Exhausted in Anaheim

GENERAL CONVENTION DAY ONE

Just arriving in Anaheim after an exceedingly long day of travel (one-hour fog delay at Tri-State Airport resulted in an eight-hour delay in arrival) is an occasion for more than the usual thanksgiving. I’m grateful the first day of committee work and orientation are relatively low-stakes, because I fear we’d all be snarling at one another out of simple fatigue-crankiness if we had to deal with more serious business right off. Even in my present jaundiced view, though, I can recognize that this convention is getting off to a better start than the last one. One reason is the schedule: it is front-loaded with committee meeting time, but light on legislative session time early on. Later, that ratio will flip. This is having the effect of hustling resolutions along to the floor quickly so that they will not all pile up at the end, as we complained of in ’06. I’m told that some of the most “interesting” and controversial matters are advancing rapidly in their committees so that even they will come up much earlier than would have been the case before. We have to be on our toes at every legislative session, it seems, which is fine by me.

My committee is “Church in Small Communities,” and I’m enjoying it despite my sleepiness. We are two committees meeting together: Bishops and Deputies have parallel bodies. Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont is Bishop Chair, and I’m impressed with his leadership. Deputy Chair is Ivette Linares of Puerto Rico, who is learning her role, but very personable. We have only two resolutions to process, but we are asking to have a portion of a third referred to us. We held a hearing on one, A 116, last night and sent it on to the House of Deputies with some amendments which, in my opinion, improved it considerably.

The amendment process at GC is just like the one at Diocesan Convention level. We began with informal conversation working toward consensus. Then, when we were ready, we moved to formal consideration of amendment language. I observe, for whatever this means, that bishops speak out more than Deputies, and that priests speak up more than laity, men and women about the same. As usual, I was determined to keep my mouth shut, but as usual, unsuccessful, as there were a couple of wording issues that needed a little tweaking.

We had spent our first session getting to know one another, which was a time-consuming process. However, it pays off later when it comes time to express a difference of opinion, however slight. When the members have some knowledge of one another and have had some cordial words together (and some of us are acquainted from earlier life), it makes a big difference in how one can make an alternate suggestion, and in how that feedback is received. There is much less chance for misunderstanding or resentment being produced.

So we are off and running. I’m writing this at 5:00 a.m., the latest I was able to stay in bed. I’m assured by Ben James that I will eventually adapt to the time change—on the day I leave for home. Might as well brew some coffee; our opening session begins at 8:00!

Donald Vinson