Friday

  • Still dealing with a barrage of emails and social media material regarding the Nashotah House situation. I'm experiencing the special agony of leadership, which lies not in the necessity of opposing one's enemies, but in the inevitability of disappointing one's friends.
  • Both Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer were victims of the angst today. As soon as I arrived at the office-cathedral complex, I got busy preparing for the 10am Mass ahead of the quarterly meeting of Diocesan Council. Managed to also look at a few emails before it was time to go get vested.
  • Presided and preached a votive Mass "For the Mission of the Church (1)".
  • Presided at a productive and healthy meeting of Diocesan Council.
  • Attended a fairly brief meeting of the Standing Committee.
  • Attended a joint meeting of the Standing Committee and the Commission on Ministry for the purposed of interviewing middler seminarian Cameron Nations (and his wife Carly), who was applying to be advanced from postulancy to candidacy.
  • As the two bodies deliberated separately, I visited with Cameron and Carly in my office. But the deliberations did not take long, and I was able to give him the good news that he is now a candidate.
  • But this time it was 2pm. My introversion was thoroughly taxed and I hadn't had lunch yet. Drove to KFC by way of Illinois National Bank downtown to make a deposit. Lunch at home.
  • Back in the office around 3. Spent the better part of the next three hours, when I wasn't dealing with emails, working on a written response to several Nashotah board members regarding a difficult and sensitive issue.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Image
Ten years ago, minus about six weeks, I served as the supply priest for Trinity, Lincoln six days before my consecration as Bishop of Springfield. Today I was there for the final regular scheduled canonical parish visitation of my episcopate. (I have a few more gigs on my calendar: March 7 in Mattoon, the Chrism Mass, the Triduum at the cathedral, May 30 in Cairo, and June 27 back at the cathedral--May 2 is available and not yet spoken for--but the every Sunday routine of my life for the past decade (in a larger sense, for the last 32 years) is at a major flex point.) As much as it could have been in the midst of a pandemic, this morning at Trinity was luminous. We confirmed eight adults, six of them qualifying as "young." My homily had to compete with the sounds of active young children. (I would much rather do that than have no kids in church.) Trinity is one of the exciting points of light in my ministry in the diocese. I took my time getting out of Lincoln because I wante...
Read more

Spring 2018 House of Bishops, Day 3

Image
We have new stricter social media rules now in the HOB--no photos taken during a session without the permission of those in it. So ... I'm having to be more creative about finding pics for the blog, because I'm not going to take a panoramic group shot and then contact everyone whose balding head shows in the photo! Once again, the day began with Eucharist. This time, though, I took a pass, and opted for a vigorous walk on a brisk morning. Having looked at the liturgy sheet in advance, there were enough triggers that I knew the net spiritual effect for me would be negative. #selfcare  I will say, however, that HOB worship has gotten incrementally less problematic during the tenure of the current Presiding Bishop, and I give props for that. When we convened at 10:15, there were the usual announcements, then a whirlwind set of summary reports from bishop members of the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) and the Task Force on the Study of Marriage. The full report...
Read more

Saturday

Out the door at 8:30, headed south. Arrived at St Paul's, Alton at about 10:15. Presided over the installation of the Revd Cindy Sever as Rector of Alton Parish. It was an energetic and lovely ceremony. After the post-liturgical potluck I headed further south still, arriving at St James', Marion in time for their regular Lord's Day celebration, which occurs on the eve thereof. Presided, preached, and laid hands on one person renewing her baptismal vows. Dinner for vestry and spouses at the home of St Andrew's, Carbondale parishioner Trish Guyon, which is always an elegant affair. By now she knows what I like to drink and what I like to eat, so it's pretty special.
Read more