Thursday

• Woke up to the news of overnight snowfall, which meant I was soon thereafter behind a snowblower. Fortunately, with such equipment, clearing the driveway is not a very long job.
• While still at home, I processed (mostly into tasks) the usual pile of email that accumulates when I'm traveling.
• Upon arriving at the cathedral-office complex, there was a small but substantive list of administrative and pastoral items that invited themselves to be considered in consultation with the Archdeacon.
• Morning Prayer in the cathedral.
• Prepared to preside and preach at the midday Mass in the cathedral chapel.
• Took care of some minor hard-copy flotsam and jetsam that appeared on my desk while I was away (e.g. "Letters Dimissory" for a priest who is leaving the diocese, signing a consent form for the election of a bishop in another diocese, etc.).
• Attended, via email and phone, to an emerging pastoral/administrative matter (one of those I had earlier conferred with the Archdeacon about).
• Celebrated and preached the midday Mass.
• Lunch at home.
• Cleaned up some detritus from the morning's activities.
• Refined and printed my homily for this Sunday (St Bartholomew's, Granite City).
• Made contact by individual emails with five priests who may turn out to be candidates for one of our vacant cures. I've promised the search committee a list.
• Evening Prayer in the cathedral.