Pastoral Letter
 

		30 May 2008
	Dear Friends and Members of the St. Thomas More Society,                      The Bergman family has grown since I wrote you last.  On St. Matthias Day, May 14th, at 5;52PM, while Msgr. Dale Rupert prayed the Canon of the Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church, our fifth child was born at Moses Taylor Hospital.  This happy coincidence inspired Kristina and me to give our second son an ‘extra’ name.  He is Thomas German Matthias Bergman, weighing in at 9½ pounds and measuring 21 inches long, a big boy.  Since that time we have received visits, gifts, and food from many members and friends of the Society, for which we are immensely grateful.  We thank you also for your prayers, which have sustained us during this busy time.  We rejoice that you continue to support the Society’s ministry to you, enabling our family to welcome into this world another beautiful child without any anxiety for his providence and with unspeakable joy for such blessings bestowed upon us.  Your gleeful response to Thomas’ birth indicates the degree to which you consider our family to be a blessing to you.  Please know that the affection you’ve demonstrated is mutual.  We feel and are so blessed to have you in our lives. A Baptism during the Novena  As you know, the Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, Bishop John Dougherty, will be the principle celebrant of the concluding Mass of our Novena to St. Thomas More on St. Thomas More’s Feast Day, June 22nd.  Kristina and I have asked that at that Mass Bishop Dougherty baptize our son, Thomas, and he has agreed.  We invite and encourage all of you to be present with us that special day, when we honor both our Patron and the man whose advocacy on our behalf has done so much to advance the mission and ministry of the St. Thomas More Society.  Remember that the day’s celebrations will conclude with our annual St. Thomas More Day party.  Join us after Mass for a traditional English pub lunch, at which everyone will be able to meet the newest and smallest member of the Society.  Roxanne is in Japan right now, so call her husband, Tommy, at 239.4219 to see how you can help.  We hope that you assist at every Mass of the Novena, as well.  To this end, the Novena schedule and daily homilist are printed below and in the enclosed calendar: Novena to St. Thomas More “Loyal Citizens and Faithful Catholics: Serving the State without Compromising our Faith”  Saturday, June 14th at 10AM                                           Msgr. Dale Rupert             Sunday, June 15th at 10AM                                             Fr. Eric Bergman             Monday, June 16th at 7PM                                              Msgr. Vincent Grimalia             Tuesday, June 17th at 7PM                                              Fr. Charles Connor             Wednesday, June 18th at 7PM                                          Msgr. William Feldcamp             Thursday, June 19th at 7PM                                            Fr. Shane Kirby             Friday, June 20th at 7PM                                                 Fr. Ed Scott             Saturday, June 21st at 10AM                                            Fr. Eric Bergman             Sunday, June 22nd at 10 AM                                            Bishop John Dougherty Keep in mind that these are the Mass times for these particular days.  The normal Daily Mass schedule is suspended during the time of the Novena only, and it will resume on Monday, June 23rd. The Campbells’ Arrival Paul Campbell, our new Executive Assistant and Choir Director, will not be here in time for the Novena, but he will be working with us by the end of September.  Paul has signed the employment agreement, we’re working on getting the children registered for school, and he and Sandy are very close to selling their home in Virginia.  Jim Reese, a member of the Council who is also a realtor, is helping them find a home in Scranton.  Moreover, so that the people of the other Anglican Use communities have the opportunity to meet him, Paul will accompany me to the Anglican Use Conference in July in San Antonio.  As you can see, there is much to be done during this transition, so please keep the Campbells in your prayers over the summer.  As the date of their arrival draws nearer, I am increasingly thankful for the sacrifice they are making to come aid our ministry.  Please give thanks with me for the opportunities for mission that the Campbells’ presence will surely open up for us.  Later in the summer I will be sharing with you some of Paul’s ideas to enhance our outreach. The Stewardship Campaign  Our small but growing Society is able to provide for my family, organize events like the Novena to St. Thomas More, and hire a talented assistant like Paul Campbell because so many of our members tithe.  To tithe is to give ten percent of our income back to God, which is the standard that comes straight from Scripture.  I have been asked numerous times where in Scripture one can find that the tithe is God’s standard for us, so this year I printed on the enclosed 2008 pledge card a much quoted verse from the Book of Malachi,  “Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing” (Mal. 3:10).      This verse is helpful because it reminds us of much more than our obligation to give back to God ten percent of what He has given us.  This verse also indicates that when we ‘bring the full tithes’ our generosity will be met with God’s boundless blessings upon our work.  Our Society’s success thus far is evidence of this principle: that generosity issues in Divine blessings beyond our comprehension or expectations.  The St. Thomas More Society takes tithing seriously.  From the day of our establishment the Council has set aside for mission ten percent of all we have received, and we have been very blessed, enabled, for example, to invite and compensate from our Evangelism Fund the seven men who will preach our Novena to St. Thomas More.  With this fund we have also made it possible for Episcopal clergymen to attend the annual Anglican Use Conference, some of whom have gone on to be ordained Catholic priests.  And we’ve used this money to travel to places like Phoenix, Arizona, where we helped to establish the newest Anglican Use community, under the leadership of Oliver Vietor, soon to be an official candidate for ordination under the Pastoral Provision of Pope John Paul II.  These are just three ways tithing has allowed the Society to be generous, and I could describe many others.  In asking you to tithe, therefore, I am inviting you to have a share in this incredible work.  But I am also asking you to help ensure that our work continues to be so blessed, for it is only through our generosity that we can adequately communicate the generosity of God.  That is, your contributions do not enable God’s generosity – we would never be so presumptuous.  But what you give does allow the St. Thomas More Society to evangelize, to relate to others how generous God is in giving to the world the Catholic Church.  In sharing this message we help to crack open the door through which our Lord’s abundance proceeds.  Thereafter, this grace transforms the lives of those who, like us, come to the fullness of truth the only way mankind can, by living in communion with the Holy See.  Our work thus far has borne much fruit in reconciling our separated brethren to Mother Church, and to bear more fruit we need more funding.  For the next fiscal year we require an additional $25,000 over and above our income from this past year to meet our new $155,000 budget and expand our outreach.  Will you help us through your tithes to advance our purpose?  To accept this invitation simply fill out the 2008 pledge card and use the enclosed envelope to drop it in the mail or in the offering basket at church.  Make every effort to do so by July 1st, the beginning of our fiscal year, and a date that quickly approaches.  Nor will I fail to remind you during the many occasions we will have during the month of June to talk about stewardship.  In the meantime, in anticipation of your gracious response, I thank you for your generosity.  Pray with us  As we seek to meet our goal we must not cease to pray to Him from whom all our blessings flow.  Please continue to pray for the success of our mission, that God will reveal benefactors from near and far to aid us in fulfilling our calling.  Consider making such petitions before the Blessed Sacrament and during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the source and summit of our life in Christ.  This Sunday, June 1st, you will have another opportunity to offer Eucharistic Adoration at St. Anthony of Padua Church, as you do the first Sunday of every month.  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.  Through such prayers will we obtain the graces required to faithfully answer the summons we received from God more than three and a half years ago.  Please make every effort to attend.  Grateful for your support of our ministry and with hope for its imminent expansion, 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 2008 Anglican Use Conference in San Antonio is July 10th to the 12th.  Visit: www.anglicanuseconference.com to find out how to register.