Annunciation

  • Task planning at home. Way more in the queue for this week than I will be able to accomplish.
  • Morning Prayer in the cathedral.
  • Met with Bonnie Roberts, the cathedral office manager, to talk about issues related to the service bulletins for the Chrism Mass, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week.
  • Brought my working notes for tonight's Lenten teaching series from "rough" to "polished."
  • Worked on the bulletin for the early Palm Sunday liturgy at the cathedral; delivered it to Bonnie via email.
  • Rushed off to an appointment with a dermatologist at Springfield Clinic. I've been having some skin irritation issues that seem to be traceable to a reaction to the gel used in an echocardiogram procedure a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully we have a handle on it now, but it's been tricky.
  • Began the work of refining and polishing my homily for this Sunday.
  • Attended Mass in the cathedral chapel for the feast of the Annunciation or Our Lady.
  • Lunch at home. Leftovers.
  • Completed refining this Sunday's sermon.
  • Spoke by phone with Fr John Henry as he wore his Chair-of-the-Commission-on-Ministry hat.
  • Identified a Maundy Thursday sermon from a previous year that has the potential to be repurposed for use next week. Began work toward that end.
  • Arranged for contributions from the discretionary fund to the Illinois Conference of Churches, and to the Living Church Foundation.
  • Processed--which mostly means scanned--the accumulated pile of material in my physical inbox.
  • Out the door at 4:30 for O'Fallon. While en route, got to chat by phone with the Bishop of Calgary, who is an old friend and seminary classmate.
  • Spent the final Lenten Wednesday with the people of St Michael's, O'Fallon, talking about the final two promises of the Baptismal Covenant. Back home around 9:45.

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