Pastoral Letter
 

5 October 2006

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

The one-year anniversary of the Society's reception into the Church is less than a
month away.  Last year, at St. Clare Church's Vigil Mass for All Saints' Day, we all
received the sacrament of confirmation and became members of our host parish.  This
year we intend to commemorate this event on October 31st.  Our Pastor, Msgr.
Feldcamp, has allowed for the scheduling of an Anglican Usage Mass at 5PM that day,
the afternoon time necessitated by the Roman Rite Mass that will be offered later in
the evening.  All Saints' Day is, of course, a Holy Day of Obligation, so I
encourage you to fulfill your obligation by coming to celebrate with us on October
31st, in thanksgiving for the gift our entrance into the Church has been for us and
our fellow Catholics.  The 5PM Mass will be followed by a reception in the basement
Parish Hall, at which we'll share a light supper and, perhaps, talk about how much
has happened since we began this amazing journey twelve months ago.  I shall look
forward to seeing you there.  This Mass is not on the schedule, so if you'd like to
lector, usher, or serve at the altar, let me know.

Earlier this month, at our Third Sunday gathering on October 15th, we will share a
potluck after Mass, and I'll offer instruction about the various saints who have
been proposed as potential Patrons for when we are erected as a parish.  Last month
I told you some of the names.  This month I will tell you something about these men
and women, as well as send you home with short biographies about them, so that you
can pray about what the Lord is calling us to do in this regard.  On another
occasion early next year we will determine as a group who our Patron will be, so any
last minute entries into this process should be brought forth sooner rather than
later.

Last month I also made an announcement about the fulfillment of the last request we
made of Bishop Dougherty when he met with the Society in May.  Fr. Frank Skitzki has
agreed to hear confessions for us on the first Sunday of every month, at 12:30PM,
one half hour before Mass begins.  If we find that this is not enough time for him
to hear the confessions of those who desire the benefit of this sacrament we can
talk about moving the time up, but for now I ask only that you thank Fr. Skitzki for
his generosity to us in this regard.  The schedules of those who celebrate Mass for
us make their availability difficult, so our gratitude for Father's help is all the
more heartily felt.


The Report from our Texas Trip

As you know, Jerry McGreevy and I spent nine days in Texas last month, three days
each in Houston, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio, visiting the Anglican Use
communities there.  We accomplished much and learned a few things.  If you want to
see what we did, we'll soon have pictures up on the website.

First, we learned about how to erect a personal parish of the Anglican Usage of the
Roman Rite.  I have two decrees of erection, with one coming, and I have already
shared their contents with Bishop Dougherty.  Second, we took advice about where we
might locate our parish, and what we learned was that people will find us.  That is,
we assisted at Anglican Use Masses in all three places at which each church was
filled to capacity, and none of the places we visited were on the 'main drag.  This
is not to say that location does not matter, but we now understand that it is not
nearly as important as we assumed before we took this trip.

Third, we established that the leaders of the various Anglican Use communities
desire to work in closer cooperation, in order that collectively we can promote the
Pastoral Provision more effectively.  Exactly what shape that cooperation will take
is still in the works, but a first step has been taken in the decision to request
formally a joint meeting with Archbishop John Myers of Newark, the Ecclesiastical
Delegate for the Pastoral Provision.  Please keep these continuing efforts in your
prayers, imploring our Lord to inspire us to use our various gifts that ever more
Anglicans may be reconciled to Christ's one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Finally, my written exams went well.  I thank all who held me up in prayer last
week.  My oral exams are in New Jersey in two weeks.  Pray for me and please
remember Kristina, who is soon due to deliver our fourth child.

Yours in Christ,

Eric Bergman,

Director, St. Thomas More Society Scranton, Pennsylvania