Tuesday

  • The November crud was knocking at my door yesterday, and by this morning it was fully arrived. So I opted to not inflict it on those in office, and stayed home to work from my recliner. To be honest, I wouldn't want to make a habit of it, but it's amazing how productive one can be with the right devices and a broadband internet connection. 
  • Spoke by phone with the rector of one of our parishes regarding an upcoming meeting I have with some of his lay leaders to discuss the emerging diocesan vision for mission.
  • Negotiated (by email) a conference call appointment with the lay leaders of two yoked congregations to discuss a particular candidate for becoming their priest.
  • Contacted the Bishop of Kentucky to let him know I'm about to ordain a military chaplain who is physically resident in the territory of his diocese (David Peters, who is stationed at Fort Knox).
  • Exchanged several emails throughout the day with Fr Tucker in Mount Vernon regarding details of tomorrow night's ordination liturgy (see above bullet point).
  • Contacted another bishop with some information he needs about a priest who is canonically resident here but physically resident there. (Isn't this a funny system we have?)
  • Produced an article for the December edition of the Springfield Current.
  • Exchanged emails with the priest-in-charge of a Eucharistic Community I will be visiting in December regarding some of the details of that occasion.
  • Negotiated a telephone appointment with the investment adviser for the Putnam Trust, of which the Bishop of Springfield is one of the two co-trustees, and which benefits St John's Chapel in Champaign and St John the Baptist in Mount Carmel. This is for the purpose of a routine year-end review.
  • Assessed and organized planning for the various acts which I now need to take in order to comply with the canon we amended at last month's synod which brings our procedures into conformity with the national canons on clergy discipline (Title IV). There's a bit of bureaucracy we need to reinvent.
  • Studied a parish-based discipleship formation resource that has been assembled by another diocese, with an eye toward how it, or something like it, might be employed in the execution of our general mission strategy.
  • Planned and organized the actions I need to take in producing Sunday sermons for the rest of this year and most of the next.

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