Diocesan Assembly Elects....Me??

As it's ever clear that our people are not one to embrace change, it is extradorinary that a chain of events took place which resulted in the election of a brand new Diocesan Council for the next 5 years...which includes me.

As I went to the Diocesan Assembly, I went with a mind of pessimism. Typically these gatherings are full of men who are more interested in using the Church as a vehicle to propel their own fame and prestige...rather than doin ganything productive. For the weeks leading up to the election, I was inundated with calls and U.S. postal mailings from individuals soliciting my vote for this election. Being relatively new to the process...I unwittingly picked up the phone the first few times to uncomfortable conversation which always ended with "Ok Moneh...I hope that you will vote for me".

This was all new territory for me. If the actual meeting is the only body which can nominate candidates for the Diocesan Council (4 lay people, 2 priests, and 1 trustee), then weren't these ppl who were calling jumping the gun and running for a position they weren't an official nominee for? Moreover, if you are actively campaigning for such a position...what does that say about your motivations? This entire process seemed more "mallu" than it did church-related.

When I arrive at the church for the meeting, I was greeted by individuals in front of the church who were actively campaigning. They were handing out flyers, business cards, shaking hands (surely they'd have kissed babies if they were there...), it just wreaked of a certain unseemly desperation to me. When inside, we were served refreshments and given a chance to mingle. It was nice to see so many priests, seminarians, and regular people who flew in from all over. However, being only 30, there were only a few of ppl in my age group...namely my comrades from the Old MGOCSM. Overall, candidates who approached us didn't know how to answer a simple question like :"what is your plan for the diocese"...and more striking was that some of them struggled with English...which you would think was a necessity if you were elected a Council member of the AMERICAN diocese...but as usual...I digress.

The meeting itself was of typical Ortho-style...priests standing up to say lofty things....lay people trying to be "bold" and get noticed....ppl talking over one another...overall the normal way we do things. When nominations came to the floor, they began naming names I had heard before (probably from the pamphlets sent to me)..and nary a one seemed to be under the age of 40. Sitting with a group of "comrades" I was asked if I wanted to be nominated. Now, these type of jobs generally fall to the "politicians" of the church. It's not one I'd typically desire, nor is the amount of work something I particularly need. However, I try to never deny the will of God in choosing you despite your insistance...so my response that day was the same as usual: "I don't want to campaign for it, but if chosen...I'd do the job." That was all one of the comrades needed....standing up and nominating me..s.econded by the other comrade from Chicago. Now...it may be my imagination...but it was verified by other ppl including priests...because when I was nominated there was a noticeable buzz on the floor. Many of the ppl there know me, so it might have just been surprising....who knows...but at that point I had about 10 minutes to put together a speech.

Never one to be shy with words...I had a few talking points in mind. One by one the other candidates spouted off the typical cliches "ask not what you country [church] can do for you..." ala JFK etc. Some seemed timid...while others were TOO proud. (Especially the gentelman who said "I won't say IF you vote for me...because if you want positive things then voting for me a certain thing..)

When my turn came, I began by saying that I had donated money towards the current Diocesan Center, seen the current Aramana...and that's when it all kind of came loose. Not really able to control the words as they went from my brain to my mouth...I launched into a tirade on how everyone talks about change..and yet every meeting is the same...little gets done..and they continuously elect ppl who are old enough that they may not see the duration of their terms (yes....I really did). Then I talked about how I was a product of this diocese...how we needed to stop building large buildings and return to God.....how I had came through the system and had worked on various levels including designing VBS curriculum, co-authoring the MGOCSM constitution, and serving on the altar since 1989. I don't really know exactly what I said...but there were several loud applauses during the 2 minutes, my "comrades", were enjoying every moment, my father in law sat with an amused look on his face, and I heard the elder bishop say to the younger "he's right! we need more young ppl...".

When I was done...I stood there realizing that I was practically at a yell and had said several things that were probably inapporpriate...and yet received a boisterous ovation. The hours concluding were filled with kind words and well wishes...and by the end of the day I became the youngest Diocesan Council member ever....and perhaps the first American Born member. The following weeks have been a whirlwind...and I'm still getting my bearings. I'm really just overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my own generation...and by clergy members who see this as a wonderful chance. Personally, I'm not sure that I've gotten a full comprehension of how good a thing is. In time, the reality will hit me I guess. However I do know this much:...the revolution has taken another important step..and hopefully God will use me to effectuate positive change to finally bring things back to where they need to be.