Tag Archives: Fr. Eric Bergman

Great News from Scranton!

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St Joseph Scranton1 300x290 Great News from Scranton!

Here's the story from the website of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter:

The new U.S. ordinariate for Anglican groups entering the Catholic Church achieved a milestone on May 8, 2012 when Reverend Eric Bergman became its first priest. The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter was established by Pope Benedict XVI on January 1 in response to repeated requests by Anglican groups and clergy who were seeking to become Catholic. It is similar to a diocese, though national in scope.

Fr. Bergman, 41, is a former Episcopal priest who was ordained a Catholic priest five years ago for the Diocese of Scranton. Since that time, he has been chaplain to the 150-member St. Thomas More Anglican Use Society.

The group will become St. Thomas More Parish at St. Joseph Church and will be located at the former St. Joseph property in Scranton’s Providence neighborhood starting in late August. The ordinariate purchased the property from the Diocese of Scranton for $254,000, with $200,000 of that amount raised by the St. Thomas More community during a three-week period this spring.

“This is a significant moment in the young history of the ordinariate. I am grateful to Bishop Joseph Bambera and to the Diocese of Scranton for their support,” said Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, the Ordinary. “The incardination of Fr. Bergman, and the reception of several Anglican communities across the United States and Canada over the past few months, are tangible signs of Christ at work in this new undertaking.”

Approximately 60 current or former Anglican priests are preparing to be ordained Catholic priests for the ordinariate, with 30 ordinations expected in the next few months. Ordinariate parishes will be fully Catholic while retaining elements of their Anglican heritage and traditions, including liturgical traditions.

Fr. Bergman noted, “I am particularly grateful to Bishop Bambera, and to Msgr. William Feldcamp, pastor of St. Paul’s Parish and St. Clare’s Church, who has been instrumental in the maintenance of our ministry over the years. St. Thomas More has thrived, and we look forward to our future as an ordinariate parish.”

Underscoring the historic nature of this announcement, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, commented, “I was pleased to be able to cooperate with Monsignor Steenson in order to help facilitate Father Bergman’s incardination process. For the past five years, Father Bergman has faithfully supported the Diocese of Scranton. We are grateful for his service and wish him continued blessings in his ministry.”

Fr. Bergman, a native of Bethlehem, PA, graduated from James Madison University before obtaining a Master of Divinity degree from Yale. He was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1997, and served in Scranton as curate at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and as rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He became Catholic in 2005 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 2007. In addition to serving as chaplain to the Anglican Use Society, he has been chaplain at Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, PA and at Mercy Hospital in Scranton. He and his wife, Kristina, have seven children ages 6 months to 10 years.

St. Joseph was established as a Lithuanian-language parish in 1895 and is a former home of Venerable Maria Kaupas, foundress of the Sisters of St. Casimir, who was a housekeeper at the parish in the late 19th century. A miracle attributed to her intercession is before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints that, if approved, will lead to her beatification. The parish property includes a church, parish hall, rectory, convent, school, parking lot and four garages.

Congratulations to Fr. Bergman and the wonderful people of St. Thomas More!

A2 Brianna 0675 Great News from Scranton!

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Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia Event

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The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia will hold an Anglican Use Requiem Mass on Sept. 11, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Annandale, VA. The Mass will be offered for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the attack of 9/11.

The celebrant will be Fr. Eric Bergman of the St. Thomas More Society, who will also be speaking at St. James' Catholic Church in nearby Falls Church, VA on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11, at 7:30 p.m., at the invitation of the Institute of Catholic Culture (ICC). The talks, entitled "Roots of Immorality," will focus on the fallout from the 1930 Lambeth Conference.

Full details can be found here.

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St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society

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The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia (STCS) will hold an Anglican Use Mass on Saturday, March 19th at 4:00 p.m. at the abbey church of St. Anselm’s (Benedictine) Abbey in Washington, DC.  The STCS invites all those interested in experiencing an Anglican Use Mass according to the Book of Divine Worship to attend the Mass and the reception following, in the building adjacent to the abbey church.  Fr. Eric Bergman, a Pastoral Provision priest in the Diocese of Scranton, PA, and chaplain of the St. Thomas More Society, will celebrate the Mass and speak at the reception afterward.

Music for this Vigil Mass for the Second Sunday in Lent will be led by the St. Thomas of Canterbury 12-voice schola and will include works by Tallis, classic Anglican Lenten hymns, and propers from the Anglican Use Gradual.  The mass setting will be the Missa Marialis (Fourth Service in the 1940 Hymnal).

