St. Thomas More Society
              Scranton, Pennsylvania

Pastoral Letter
 

May 7, 2005

Dear Friends and Members of the St. Thomas More Society,

Last Friday the St. Thomas More Society, in conjunction with the Anglican Use Society, hosted at St. Clare Church an Anglican Use Conference.  The gathering was a great success, due in large part to the many people from the Society and from St. Clare’s who volunteered to help.  I write to you now to offer a review of the day, but first I offer on behalf of all who attended my thanks to those who gave of their time and talents to serve our guests and make their stay in Scranton as enjoyable as possible.  I truly appreciate your efforts, and I pass on to you the many compliments we received from people pleased with your warmth and hospitality.

 People came from New England, New York, the Washington D.C. metro area, New Jersey, Texas and even Prince Edward Island.  In all eight states and two foreign countries were represented, with more than fifty registered attendees present.  We saw a mix of both Anglicans and Roman Catholics, with even one Lutheran present.  As for Anglican Use parishes, we got to see people from Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, and St. Mary the Virgin in Arlington, Texas.  St. Athanasius in Boston, Massachusetts sent a delegation, as well.  One of the highlights of the day was when Deacon James Barnett, Fr. Allan Hawkins, and Mr. David Burt told us about how their parishes made the transition from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism.  I shared a bit about our Society’s experiences over the past six months, also.  These presentations offered ideas to those considering making similar moves, but also offered encouragement to our members as we look forward to the consummation of our efforts in the establishment of an Anglican Use Personal Parish here in Scranton.

 Fr. Aidan Nichols, from Cambridge, offered his reflections on the possibility of corporate reunion between Rome and Canterbury, about which he was not very positive.  However, he was more optimistic about the possibility of an Anglican Rite being established within the Church.  The likely conditions that would be set forth before this could happen are in the text of his address, a link to which can be found at our web site (www.stthomasmoresociety.org).  Dr. Alexander Burke, an expert on John Cardinal Newman, spoke to us about the impact of the late convert’s thought on the Second Vatican Council.  The text of his remarks will be published in Anglican Embers, the quarterly journal of the Anglican Use Society.  Since both presentations were so dense with information, I recommend that even those present at the conference take the time to read the actual papers, so as to better understand exactly what each man said.

 We could not have attracted such erudite speakers without the efforts of Joe Blake, the Anglican Use Society president.  As we are both from West Bethlehem, Joe and I have known each other for many years, and with the founding of the St. Thomas More Society so close to the Lehigh Valley Joe has taken an active interest in seeing that as a group committed to this unique form of evangelism we succeed through our efforts.  Joe arranged for the advertising, had the AU Society donate funds, enlisted the presenters, and generally hyped the events taking place in Scranton since the beginning of the year.  Joe has suggested we collaborate in future endeavors, and I am confident that such a prospect is one to be pursued, for it will issue in wider recognition for our group, as well as increased opportunities for spiritual and intellectual growth.

 Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the food.  The Thursday night potluck was appreciated by all, as home cooking is a welcome respite for every traveler.  Friday’s lunch, arranged through board member Paul Coviello, was a treat, too, coming from the kitchen of Joanne Snopek and enjoyed by everyone.  When we do this again next year we shall know whom to contact, so as we feed our souls our bodies are also nourished.

Yours in Christ,
Eric L. Bergman