Come to the *Other* Rome Blognic

So, I see that there are still only 16 officially registered on the Facebook site.

If you're planning on coming, please please sign up on the FB page as "Attending".

Didn't your mothers tell you to RSVP?

UPDATE 3: So, it turns out that the people in the Vatican DO have a sense of irony after all. Looks like I'm going to be attending their official blogger conference, along with Kat and a couple of other of our favourite bloggie buddies. Congratulations to all the ones who made the list, but please don't let it stop you from signing in as "Attending" on the page. RSVP, people! It's manners!

UPDATE 2: Just spoke to the proprietor of Scholars Lounge pub and all looks just fine. He's got Wifi, a good sound system, loads of room in a newly built space and would love to have a bunch of bloggers come and drink his beer. Meeting with him on Saturday to firm up the plans.

UPDATE: Keynote speaker will be the rootin' tootin' Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV.com and The Vortex, speaking on

"How the blogs and 'new media' are shaping the New Evangelisation"




Do you have a blog on which you write about Catholic stuff?

Do you read Catholic blogs?

Do you comment on Catholic blogs?

Are you planning on going to Rome for the Beatification of John Paul II?

Are you pretty sure you're not going to get invited to the Vatican's blognic?

Do you suspect that they found your work just a leeetle too ... err... forthcoming about the bishops, the Church, the state of things?

Well, why not come to the *other* Catholic blogger Rome blognic...

and talk about what *YOU* want to talk about...

Ours will be FUN!

AND we'll have beer...

AND pizza...

AND we'll let you come in your pyjamas if you want.

Tell your bloggy friends and enemies.

Where?

We're still in the process of organising this (since we just dreamed it up on Friday). More details about location will follow, but right now we're looking at a very central venue, Scholar's Lounge Pub, the home of the Rome Pub Quiz, which is on all the Centro's bus and tram routes. So it will be an easy access to wherever you'll be camping for the Beatification.

Things we do know:

1) you will be allowed to talk about whatever YOU want

2) No Vatican prelate will "engage you in a meaningful dialogue"

3) the talks will all be in English

4) all the cool kids will be there

For now, the plan is to have two formal "talks," in the style of Theology on Tap: a keynote and a panel. We'll discuss the general state of things, the impact of the "new media" on the Church at the local and international level, the contributions of bloggers to the various Catholic public debates etc (see topic suggestions below).

The rest of the time will be in "small breakout discussion groups" (IOW, sitting around in the pub drinking and talking).

Also, we're going to do our best to get Wifi so you can liveblog it, and we can maybe set up some Skype calls or iChat thingies for people whose bodies can't make it so at least their heads can be there. And we'll see what we can do about getting the thing on video so it can go up on YouTube.

AND, if all goes as planned, there will be discounts for drinks for those who are registered before the event.

"Sounds GREAT! What can I do to help put it together?"

First thing to do is cut and paste this post into your blog (or other new media thingy) and start drumming up interest.

Next, think of three or more Catholic bloggers who fit the following criteria:

1) could be described, in the immortal words of John Allen and at least one influential cleric, "Taliban Catholics"

2) blogs about Catholic stuff

3) is likely to be in Rome for the Beatification anyway

...and invite them to join this facebook event page.

Next, suggest topics you'd like to hear talked about. So far we've had:

1) Whatever the hell we damn well want to talk about

2) "blogging until something happens"
- the intolerable silence of injustice has been disturbed and even destroyed
- the power of the blogs efforts in transparency and accountability

3) "I am not alone"
- isolationism and the iconoclasm

4) Why is the Catholic bloggosphere so nearly uniformly "conservative," pro-Benedict and, above all, young?

5) Are we really "making a difference" or is it really all just narcissism?

6) exchanging stories: how have Catholic blogs, websites and "new media" actually made a concrete difference to the Church or to real people?




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