The St. Thomas More Society

The Rev. Eric L. Bergman, Chaplain
June 13, 2007

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

As I write to you this month I have two meetings in mind, both of which occurred at 7PM last night.  The first took place at St. Joseph’s Church in North Scranton, where Msgr. Peter Madus announced in person his departure as Pastor of St. Anthony, St. Joseph and St. Vincent de Paul Churches.  Msgr. Madus, as you know, was instrumental in arranging for our rental of St. Anthony Church, so it is with sadness that we will see him go at the beginning of July.  Bishop Martino has written that these three parishes will soon have as their pastor Fr. Cy Edwards, who will remain as Pastor of Holy Rosary.  What this means for us and for me is not immediately clear, but I can assure you that this new arrangement for the four parishes in North Scranton will in no way affect the rental agreement we reached with St. Anthony’s in April.  As matters develop I will keep you posted with whatever information I have, but for now please keep the people of these parishes in your prayers.

Our Prayers for Growth

The second meeting I have in mind is that of our Board of Directors, which took place at St. Anthony Church.  We had several important matters to discuss.  First, we have a new address.  The Diocese of Scranton has found room for the Society office at a rectory in West Scranton.  Henceforth, the address of the St. Thomas More Society will be 949 Scranton, St., Scranton, PA 18504 (that is not a typo – our office will be on Scranton St. in Scranton).  The room is now undergoing extensive renovations to prepare for our arrival, and it will be ready shortly for me to move in.  Second, the Society adopted as its mission statement what we have said all along is our purpose, namely that we are established to help reconcile our separated brethren to Mother Church.  Our third item under discussion was hiring someone to assist me with the administrative duties of the Society, so that I can fully concentrate my work and energies upon the Sacramental ministry entrusted to me.  We must come up with concrete proposals to facilitate this necessary expansion of our staff, and as we do we will share them with you.  Please keep us in your prayers as together we discern God’s will for our collective future. 

The success of the recent Anglican Use Conference in Washington, DC has convinced me all the more of the wisdom of hired help.  First, I am right now working with three – and very soon a fourth – group of Anglicans hoping to be reconciled to the Church through the Pastoral Provision.  The formation of these groups is due at least in part to the work our Society has undertaken in concert with the other Anglican Use Pastors and the Anglican Use Society since 2004.  More specifically, these groups owe their existence to what their leaders have learned at the Anglican Use Conferences these past three years.  Second, this year the work of the Anglican Use Pastors and the Anglican Use Society came closer to coordination; three of the six Pastors were elected to the Anglican Use Society Board: Fr. Allan Hawkins, Fr. Christopher Phillips and I.  Third, our webmaster, Joe Edsall, upon the departure this month of Taylor Marshall from the Pastoral Provision Office, will maintain the Pastoral Provision website.  To continue to see developments such as these, to continue to assist in the formation of Pastoral Provision communities, to continue to organize the annual Anglican Use Conference year after year, we must look to hire a layman who will do what I have done these past thirty months.  I am now a priest and simply have a different role to fulfill.  As we secure another staff member please pray for the groups forming in the District of Columbia, Phoenix, and Providence.  As more successes emerge I will share with you the locale, that you may add each group to your petitions.

My Priestly Duties

One of my new duties as a priest is to celebrate Mass every day.  Our Daily Mass at St. Anthony Church (1013 Wood St. in North Scranton) has been well received and well attended.  We generally see between 12 and 20 people each day, with as few as three one day last month and as many as 34 another.  As a reminder, Daily Mass is at 7AM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and at 5:30PM on Wednesday.  Confessions are heard 15 minutes before each Mass and for 45 minutes before the 9AM Mass on Sunday.  This month we will have a special Mass at 5:30PM on our Patronal Feast, June 22^nd, the Memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More.  Afterwards in the hall under the church we will have a time for fellowship and food.  All are welcome and you need not bring a thing, other than yourselves.  I promise at least one English treat for both young and old.

Another priestly duty for me is the instruction of the faithful.  Thus, this September we will begin First Holy Communion Class for our young people who desire to receive the Sacrament.  Also, we will form a Catechism Class for those adults who wish to be reconciled to the Church.  Enrollment for both classes begins now.  Simply call the parish office to sign up.  Those who are interested in having their children or themselves baptized should speak with me about instruction, and couples in our community desiring to be married should talk to me about pre-Cana classes, as well.  The Society’s first wedding will take place on June 30, and our first baptism will come soon after that.  Please take advantage of the Sacramental life of the Church; it is Christ’s certain presence with us.  I look forward to seeing you in line for Confession, in the pews at Daily Mass, and to fielding your calls about how to be baptized, confirmed, and married. 

To Function as a Parish

Interest in Our Work

         Since my ordination to the priesthood I have had several speaking engagements in places both far and near.  At the beginning of May Fr. Ed Scott arranged for me to speak at St. Mary’s Church in Eynon in the Diocese of Scranton.  Towards the end of May I was in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, San Diego, and Murrieta, California.  Then at the beginning of this month I spoke in Milford, Pennsylvania, also right here in our own diocese.  I have another couple talks scheduled in the coming months, opportunities to share with people the work of our Society, as well as information about the Pastoral Provision and the Anglican Usage of the Roman Rite Sacred Liturgy.  These talks have helped us to spread the message of the Church’s generosity to those who desire to come home to Rome.

Our story has also attracted a lot of attention from the Catholic press.  Within the past month I have been quoted extensively in articles found in Our Sunday Visitor and Crisis.  In addition, Catholic Answers Radio, based in southern California, has asked to interview me for their live radio show on August 20^th.  And last but not least, Jim Anderson, of the Coming Home Network, has talked to me about appearing sometime in October with Marcus Grodi on The Journey Home, which airs Monday nights on EWTN.  Please pray with me that all the exposure our work receives through my talks and from the press will issue in many Anglicans becoming familiar with and taking advantage of the Pastoral Provision of Pope John Paul II, that ever more of our separated brethren might be reconciled to Mother Church, and that we might continue to fulfill the mission entrusted to us.

The Picnic