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Dear Friends and Members of the St. Thomas More Society,
Paul Campbell, our new administrator and music director, arrived
with his family last Wednesday in Scranton . After a few days
of getting settled, Paul has begun his work for the St. Thomas
More Society. One of his responsibilities will be to maintain
office hours at the St. Clare Rectory, where his office is right
next to mine. That is, the St. Thomas More Society has new
office hours. Henceforth, Paul or I will be at the Society
office, 2301 N. Washington Avenue , every weekday between 9AM
and noon. Please telephone or drop in with whatever business
you have to conduct. We are certain that our reliable, daily
accessibility will greatly improve our service to you, and we
hope you will take advantage of our Monday through Friday
presence at the office. And, of course, both of us will be
available, as always, by appointment.
Welcome the Campbell ’s
Our
formal welcome to Paul and his family will take place on Sunday,
September 14th. After the 10AM Anglican Use Mass we
will gather in the St. Anthony Church Parish Hall to meet and
greet Paul, his wife, Sandy, and their children, Jacob, Maggie,
and Grace. Refreshments will be provided, but you are welcome
to bring something along, as well. Call Kristina Bergman, my
wife, at 343.4910 if you would like to make a contribution to
the party. Paul and Sandy are grateful for the help and support
they have received thus far, especially from those who have
helped them move into their new place, so please stay after Mass
on September 14th so they can thank you in person.
The Sunday School
September 14th is also the first day of Sunday
School. Classes begin at 9AM at St. Anthony Church. We have
found instructors for all the classes, though I would be
grateful to have someone help me teach the First Holy Communion
Class, and we can always use help in the way of nursery
attendants and substitute teachers. If you would like to aid in
any of these capacities, please call me. We will have four
groups of children:
1.
Nursery School (ages 0 to 3)
2.
Pre-First Holy Communion (ages 3 to 6)
3.
First Holy Communion (ages 6 to 8)
4.
Post-First Holy Communion (ages 7 to 11)
You will notice a bit of overlap in the age groups, as we want
the parents to feel free to register their children for
whichever class is most appropriate for their child. One thing
to keep in mind, however, is that a child must have turned 7
years old by the time he receives First Holy Communion.
Finally, children older than 11 years old should register for
the Youth Confirmation Class, which will meet at the Rectory on
Tuesdays at 4PM. If you have questions, please talk to me, then
come to church on September 14th and sign your
children up for Sunday School.
The Adult Choir
In last month’s letter I announced the intention for
the adult choir to rehearse after the Sunday 10:00AM Mass and
coffee hour, in order to prepare choral music for the coming
weeks. However, since a weekly choir rehearsal represents an
increased commitment on the part of choir members, our new Music
Director Paul Campbell has suggested that the members of the
choir have the opportunity to offer some input toward a final
decision as to when the rehearsal will be held. To that end,
the members of the Adult Choir are encouraged to attend an
informal meeting during coffee hour after Mass this Sunday,
September 7th, in order to set a rehearsal time as
accessible as possible for all members.
The Choir School
We are excited to announce the formation of a new
choir ministry for boys and girls in grades two through eight,
the St. Thomas More Choir School . Though not a “school” in the
conventional sense, the title nonetheless indicates our
commitment to teaching young choristers to sing fine choral
music at a highly proficient level, following in the
thousand-year tradition of the great Cathedral choir schools of
England . In accordance with the curriculum of the Royal
School of Church Music – with which our music ministry will be
affiliated – choristers will ascend through three levels of
vocal and musical training, with their Wednesday afternoon
rehearsal schedule proceeding as shown:
Junior Choristers 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Middler Choristers 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Senior Choristers 4:15-5:15 p.m.
Thus, the Junior and Middler groups will receive a significant
period of individual attention as they work to achieve the next
level of musicianship, while also overlapping both with each
other and the senior group for rehearsal. For families with
choristers in more than one level, the compact schedule still
limits total family commitment time to a maximum of 90 minutes.
The season will begin on Wednesday, September 17th,
with open house registration between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. at St.
Anthony’s Church. Simply drop by any time within that hour,
fill out a registration form, meet our new Music Director, and
pick up information about the coming season. Choristers will
also be placed into one of the three levels listed above at that
time, based on age, current ability level, musical experience,
etc. Rehearsals and instruction will begin the following
Wednesday, September 23rd. The choristers will
likely begin to lead music in Mass around Christmas time, having
invested a reasonable preparatory period in weekly rehearsals to
ensure they are adequately prepared.
Called to Holiness and Mission
The same day we hold registration for the St. Thomas More Choir
School we will have a Society meeting after the 5:30PM Mass, at
which I will be able to update you on the pastoral planning
process now going on throughout the Diocese of Scranton,
Called to Holiness and Mission. On September 17th,
I ask that you either stay after Mass or come promptly to the
St. Anthony Church parish hall at 6PM. This meeting represents
the last opportunity to send to the Planning Commission your
recommendations. Therefore, please come to be informed, but
also to offer your input as together we submit to the Planning
Commission our formal proposal about the future of the St.
Thomas More Society.
Pro-Life Mission Opportunities
Our mission to help Birthright, the local crisis pregnancy
center continues. This month you can help them by coming to get
your car washed at St. Clare Church on, Saturday, September 13th
from 9AM to noon. The cost is only $5, and all the money will
go to Birthright. Call Becky Huffman at 207.5247 if you have a
teen-ager who would like to volunteer.
Our car wash is part of a national effort in communities all
over the country. Another nationwide pro-life effort involves
prayer over the course of forty days for the unborn and those
who try to advance the culture of death. Donna Davis, who works
at the Diocese of Scranton Chancery writes:
“I’m a prayer team member of the Scranton ’s 40 Days for Life
which peacefully, publicly prays for an end of abortion at the
local Planned Parenthood site, 316 Penn Ave. Scranton . We are
in need of prayer volunteers from 7AM – 7PM Monday through
Saturday Sept. 24- November 2. Also there will be a Mass at
St. Peter’s Cathedral, Wed. Sept. 24 at 7PM. Bishop Martino
strongly supports this prayer effort, as well as Bishop
Dougherty. If anyone from your group would like to participate
in the prayer vigil, please call me (Donna Davis) at 348-5011 or
contact
40daysforlifescranton@live.com”
I encourage you to participate in both these efforts to promote
the Gospel of Life.
Pray with us
Remember that we continue to offer Eucharistic Adoration,
Evensong and Benediction the first Sunday of every month.
This Sunday, September 7th, 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. I
shall look forward to seeing you all soon.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Eric L. Bergman |
