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If you happen to receive The
Catholic Light, the Diocese of Scranton’s newspaper, you can
see a photograph of my family on the front page. Kristina and I
took the children to the Mass on Friday, July 25th
commemorating the 40th anniversary of the publication
of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae. I
concelebrated with Bishop John Dougherty, Auxiliary Bishop of
Scranton, and Kristina and the children were asked to bring
forward the gifts. Thus, the picture shows Bishop Dougherty and
me receiving the bread and wine from Kristina and my three
eldest. It has been brought to my attention that some of the
members of the Society no longer receive The Catholic Light
because of a clerical mix-up. Joanne Shuemaker has been
assigned the task of figuring out which of our members still
receive it and which don’t. We’ll fix the problem this month.
When you see her at church, tell her your subscription status,
or call her at 655.5489. If you’d like to see the photo, you
can access it on the internet at
www.dioceseofscranton.org when you click on the icon for
the July 31st edition of The Catholic Light.
The Anglican Use Conference
Last month I spent four days in
Texas in order to attend the annual Anglican Use Conference.
The Conference was a great success, realizing the highest
attendance ever while hosting people from more than twenty
states. You can read the addresses that the principle speakers
offered on the St. Thomas More Society web site. As important
as the speakers were, the Conference also gave our members the
opportunity to reconnect with many of last year’s Texan pilgrims
to Rome. Society members Bill and Charlotte Harris, Ed and Lola
Jordan, and Jerry McGreevy all made the trip south and came away
very impressed. I was pleased, as well, to see most of the
Anglican Use pastors again. In fact, the pastors had the
opportunity to meet with Archbishop John Myers of Newark, the
Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision. He greeted
us warmly and gave his assent to several initiatives we had
proposed to help encourage candidates for ordination who have
been accepted into the Pastoral Provision process. Also, Paul
Campbell, the Society’s new employee (come September), and Joe
Edsall, the Society’s webmaster, were present. Paul got to meet
people from other communities with whom he will be working
closely, and Joe made contact with the new Anglican Use group
from Kansas City. He is now helping to manage their website,
www.ourladyofhopesociety.org which I encourage you to visit
to keep abreast of their progress. We’ll get to see everyone
again next year in Houston, where in honor of Our Lady of
Walsingham Anglican Use Catholic Church’s 25th
anniversary, the 2009 Anglican Use Conference will be held.
Begin praying now about whether you might be called to come to
this important annual event.
The Sunday School
The Sunday School meeting to
which I invited you earlier this month was a great success. I
am grateful to all who participated in our effort to plan the
upcoming school year. Our plans involve Christian Education for
both adults and youth. Our young people’s instruction will take
place on Sunday morning beginning at 9AM, when at least three
classes will meet, pre-First Holy Communion, First Holy
Communion, and post-First Holy Communion. Yet to be determined
is whether the Confirmation Class, now in its second year, will
continue to meet on weekdays or be moved to Sunday morning, as
well. While I will teach the Confirmation Class, we still need
instructors for the other classes. Adult education will take
place on Wednesday evenings after the 5:30PM Mass, along the
lines of the last two years’ Lenten programs. Courses of finite
terms of four to six weeks will be offered during Advent, Lent,
and Eastertide, as well as during the fall and winter. Classes
will begin at 6:30PM after a light pot luck dinner. Unlike last
year, when the Adult Confirmation Class met after church on
Sunday, the class for adult converts to Catholicism will meet at
a time during the week convenient to all those registered.
Please call me if you are interested in helping to teach Sunday
School, register your children for Sunday School, or if you
would like to register for the Adult Confirmation Class.
The Choir and Children’s Choir
As you know, Paul Campbell will
arrive to begin his work with the Society some time in
September. He intends to move the Adult Choir Rehearsal to
Sunday after Mass, rather than before the 10AM Mass as it is
currently scheduled. In order that choir members have the
opportunity to greet people at coffee hour, the rehearsals will
begin at 11:45AM. Paul will also begin constituting a
children’s choir, with rehearsals to be scheduled on Wednesday
afternoons. Our intention is to see the children sing at Mass
every week, though to ensure they are sufficiently prepared,
their participation at Mass or at Evensong will likely not begin
until after the New Year. If you would like to sing in the
choir, or you have children interested in participating in the
children’s choir, let me know so that I can give your contact
information to our new choir director. He will be in touch
before the new school year begins.
The Planning Commission’s
Response
Last month I detailed in the
monthly letter what recommendations our cluster of parishes had
made for the pastoral planning process, Called to Holiness and
Mission. I will not repeat them here, since the Planning
Commission disagreed with what we had proposed. Their
recommendations that affect the St. Thomas More Society are
basically this: we are to stay where we are until the
consolidations in North Scranton, Green Ridge, and Center City
take place. Though these are by no means final recommendations,
the Planning Commission recommended that Holy Family Church,
where we had proposed relocating, be closed. They also
recommended that our current host, St. Anthony of Padua, be
closed. The obvious question then is: Where does the St. Thomas
More Society go at that juncture? We don’t know. However, when
the dust settles and Bishop Joseph Martino’s decisions are final
(in January), and implementation has begun (next July), it looks
like there will be plenty of vacant churches we might consider
making our home. Thus, for now, we must be content to watch the
pastoral planning process unfold, grateful that we have a place
from which we are able to offer our ministry. In the meantime
we will consider the feasibility of purchasing a building of our
own some time in the next couple of years, confident that in the
future the Lord will continue to provide for the flourishing of
our mission in the same manner He has up to this point.
Pray with us
Remember that we continue to
offer Eucharistic Adoration, Evensong and Benediction the first
Sunday of every month. This Sunday, August 3rd,
from the end of the 10AM Mass until 5PM, the Blessed
Sacrament will be exposed on the altar. Give some of your time
and then return to offer praise and thanksgiving at our 5PM
Evensong. Please make every effort to attend.
Finally, as the 2008-09 school
year approaches, I remind you of my part-time position as
Chaplain at Holy Cross High School. With this new
responsibility and Paul Campbell coming on staff we will have to
adjust the schedule for office hours, but my availability to you
will not be altered. Do not hesitate to call me when you need
me. As soon as we have worked out an office schedule we will
let you know. Until then, please keep me in your prayers. I
will continue to remember you daily.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev.
Eric Bergman, Chaplain
St. Thomas
More Society
2301 N.
Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA
18509
(570)
343-0634
www.stthomasmoresociety.org
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
2008 St. Thomas More Society picnic in Bear Creek is
Saturday August 16th! Sign up at church or call
the Parish Office. Directions available upon request.
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