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

Though you may have gotten the news via the internet or by word of mouth, I will begin with the exciting announcement from earlier this month: Joan Kristina Bergman was born on November 3^rd at 1:36PM.  She weighed in at nine pounds and was over 21 inches long, a very healthy baby right from the start.  Since then she has proven herself to be a voracious eater, even if the prime feeding times seem to come in the middle of the night.  Kristina and I thank you for your prayers, as well as for the many greeting cards, verbal well-wishes, and gifts you have sent our way in the wake of Joan’s birth.  Your generosity and glee upon the birth of our fourth child has been an encouragement to us, very heartening in a world where the birth of children is often not appreciated enough.  Nor have we forgotten the sacrifices and prayers you offered at the beginning of Kristina’s pregnancy.  The Lord has graced us with a faith-filled community, and I want you know how much we appreciate your witness.  When she is old enough to bear it we will tell Joan what you did so that Kristina was able to carry her to term, and I’m sure our daughter will then offer you thanks herself.

The large enclosure you found with this letter is your calendar.  We send it now because it includes December 2006, but also because the beginning of Advent is also the beginning of the Christian year.  We commend it to you because this calendar indicates Holy Days of Obligation, whether a day is a Memorial, Feast or Solemnity, and helpful information like which days require fasting or abstinence.  On the back of the calendar are also some helpful definitions about what exactly fasting and abstinence mean.  We do not ask anything in return for this, and ask that you receive it as a small token of our gratitude for your support of our mission.

 The small enclosure you found with this letter is the monthly St. Thomas More Society calendar.  It is necessary to send you this as an extra reminder about the unusual Mass schedule this month.  First, note that December 8^th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is a Holy Day of Obligation.  An Anglican Usage Mass will be celebrated that day at 5PM at St. Clare Church.  Second, note that the Fourth Sunday of Advent falls on December 24^th this year.  Thus, so that we mustn’t have Mass two times on one day, the Fourth Sunday of Advent will be observed at a Vigil Mass at 7PM on Saturday, December 23^rd.  Also, then, Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord, will be observed on Christmas Eve, December 24^th, at 7PM.  During this unique weekend, and for this Sunday only, there will be no 1PM Anglican Usage Mass on December 24^th, only the Mass at 7PM.  Finally, while January 1^st, the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is normally a Holy Day of Obligation, for 2007 it is not, because it falls on a Monday.  There will be no Anglican Usage Mass at St. Clare on January 1^st, but there will be the usual daily Mass at 8AM.

I wrote last month about a new opportunity for fellowship, a round robin dinner.  I had thought we would hold it near the beginning of Advent, but our membership indicated that the beginning of January would be better.  Thus, we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with a round robin dinner on Saturday, January 6^th, beginning at 5PM.  We will meet at St. Clare and consolidate our group so that everyone doesn’t have to drive, and then we will begin with appetizers at Bob and Jule Harris’ house.  We’ll move on to soup and salads at the Huffman’s, the main course at the Bergman’s, dessert at Jerry McGreevy’s and after-dinner fare at the Edsall’s.  This gathering will be our Society Christmas celebration, at the conclusion of which we will crown the Three Kings, each of whom will receive a gift.  While the houses we’ll visit have been chosen because they are fairly close in proximity to one another, you can still offer to prepare a course, if you are so inclined.  A sign up sheet will be available at Mass henceforth for those intending to participate in this event, or you can always call me to sign-up.

Call me, also, if you know of a parish that might like to learn more about the Anglican Use and the Pastoral Provision of Pope John Paul II.  I just helped conduct a retreat in Hancock, New York, and our ministry was received very well by the parishioners there from St. Paul the Apostle Church.  I’ll be in Washington, DC on December 11^th to teach some families about how to organize an Anglican Use community.  The meeting will be held at the Family Research Council, 801 G St. NW, at 7:30PM.  Please help spread the word among those who might be interested.  And, of course, keep the Anglican Use leaders in your prayers as we meet with Archbishop Myers this week.

Yours in Christ,

Eric L. Bergman, Director