Moving Diagonally

Morning Prayer at home. Refined, edited, and printed a working script for my homily at this evening's ordination. Met with the Dean over a couple of important but non-urgent concerns. Began to work on refining my homily for this weekend (Saturday night in Robinson, Sunday morning in Albion and Mt Carmel). Out the door at 10:45 (the power in the office having just been knocked out by a thunderstorm, anyway) for an appointment with my primary care physician.  Picked up some lunch at Long John Silver's (not on my usual beaten path, but convenient today) and brought it home to eat. The person at the drive-through window said of my attire, "I like the purple. Nice look." After lunch, remained home and complete the sermon work I had begun in the office. Processed a short stack of emails. Out the door again just past 2:30, this time headed for Danville, with a stop back at the office to pick up the book that ordinands need to sign after they promise conformity to ...

Holy Trinity, Danville --Luke 1:39-57; Romans 12:9-16b This is certainly a happy occasion. It’s one that Richard has looked forward to for a long wile now, and, just as intently, it has been looked forward to by the parish family of Holy Trinity. Richard has been part of the life of this community for many, many years. And so he comes to this transitional moment  from  among you, having been one  of  you. Tonight is one incremental step in altering the shape of that relationship. On a very technical level, Richard will no longer  belong  to Holy Trinity; he will no longer be a member of Holy Trinity the way he has up until this point. Rather, he will belong to the diocese and to the whole church. Having come from you, he will now be set apart by prayer and the laying-on of hands, and  assigned  to you. He’ll be the same person, but the dynamics of the relationship will be different.   Richard has served Holy Trinity for more than a y...

8am Morning Prayer & Mass in St Mary's Chapel (keeping the feast of Corpus Christi, transferred, since we always observe Jackson Kemper at Commencement), followed by a somewhat attenuated breakfast ahead of a firm 9:30 start time for the regular May meeting of the Board of Directors. We were joined by several Members of the corporation, who had seat but not voice, although on selected occasions we solicited their input. The bulk of the morning was devoted to figuring out how to deal prudently with the financial straits that the House finds itself in, although they are not as narrow as they were a year and two ago. After an expeditious 30 minute lunch, we dealt with more routine concerns--election of officers (I am once again the Chairman), cleaning up some language in our statutes and policies, adopting new Audit Committee protocols. We were finished at 2:50. Forty minutes later I was on the road toward the Twin Cities, where my daughter and her husband and their two children l...

Morning Prayer was a 7:30, but most everybody, YFNB included, thought it was a 8:00, so ... on the breakfast. At 9:15 I headed over to the St John's-Northwestern Military Academy chapel to vest and get otherwise oriented and organized for commencement, which was at 10:00 (on this, everyone agreed). I know the chapel is not air-conditioned, so I expected to be uncomfortable, and I was, but it could certainly have been worse. After the Dean and Faculty award the earned degrees (of which there were 26, including two from the Diocese of Springfield), it's my turn to award the honorary degrees, of which there were two: Bishop Michael Marshall (who was one of my homiletical and catechetical heroes as long ago as the early 1980s ... so, very cool) and Bishop Harold Miller of Down & Dromore. I then presided at the Eucharist, which was a distinct privilege.  Just enough time to pose for pictures, air out a bit, grab some lunch in the refectory, and head down to the room called ...

8am, Morning Prayer in St Mary's Chapel 8:45ish until 10:15ish--breakfast in the refectory. Sat a bit with Matthew Dallman to review the draft of the liturgy for his ordination to the diaconate on June 11. Processed some emails. 10:30-11:45ish: Attended the annual Alumni Day Mass, in the chapel. Brilliant homily from Fr Joel Prather of the Diocese of Milwaukee on the importance and relevance of St Bede. Noonish until 1:30ish: Lunch for alumni and tomorrow's graduates at the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc. 2:00-3:30: Attended a presentation by Fr Jack Gabig (faculty) and Fr Lee Nelson (alumn) on some ideas about catechesis in a post-Christian culture. Relevant and timely. Sat in the refectory (where there's good wifi) and processed emails. 4:30-5:40ish: Solemn Evensong in the chapel, which included a "sermonic lecture" from the Bishop of Down & Dromore in the Church of Ireland, Harold Miller. It was superb. Gala banquet in Adams Hall, which included the p...

Last night I had driven as far as Rockford, so this morning I got up and continued my journey to Nashotah House, where I arrived around 10. Spent the morning signing some certificates and catching up with the Dean and the Secretary of the Directors on a range of issues. Lunch in the refectory, then I got settled in to my quarters (just a few feet from where I lived as a student in the 80s). Then it was off to the nearby St John's-Northwestern Military Academy chapel, venue for commencement on Thursday, for a liturgy rehearsal. Back on campus, I processed several emails, and then attended semi-choral Evensong (the Psalm and Canticles were sung by the choir) in a packed chapel. This was followed by a reception in the refectory for Professor (of Church Music) Joseph Kucharski, who is retiring. The evening was capped off by a smallish gathering of some Corporation Members (formerly known as Trustees) and three of those who have been nominated for election as members.

Met Mother Kathryn Jeffrey, rector of St Andrew's, Carbondale (with St James' Chapel, Marion) for breakfast at 8:30. We then headed to the church ahead of the regular 10am Sunday liturgy, at which we received one adult and confirmed her teenage daughter. The liturgy was enhanced by the presence of a harpist--not something I've experienced very many times--and she was joined by an accomplished flutist, in addition to the regular keyboard musician (piano today, as the organ is acting up). Toward the conclusion of the coffee hour I made about a 20 minutes presentation on the approaches to parish mission strategy. Pointed the YFNBmobile toward home around 12:30 and pulled into my driveway a little bit before 4:00. After a walk and a casual meal out with Brenda, I spent much of the evening responding to emails. This entire week will be devoted to travel, and some stuff just needed to get done sooner or later.