really incredible conversations, I learned so much from my colleagues across the church, I laughed, I sang, I danced, and I made new friends who were supportive and challenging. And I am grateful.
When I travel, I wear a necklace that some may consider "superstitious" or silly. I don't really care about that opinion. I wear a necklace that has a Guadalupe charm, two "Miraculous Medals" (one from France and one from a Mary shrine), a shell from the Camino de Santiago, a Hand of Fatima, and a sand-dollar. It means that I travel with Mary, with the saints, with protection, and with hope. She is always with me.
And at this first conference, She kept showing up on people's business cards, on prayer cards being shared with friends, in communal prayers, on jewelry and tattoos. She became a point of connection across language and cultural differences. She liberated us from our uncertainty. She supported us as we shared space and sacred conversations.
The second week was for a conference hosted by a leadership development team associated with the Church. It was about leadership development and formation across the orders of the church (clergy and lay), getting our finances in order and more transparent, and how to dream big as ministry teams. It was interesting. But here's what I noticed...other than 3 people (I think, maybe 4), the entire audience of the conference, as well as the presenters, were white. There were no translation services available. The receptions and meals were very "business casual" but not exactly the fun fiestas or quiet meals I had experienced the week before. And I needed to say something about it. I also felt rather diminished on at least two occasions, when a presenter kept dismissing my ideas of/experiences in ministry...and there was mansplaining. LOTS of mansplaining.
Mary showed up in a presentation by the Diocese of Alaska. They have a traveling icon of Her, and she takes up residence in a difference worshiping community each year. She is depicted in cultural dress and she is beautiful. Mary showed up in a conversation between new friends. And I felt that She used the experience of the previous week to inspire me to ask the question about why there were so few people of color present, and especially no Latino/Hispanic individuals or clergy in a diocese that has a Latino bishop.
(In case you're keeping a bit of score here, that's two major issues facing our Church...sexism and racism.)
She was the source of my liberation because of my experience the week before. But for the most part, Mary was not as present at this conference...which has also been part of my experience with Her. In more culturally and ethnically diverse communities, She is part of the Christian identity, organically and traditionally. Likewise, in more Anglo-centric communities, she comes up in the Creed, maybe gets mentioned in a Eucharistic prayer, or in the reciting of her Magnificat.
And look at what we're missing! We are missing a fuller sense of humanity...diverse language, culture, and holy gender identity. We are missing a more complete understanding of God when Mary is understood as representing the feminine Divine or gives us an image for what gender inclusive language might look like. We are missing an invitation to share more intimately...to tell our stories of her presence in our lives, to share our prayers to her, to give a new friend a prayer card with her image.
So I will continue traveling with Mary...on my necklace, on prayer cards that I both share and receive, and in my heart.