Rogation Wednesday


  • Usual AM routine. Morning Prayer in the cathedral. 
  • Responded by email to some ever-developing activity in front of next week's Nashotah House board meeting. 
  • Responded by email to some ever-developing activity in front of next month's triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church. 
  • Took some steps toward bringing us closer to having a cohort of parishes involved in next Fall's "wave" of Renewal Works. 
  • Worked on my homily for this Sunday (Redeemer, Cairo), bringing it to the stage of being ready for final refinement and printing. 
  • Attended to some developments in the process of reconfiguring our financial administration procedures in preparation for the Treasurer's impending retirement. 
  • Began to dig into the (electronic) pile of sheer reading and absorbing I need to do in preparation for General Convention. 
  • Met with an individual in the early stages of discerning a call to the diaconate. I feel so blessed to be part of these liminal moments in people's lives. 
  • Lunch from McD's, eaten at home. (Still rejoicing over the return of hot mustard sauce.) 
  • Back to the General Convention reading project. 
  • Brief attention to some initial prep for next November's clergy conference. 
  • Devoted a chunk of time to preparing for my participation in next month's initial Diocese of Springfield St Michael's Youth Conference. This is going to be really exciting. 
  • Took an initial prayerful pass at the readings for Proper 17 (August 30 at St Mary's, Robinson ... yes, that's a long way off, but the aforementioned SMYC, General Convention, and my annual vacation all happen in the meantime, so ... this is where it belongs in the queue). 
  • Did some deconstructing and reconstructing of previously-delivered homily for Trinity Sunday, when it will be my joy to be with the people of Trinity, Mattoon on their feast of title. 
  • Reviewed and consented to a request from a priest to solemnize the marriage of two previously-married parishioners. I'm glad to be the medium of grace and second chances. At the same time, I'm troubled about how routine it has become. I'm ready to have a conversation with the clergy about a policy under which all remarriages of divorced persons with a living former spouse would be contracted in the secular arena, and then be eligible for blessing in church after a determined period. No hasty decisions here. 
  • Joined with the Archdeacon in preparing the cathedral sanctuary for this Friday's Diocesan Council liturgy. 
  • Attended to a small but important pastoral-administrative matter. 
  • Evening Prayer in the cathedral.

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