The Korean Bishops' subcommittee on women's issues recently in their
regular yearly seminar used a different approach than in the past. They
decisively jettison the old system in which a talk and authorities in
their field would discuss the topic and the participant would listen. Both Catholic papers and editorial brought the meeting to the attention of the readers.
This
time they used the principles of the Open Space Technology to conduct
their meeting. The idea is attributed to Harrison Owen an American who
gathered the many ideas on meetings to form this new technology of
coming to a decision. The participants freely expressed their opinion,
they selected what they wanted to talk about and determined how they
wanted to make the decisions.
They became active
participants from the beginning to the end. This was a strange method compared to what they were accustomed to from the past.
As the
meeting progressed they began to find a vitality present. Under
the big heading of the meaning and role in the call to the feminine
they considered: * motherhood and the feminine * recruiting of women
experts * religious education in the family * child care within the
Church * care for the women who are marginalized * relationship within
the community of faith these and four more the participants
selected.
Participants came from different dioceses and parishes, all
workers within the community of faith. They were all convinced of a
need to change the way of doing things; agreed the change
had to begin with themselves. A change from a passive to active
participation in the life of the Church. A change was also needed in the system.
60 members attended and were
convinced that they had to change if society was going to change. The
bishop who is the committee chairman said that hearing the women talk, he had a need to change. Women have a great deal to do within the
Church. Since the women's role and position in society has changed this
has to change also in the Church. The women have a role also to make in
the society and the Church needs to support them in this role.
The topics discussed at the seminar will continue to be matter for study and development.
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