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

I passed my exams.  Last Friday I was at Seton Hall University, where I met the new Pastoral Provision faculty, each of whom interviewed me for a half hour about the subject of his expertise.  During the oral exams I was asked about the subject matter at hand, but all the men charged with testing me also wanted to know about you.  So I gave a brief description of our history, offered them a brochure, and before long I was on my way home from New Jersey, ready to share the good news.  Thank you for your prayers.  Your intercessions have sustained us through this process thus far.  Truly, the hardest portions are now behind us, and we now must simply exercise the virtue of patience.  As soon as my rescript arrives from Rome I can be ordained, and our community can be erected as a personal parish of the Anglican Usage of the Roman Rite Liturgy.  Therefore, we must continue to pray – that our entire membership will be content to wait in God’s time, as we approach the culmination of our efforts.

We will soon have the opportunity to pray together on the occasion of the anniversary of our reception into full communion with the Catholic Church.  This Tuesday, October 31^st, Msgr. Vincent Grimalia will celebrate an Anglican Use Mass for us at 5PM at St. Clare Church.  The 31^st is, of course, Halloween, but our Vigil Mass for All Saints’ Day is early enough that it should not interfere with other events planned for that evening.  I encourage everyone to be present at the Mass, and if you are able to stay, please remember that we will gather in the Parish Hall immediately afterwards to share fellowship and a few hors d’ oeuvres.  If you would like to contribute something to our celebration but did not have a chance to sign up at Mass on Sunday, contact Lori Edsall at 348-1111.

As we look ahead to our second year as Catholics I can report progress in terms of our mission to make more people aware of the Pastoral Provision and the Anglican Use.  I’ve recently been recruited to write an article for Catholic Men’s Quarterly, which will be published in the Winter 2007 issue.  As compensation I’ve chosen to receive advertising space, which we can use next year to make people aware of the upcoming Anglican Use Conference.  Also, Fr. Ed Scott has invited me to speak at St. Paul’s Church in Hancock, New York as part of a retreat he is offering the parish.  Moreover, a group of people interested in the Anglican Use from the Washington, DC area has asked me to give a presentation in early December.  And in May I shall travel to San Diego, California, where I will speak at St. Therese Church over the course of four days, from the 19^th to the 22^nd.

The really big news, however, involves an upcoming meeting at which my voice will be just one among many.  I told you last month that the six leaders of the Anglican Use communities in the United States had requested a joint meeting with Archbishop John Myers of Newark, the Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision.  We received a favorable response from him this week, and we will soon gather in the Archdiocese’s Chancery building to begin planning a closer collaboration with Archbishop Myers and the Pastoral Provision Office.  Please pray that this late November meeting may bear much fruit.

  One way the Pastoral Provision Office is promoting the Anglican Use right now is by planning a pilgrimage to Rome by way of Walsingham in England.  Taylor Marshall, Fr. Stetson’s assistant, just sent me a copy of the brochure to promote the pilgrimage, which will take place September 21^st to the 29^th next year.  I will be happy to share the literature about the pilgrimage with whomever is interested.  For an eight day trip to Europe it is reasonably priced, and Archbishop Myers has committed himself to coming along.  Call me, and I can e-mail you the document or forward it by the U.S.P.S.

Finally, to have some fun at the beginning of Advent we’re planning a round robin dinner event for the members of the Society.  My sister, Rebecca Huffman, who with her husband, Phil, and their four children just moved to Scranton, has agreed to help me organize this occasion for food and fellowship.  She says we’ll need people to cook, drive, and just eat.  Talk to me if you’re interested in taking part.  We’ll set a date in consultation with you.

Grateful for your prayers, support, and many kind words, I am,

Yours in Christ,

Eric L. Bergman, Director