Friday

  • Up at 0500 so as to be in the road to Springfield at 0530. I ended up eight minutes behind schedule, but still got to the office right at the targeted 0900.
  • Had the predictable extended discussion with the Archdeacon on a range of issues.
  • Processed the thick stack of hard-copy items on my desk, most of it having accumulated during my vacation, since last weekend was so jammed I didn't get to deal with it.
  • Refined, edited, printed, and scheduled for posting the text of my homily for this Sunday (at St Bartholomew's, Granite City, and probably some version of it at the Cursillo closing Eucharist on Sunday afternoon).
  • Did my due diligence on a request for consent to the consecration of the bishop-elect of Montana. Unable to find any red flags, I consented.
  • Lunch at Chick-Fil-A, then a brief personal shopping expedition at Best Buy.
  • Made significantly more progress on the pastoral issue affecting one of our communities about which I cannot yet say anything.
  • Took a phone call from a colleague bishop in another diocese over a recent development that can only be described as "bizarre."
  • Hand-wrote notes to clergy and spouses having nodal events in September.
  • Friday prayer: Lectio divina on today's daily office Old Testament reading, which was a pretty eventful narrative from II Samuel. This happened in the cathedral, after which I offered Evening Prayer, a bit on the early side.
  • Took a phone call from a lay leader in one of our Eucharistic Communities. Then more conversation with the Archdeacon.
  • Left at 5pm headed south. Arrived at the Hampton Inn in Columbia two hours later. Took a long walk, grabbed some dinner at a BBQ place, and did some reading. Here because of proximity to Toddhall for my appearance at the Cursillo weekend tomorrow.

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