Wednesday (St John Chrysostom)

Up at 0-dark-thirty to catch the 6:32am Amtrak Lincoln Service Train 300 from Springfield to Chicago. It was on time. Until after Bloomington-Normal I was pretty zoned out, but eventually work up enough to pray the morning office and then connect to the internet for a bit of actual work (honing my Advent Quiet Day talks for a written medium, processing email). Upon arrival at Union Station, I walked the several blocks east, picked up the CTA Blue Line and rode it out nearly to O'Hare, exiting at the Cumberland stop, near the Marriott O'Hare. At noon, I joined by colleague bishops from Province V for lunch, and then spent the afternoon in our annual-ish meeting. We spent a good chunk of time just "checking in" about how things are going for each of us personally and professionally, which is, in my opinion, a wholesome, almost necessary, exercise. Most of the rest of our afternoon was spent in conversation with two executives from the Church Pension Group. They were soliciting our feedback on some tweaks they are considering to the details of the pension plan for clergy. Most of us then shared drinks and dinner in the hotel restaurant.