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

       This past weekend several members of the St. Thomas More Society and I returned from our pilgrimage to Rome, having spent a week in and around Vatican City with Anglican Use Catholics from across the country.  Before I relate what we saw and learned, however, I want first to thank those of you who kept us in your prayers while we were overseas.  All of us on the Pastoral Provision Pilgrimage are very appreciative of the care and concern you have demonstrated for us by your well wishes and inquiries about our trip.  Please know that you were remembered as we prayed in the historic churches of Rome, grateful that you were remembering us.

The Pastoral Provision Pilgrimage to Rome

Our pilgrimage was memorable for many reasons, not least of which was our incredibly close proximity to the Holy Father during his Wednesday audience, so close, in fact, that several of you have told me you saw me on television as we watched him greet the VIPs.  The highlight of our time in Rome came later in the week, nonetheless, when we visited the first Holy Father’s grave.  Through the intercession of Archbishop John Myers, Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision, we acquired tickets to the Scavi Tour, the excavations that have taken place beneath St. Peter’s Basilica since 1939 – and which continue still.  On Friday afternoon a faithful guide from Malta led us to St. Peter’s grave, directly under the main altar of the basilica, all the while explaining why the Church is confident that the bones of the first Pope have been definitively identified.  To say the least, we were overwhelmed, simply to be in the presence of such holy relics.  Many tears were shed as we saw with our own eyes the importance the first Christians attached to the burial place of the Rock on whom Christ has built His Church.  As I stood staring at St. Peter’s bones I wished for a moment that every Protestant in the world could take this tour, for this experience affirmed our Catholic faith for me in a very special way.  In the end I was reminded of Jesus’ words to St. Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29).

English Martyrs

Our first full day in Rome began at the Venerable English College, formally established as a seminary in 1579, with the specific mission to train priests who would return to the British Isles to minister to recusant Catholics.  The men who were formed there knew in many instances that they were embarking on a journey that would end with their martyrdom, and, indeed, forty-four men from the Venerable English College were executed by the English government for the simple offense of being a Catholic priest.  Their names are inscribed upon a plaque outside the chapel where we were blessed to celebrate the Anglican Usage Mass – for me, the first time on foreign soil.  We all left with a sense of gratitude for a Church so generous that she was willing to sacrifice Her brightest and best in order to keep close to Herself those who lived amidst the darkness.  Their supreme sacrifice is an inspiration to us involved in a similar work, since the sacrifices asked of us pale in comparison to the ones our English forbears readily made for their brothers.

Seeing and Hearing the Pope

On Tuesday we went to the North American College, where I was privileged to celebrate the Anglican Usage Mass and preach to the pilgrims and many guests who came to learn more about the Pastoral Provision.  A copy of that sermon will soon be found on the Pastoral Provision website, www.pastoralprovision.org.  I spent Tuesday evening in the Coliseum with a small group of pilgrims, where we said a prayer for the many Christian martyrs who lost their lives there when the Church was still quite young.  Wednesday we were up early to claim our special seating at the weekly Papal Audience, where we were acknowledged by the Holy Father, who waved to us when our group was introduced over the public address system.  Seven of the people on the pilgrimage were privileged to greet Pope Benedict in person, and all of us were able to see him up close.  While we were disappointed that a private audience did not materialize later in the week, we were pleased to hear in person his wisdom about following the example of St. John Chrysostom, who was willing to stand up for the Faith in the face of opposition from people in high places. To share that time with Catholics, including many of the Eastern Rites, from all over the world, to hear the Holy Father speak in five different languages, and to be seated in St. Peter’s square where so many millions of pilgrims had trod before, were experiences none of us will soon forget.

Meeting up with Pilgrims from San Antonio

 While we were all together at the Papal Audience on Wednesday, the group of pilgrims from Our Lady of the Atonement Church in San Antonio met with us at St. Susanna Church Thursday morning, where the entire pilgrimage worshiped for the first time in one place.  Fr. Christopher Phillips, the Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement, and host of next year’s Anglican Use Conference, was the principle celebrant and preacher.  After the Mass Fr. Stetson, Secretary to the Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision, offered his gratitude for our presence in Rome and emphasized the evangelical nature of our shared mission.  Later in the day, at a joint Evensong at St. Mary Major, we heard Cardinal Law, the former Ecclesiastical Delegate, express his enthusiasm for our efforts to reconcile our separated brethren to Mother Church.  But for some lost luggage going to Rome and coming back, our travel was fairly uneventful, though we did see a French policewoman go berserk at customs in Paris, which caused half of us to miss our flight to Italy.  Still, no one was lost, injured or disillusioned.  Rather, we found quite the opposite.  The pilgrimage served to increase our faith, engender an even greater loyalty to the Holy See, redouble our devotion to our mission, and deepen our affection for our Catholic brothers from across the globe.

 A New Ministry and Our Anniversary

One of the ways we will join in solidarity with our fellow Catholics is through our Wednesday Rosary ministry.  We have been praying for the lives of the unborn for more than two and half years, and we will continue to do so.  However, we are now formally establishing a Cenacle of Life, a simple prayer group to pray the Rosary twice each Wednesday, beginning at 5 PM in St. Anthony Church.   Members of the Cenacle of Life will be pray together each Wednesday and each member will fast one day per week.  Our purpose is to bring down abundant graces to end the culture of death.  For those of you who attend each week already, come a tad earlier to make sure we fit in the second Rosary.  If you do not yet participate, consider this your invitation to do something substantive to preserve the lives of the vulnerable.  Please speak with me if you have questions, or go to the web at www.cenaclesoflife.org.  Finally, we will observe the second anniversary of the Society’s reconciliation to the Church on October 31, the Vigil Mass for All Saints’ Day.   The 5:30PM Wednesday Mass will be followed by a pot luck dinner to which all are invited.  Look in the back of the church for the sign up sheet, so that we can have an idea of how may people will be present.

 Grateful to be back home among you and appreciative of your devotion to our ministry, I am,

         Ever Yours in Christ,
         Fr. Eric L. Bergman, Chaplain
         St. Thomas More Society

Reminders:

• Pray the Rosary for the lives of the unborn every Wednesday at St. Anthony’s or wherever you are.
• Contribute to Birthright at least once a month
• Confessions are heard before every Anglican Use Mass
• The Chaplain has office hours Monday, Thursday and Friday from 9:30AM to 11:30AM or you may call for an appointment.
• Reserve Mass Intentions for 2008 and the remainder of 2007 as soon as possible.
• The Chaplain will be on ‘The Journey Home’ on EWTN at 8PM (EST) on October 22^nd.