Saturday (St Therese of Liseaux)

The big event for the day was the 143rd synod of the diocese, which lasted from 0900 until nearly 1230. It was on Zoom, of course, and, from a technical standpoint, the experience was overwhelmingly positive. Inasmuch as any part of the synod might be categorized as "unpleasant," it would have neither more nor less so had we been meeting in person. In particular, the voting was *much* smoother and easier. After some decompressing (it was mentally and emotionally draining), I caught lunch at Chick-Fil-A, ran an errand at my former home (now vacant and on the market), then returned to the office to do the finish work on tomorrow's homily. Lurked a bit on the margins of the cathedral's Blessing of Animals, did a bit of office organizing, took a call from a priest friend from outside the diocese, and finally headed south and east 2.5 hours to Marion, where I'm camped out for the night at the Hampton Inn. Tomorrw:m St Stephen's, Harrisburg.

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