Friday

  • Usual morning routine; MP in cathedral.
  • Finished preparing this Sunday's sermon.
  • Reviewed a draft Letter of Agreement between a parish and an incoming priest, tweaked it slightly, and sent it on to the interested parties.
  • Took some time to weigh in at an online discussion thread on the subject of the relation between Baptism and Confirmation. This was in the category of an in-the-moment decision, and such things do divert me from my task list, which I find bothersome. But part of my job description as a bishop is to be a teacher, and teaching opportunities do not always arise at convenient times. Besides, the thought involved in making the response I did will likely bear fruit in other venues of my ministry.
  • Finished composing a congregational antiphon for the Magnificat to be used when I am "welcomed and seated" in the cathedral on May 15.
  • Quick fast-food lunch, eaten at the conference table in my office.
  • Further developed my homily for Easter IV (St George's, Belleville) and did the initial spade work on Easter V (Holy Trinity, Danville).
  • Met with a member of a congregation currently without regular pastoral leadership regarding some issues of vocational discernment.
  • Spent some time in personal prayer (yes, this was on my task list!)--an adaptation of Ignatian Meditation--which yielded a brief blog post.
  • Worked on more musical details for the May 15 event.
  • Left the office at 3:45 in order to go home and collect Brenda and then head up to Bloomington for dinner at the home of Fr Dave and Amy Halt, before attending, as their guests, a performance of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. A delightful evening. Home just before midnight.

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