Recently I asked Bishop Paul, among other things, about his interest in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, his open-heart surgery, diocesan ministries that have begun or have expanded with his encouragement, almost 14 years of writing monthly columns for secular newspapers, what he would have done differently over the past 14 years, what he wishes he had known, and what he wants to do with the rest of his life.
Bishop Paul received a diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in 2009, after several years work. In the fall he intends to begin a new and longer program as a candidate in the Psychoanalytic Institute of Philadelphia (same place. In addition to using these skills to understand the human person, he has been donating five or six hours a week to counseling persons at Trinity Soup Kitchen, Bethlehem, working with the most under-served segment of the patient population. "I have, of course, gotten more out of this than I have given." he said. "If I ever retire, I would be there several days a week. My next book will be a about psychoanalysis and Christianity. It is amazing to me how each field operates with absolutely wild beliefs about the other."
Would you say something about your open-heart surgery? "In the long run, I am much better for it, but I wouldn't wish the experience on anybody. The recovery was/is much slower than they lead one to believe, and only late this spring did I feel like I have my brain back. I have to say that while I have always respected the practitioners of the medical and nursing professions, my appreciation of their skills and the demands made on their lives has trebled."
Your secular newspaper column? "When I meet people from other denominations they do often say something about reading the columns. It was a monthly agony to do the column, but it was a way I had to reach the most people. The column often bounced around the Internet, and I occasionally heard that I have been helpful to people outside the diocese."
Upon writing his December 2009 column for secular newspapers, Bishop Paul decided that the column had "run its course." Thirteen years of his monthly columns had been published in newspapers throughout eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania. More than 90 were chosen a few years ago for publication in Messages in the Mall (Seabury Books).
What
diocesan ministries have begun or have expanded with your
encouragement? "You've probably got a more perfect list than I, but
I have been grateful above all for New Hope. The evangelism revival,
modest as it is, is certainly excellent. World Mission was restarted a
decade ago with gratifying results. Several parishes have seen great
progress in reversing the trend towards contraction in numbers and
program. We have done more with liturgy and music on the diocesan level
than at any time in our history, and now have something of a national
reputation. Our re-imagined commission on ecumenical and interfaith
relations has done an astonishing job in a very short time.
"Something
I have worked for consistently is a wider dispersal of power in our
structures. There are more voices and votes in taking both strategic and
tactical decisions than at any time in our history. I think this is a
living into the baptismal theology that is transforming the Church.
"We
have crossed several boundaries. One was with Father Patrick Malloy's
ordination, a real struggle for the Standing Committee of the time, but
one which has brought us a number of superbly gifted priests. We have
more women as rectors or priests-in-charge in substantial churches than
at any time.
"I could, I think, chatter on (like a fool). I still
believe what I said at my first meeting with the clergy in 1996, before
my consecration. This is a collegial office: bishops are almost nothing
without their colleagues in ministry.
Keeping clergy connected
and 'resourced' is an always-present and critical task. I think we have
an excellent pool of clergy, and I am grateful that we are sending young
people to seminary again. The joy of what is for some people a crushing
job is in not doing it alone. At the diocesan level: when I came here
there was an excellent staff, which I think is at optimum level today,
even though we are somewhat smaller in number.
"This has always
been a 'good' diocese, and that is the water in which I have been
privileged to swim. Bethlehem brings out the best in people, even me
sometimes. Golfers regularly talk about how much better they play
('playing up') when they are with good or better players –– that is
clearly true in church life. We have in this diocese a situation that
causes most of us to play up. Bishop Mark established some patterns (the
Bible studies, for instance), that continue to provide a framework for
excellence."
What would you have done differently over the past 14 years? "I would have worried less, causing less anxiety in those around me. I would not be so focused on my short-comings –– it is part of my job to show people what it looks like to be touched by grace.
What do you wish you had known? "•That we don't know how much we don't know. •The vital importance of community and collegiality is to point out to each other what we cannot ourselves see. I have been off-and-on accepting of some criticism and rejecting of others, but find that I now seek it. I owe this to learning that the unconscious is just that –– others must invite us to consciousness about ourselves. •The non-anxious presence concept is more important than anything else in leadership. The Robinson crisis and what followed taught me that the most important thing was to take a clear stand, calmly. My non-calm moments are my least constructive. •Creativity is a form of madness –– it is small comfort that science is just figuring this out with brain scans, that creative moments look just like psychotic breaks in terms of what lights up. •There is no easy way to travel between the US and Sudan."
What do you want to do with the rest of your life? "Become more ambivalent about myself. That would be the key to teaching 1 Cor 15:10a: By the grace of God, I am what I am. It was the text at my ordination in 1973, and I couldn't really hear it for decades. I could ramble on, and eventually I will, if asked. I think Garrison Keillor's book title says it all: Happy to Be Here."
More to come.
Comments