Thursday (St Richard of Chichester)

  • Morning Prayer (short form) in the car on the way to the office.
  • The slack left by Fr Roderick's untimely passing is dispersed in several directions, one of which is mine. So I spent some time with the mundane but important task of preparing binders with the texts of the Palm Sunday and Good Friday Passion readings, with the various parts clearly marked for those who will read them. Time and energy now; big payoff when everything goes smoothly when the time comes.
  • Prepared for the midday Mass, since my name is up on the rota.
  • Responded to some pastoral and administrative flotsam and jetsam related to Easter Vigil baptisms at the cathedral.
  • Spoke by phone with a retired priest of the diocese. Made an appointment to go see him.
  • Pulled together several pieces of the Chrism Mass liturgy (April 12) that were previously floating around in weightlessness. I feel much more secure about it now. 
  • Presided and preached at the 12:15 Mass, keeping the lesser feast of St Richard of Chichester.
  • Lunch from La Bamba, eaten at home.
  • Conceived, hatched, and partially developed a homily for the Chrism Mass. That is really draining work, so I had to walk around the rotunda of the Diocesan Center a few times to recover my resolve to carry on.
  • All the while, I'm dealing with mild but persistent pain emanating from my cervical vertebrae. This is a "known issue" that has been largely in abeyance for several years, but is suddenly resurgent.
  • Worked on something pertaining to the pre-trip formation of our youth pilgrims to Canterbury in June.
  • Put some meat on the bones of my very rough notes for the fifth and final session of Unpacking Lent next Wednesday at St John's, Decatur.
  • Evening Prayer in the cathedral.
  • After dinner, attended to some Nashotah House business (regular, not crisis-related). Finished the day with just two uncompleted tasks out of an original 18.

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