Friday


  • I'm not a statement-maker on current events (it usually strikes me as pretentious when my colleagues do it), but, since I have a DEPO relationship with a parish in Charleston, and with an email nudge from one of my clergy, I took the time while still at home to post something on the website and share it on social media. 
  •  Morning Prayer in the cathedral. 
  • I'm celebrating Mass, and preaching, both tomorrow and Sunday at this year's Cursillo weekend, so I prayed over the relevant readings and put some thoughts together in my head. 
  • I'm also preaching at the cathedral in Lima (Peru) on July, so I did the same thing with respect to that occasion. This one, however, I till take the time to flesh out more fully when I get back from General Convention. 
  • Watched the video presentations of each of the four candidates for Presiding Bishop. I believe they all love the Lord Jesus sincerely and endeavor to be his disciples. Three of them have rather too much "it's God's mission to make the world a better place" realized eschatology (Google it) for my tastes. One doesn't. That one will get my vote on the first ballot. After that, realpolitik will enter the state. 
  • Lunch at home; leftovers. 
  • I spent most of the afternoon in my office, reading the official pre-convention publication known as the Blue Book (only it hasn't been blue for quite a while, and it's no longer even a book, but a document accessible through an internet link). When I say "read," I use the term loosely, since it's huge, and there was time to only skim the headlines and drill down in various locations that particularly interested me. The endeavor served to confirm what I already concluded, that we are infested with a morass of systemic complexity and bureaucracy that is choking out our institutional life. We could adopt astonishing cutbacks of program, staff, and infrastructure, and come out healthier, more vital, and with more human and financial resources to devote to mission and ministry. This will happen either because we choose to make it happen, or it will happen *to* us via events we do not control. Either way, it will happen. 
  • Spent some quality time with the Hymnal 1940 at the console of the cathedral organ. This is one of the ways I pray. 
  • Evening Prayer in the cathedral. 
  • After dinner, drove down to Columbia, IL, where I'm a stone's throw from Toddhall Retreat Center and tomorrow's Cursillo activities.

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