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Dear Friends and Members of the St. Thomas More Society,
Paul Campbell
currently serves as the Director of Music and Arts at Truro
Church in Fairfax, Virginia, one of the largest Anglican
congregations in the country. A choir director with nine years
experience since graduating from the Indiana University School
of Music with a Master of Music in Choral Conducting, he
oversees and administers the entire worship life of the parish,
supervises three full-time staff members, a dozen part-time
staff, and hundreds of volunteers, a responsibility to which is
attached a budget of close to half a million dollars. About two
weeks ago, after a period of prayer and discernment, he agreed
to leave this position behind and move to Scranton with his
wife, Sandy, and children, Jacob, Maggie, and Grace, to labor on
behalf of the St. Thomas More Society. Paul and his bride, both
lifelong Episcopalians, were reconciled to Mother Church and
confirmed at the Easter Vigil at their local Catholic parish in
Virginia. In a written account about his conversion and
impending confirmation, Paul made mention of our Society’s
influence upon his journey into the Church:
“I have asked myself many times
what I would have done had I never known Fr. Bergman, hadn’t
known of the witness of the St. Thomas More Society, hadn’t
attended the Anglican Use Conference, and hadn’t read the Church
Fathers through the account of another converted Evangelical.
But I have since resolved to no longer second-guess our Lord’s
providence in these events, realizing instead that it is
precisely because He did
place me in the path of these resources that I can
look forward with great anticipation to becoming a Catholic.”
We can
be confident that Paul’s skills and experience will serve us
well in our mission to reconcile our separated brethren to
Mother Church, in no small part because he believes so strongly
in what we are doing. For this reason those who know about this
wonderful development are already rejoicing at the news. Dr. Ed
Jordan, one of our founding members who is also on the Council,
said after yesterday’s Vigil Mass, “Paul’s willingness to work
with us must be of God. Only the Holy Spirit could have brought
someone like that to work for a little community like ours.”
Dr. Jordan is right, of course, and his comments remind us of
the need to pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to bless us
with such unexpected and undeserved gifts. Please pray also for
the Campbells, as they make this transition as newly-minted
Catholics undertaking a new mission in life.
Please know that we have decided to hire Paul because
he has the skills we require to enable our ministry to further
prosper. We might never have known about him, however, had he
and I not been friends for more than the past twenty-five
years. Raised in the same Episcopal parish in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, we married sisters in the summer of 1996. That’s
right, Paul is my wife’s brother-in-law. We are certain,
therefore, that God has used this relationship and our long
friendship to bless the St. Thomas More Society with talent and
experience beyond our limited means. Moreover, I’m sure that
when you have had the opportunity to witness his work and have
been the beneficiaries of his abilities you will agree with me
and the members of the Council that he is the right man for the
task at hand. We can all look forward to him beginning his work
as our Administrator and Choir Director at the start of the new
school year.
This
Weekend’s Events
On a
more immediate note, we have much happening at St. Anthony of
Padua Church this weekend. On Saturday, May 3rd, at
9AM I invite you to join me in praying the Rosary in conjunction
with the ‘One Million Rosaries for Unborn Babies’ event being
organized by the St. Michael the Archangel Organization. The
hope is that from 9AM to 10AM one million people will be praying
the Rosary during the same sixty minute time span. This event,
supported by Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, complements the weekly Wednesday Cenacle of Life
that we offer for the lives of the unborn. I encourage all
those who are able to join me for prayer Saturday morning at
9AM. The hour-long Rosary devotion will be followed by Mass at
10AM, since May 3rd is the Feast of Sts. Philip and
James, Apostles. This is the first of two opportunities to
assist at a Saturday morning Mass in May, the second being the
Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary on May 31st,
also at 10AM. Please worship with us on these important feasts.
This Sunday, May 4th, is the first Sunday of
the Month, which means we have Exposition at the end of the 10AM
Mass and Eucharistic Adoration until Evensong and Benediction
begin at 5PM. I again ask that you take this opportunity to
spend an hour with Jesus, as we discern God’s call to our
Society within the Pastoral Planning Process of the Diocese of
Scranton. The process is well under way, our core team having
already met with the teams from our cluster parishes, so your
prayers are needed every day. I would be most pleased, however,
if you would offer them with all your fellow parishioners this
Sunday, both during Eucharistic Adoration and at Evensong. The
more people that come, the more beautiful is our praise to God,
so please make time to be with us.
The Novena to
St. Thomas More
You
will have another opportunity to participate in a special
devotion next month. From June 14th to the 22nd
the Society will offer to the people of the Diocese of Scranton
a Novena to St. Thomas More. Several of our friends who have
provided for our sacramental needs in the past have agreed to
come back and preach this Novena. Fr. Charles Connor, Pastor of
St. Peter’s Cathedral and our Catechist, Msgr. William Feldcamp,
our Pastor, Msgr. Vince Grimalia, the Vicar General, Msgr. Dale
Rupert, Pastor of St. Mary’s Church, and Fr. Ed Scott, the
former Pastor of St. Thomas More Church in Lake Ariel, will each
preach the Novena for one of the days. In addition, Bishop John
Dougherty, the Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, will celebrate the
concluding Mass of the Novena at 10AM on Sunday, June 22nd,
our Patron’s Feast Day. The schedule is as follows: June 14th
and 15th, 10AM Mass, with Novena Prayers to follow;
June 16th to June 20th, 7PM Mass with
Novena Prayers to follow; June 21st and 22nd
10AM Mass, with Novena Prayers to follow. The theme of the
Novena in this election year will be “Loyal Citizens and
Faithful Catholics: How to Serve the State without Compromising
our Faith”, recalling that St. Thomas More, the patron of
laymen, lawyers, judges, and statesmen, was martyred by the
English Crown for his refusal to betray his conscience. On
June 22nd the Mass and Novena will be followed by our
annual St. Thomas More Day celebration. Roxanne Pauline
Ilowiecki has agreed to chair this event. Call her at
840-1650
to find out how you can help.
The
Stewardship Campaign
Later
this month I will write you again to appeal for your pledge to
the ministry of the St. Thomas More Society. We conducted no
stewardship campaign at the end of last year because we delayed
it intentionally until now, in order that our financial
statements will align with the fiscal year, beginning July 1st.
In this way our financial year will match that of all the other
parishes in the Diocese. Henceforth, Stewardship Sunday will
fall during the spring. Before you receive my letter please
begin to consider how you may be called to assist our work to
bring our separated brethren home to Rome. For now, simply know
how grateful I am for all the spiritual and material support you
have given us in the past. My gratitude issues in daily prayers
of thanksgiving for your generosity.
I look forward to seeing you each in person, as well as
to introducing you to the Society’s newest employee. Until we
have this distinct pleasure, I am,
Ever yours
in Christ,
Fr.
Eric L. Bergman, Chaplain
St.
Thomas More Society
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