This will be only the second time an Anglican Use Mass has been celebrated in Washington.  In May 2007, the Anglican Use Society held its annual conference in Washington at the Catholic University of America.  The final day of the conference included an Anglican Use Mass in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception — celebrated by Fr. Bergman.  Fr. Bergman also celebrated an Anglican Use Mass in Baltimore at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church on January 23, 2011, in connection with the 38th annual March for Life.

Since September of 2010 the STCS has been holding Evening Prayer according to the Book of Divine Worship on the third Saturday of each month at 4:45 p.m. at the abbey church of St. Anselm’s.  The March 19th Mass will take the place of their usual Evening Prayer.

For directions to St. Anselm’s Abbey (4501 South Dakota Avenue, NE, Washington, DC  20017-2753), or to learn more about the St. Thomas of Canterbury Society, visit the STCS website: http://www.stthomascanterbury.org/index.html.

For more information on the event, please contact James W. Farr, Jr.

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The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia

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STC Lessons and Carols 300x272 The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia

Lessons and Carols at St. Anselm's Abbey in DC.

Many of you probably noticed our mention of the St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia in our recent stories on the March for Life and the Mid Atlantic Gathering in Baltimore.

Through their comments in the discussion threads on those stories, I got in touch with some of the folks from St. Thomas of Canterbury and asked if they would share their story with the readers of The Anglo-Catholic.  Heide Seward of the blog Seward’s Folly sent me this history, which I share below along with some photos from the group’s very attractive new website.  If you are in the DC area, get in touch and stay posted for upcoming events.

The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC & Northern Virginia

- A Brief History -

The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virgina (STCS), like other similar communities, owes its existence to the generosity and foresight of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, who, on November 4, 2010, promulgated the apostolic constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus (“Groups of Anglicans”).  This document and its Complementary Norms is a pastoral response to the numerous petitions of Anglicans over a long period of time who have hoped to be reconciled with the Catholic Church, while retaining some elements of their traditional Anglican patrimony.

In response to the Holy Father’s offer, an effort was initiated in the Washington, DC/Northern Virginia area, thanks to the diligence of several people who originally made contact through the Anglo-Catholic blog online forum, (also called “Groups of Anglicans”).  Our inaugural meeting to discuss the possibility of forming an Anglican Use parish, with five people in attendance, was held in Alexandria, VA, on June 12, 2010.

Once word got out about this effort, over the course of the next few months we grew in numbers and have gradually coalesced as pilgrims in one stage or another on the road to Rome.  That is, some of us have already been received into the Catholic Church or are “cradle” Catholics.  Others have not yet “crossed the Tiber.”  All of us have seen our faith in Christ nurtured and deepened by the Anglican patrimony and are grateful to the Holy Father for his generosity.

On Saturday, September 11, 2010, we held our first service of Evening Prayer at St. Anselm’s (Benedictine) Abbey in Washington, DC.  We are tremendously grateful to the brothers of St. Anselm’s and their prior, Fr. Simon McGurk, who have welcomed us enthusiastically and have allowed us to use the Abbey Chapel for subsequent Evening Prayer services on the third Saturday of each month (at 4:45pm) since then.  Following our Evening Prayer services we have been able to use their lovely Ft. Augustus Room in the building next door to get to know each other and to welcome newcomers.

In October of 2010 the group elected a Leadership Council.  We have continued to meet on a monthly basis to discuss a variety of issues pertaining to our ultimate goal of forming an Anglican Use parish in the area that will, we hope, eventually become part of a future Ordinariate in the US.  In October we sent a letter to (then Archbishop, now Cardinal) Wuerl, in his capacity as delegate of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to guide the formation of an Ordinariate in the United States, informing him of our existence.  We similarly notified Bishop Loverde of the Arlington Diocese (Northern Virginia).  The response from Cardinal Wuerl’s assistant, Fr. Scott Hurd, included a Community Profile to be filled out and submitted by the end of 2010.  Eighteen people eventually agreed to be numbered as interested in the Ordinariate by the time the Profile was submitted on December 31, 2010.

On December 18, 2010, instead of our regular Evening Prayer we held a service of Advent Lessons & Carols in the Abbey Chapel, with a (semi-professional) choir that included several STCS members.  Several of the brothers from the Abbey and a number of family & friends joined us for the service and the social hour afterward.

Mt.Calv .STCStrimmed 300x229 The St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia

A St. Thomas group photo from the January Mid Atlantic Gathering.

On January 15, 2011, following months of discussion and prayer about the selection of a patron for our group, the executive council officially adopted St. Thomas of Canterbury as our patron.  Later that month we launched our website (http://www.stthomascanterbury.org/links.html).

The occasion of our introduction to the wider Ordinariate world was the Mid-Atlantic Gathering of Ordinariate-bound Catholics and Anglicans, on January 23, 2011.  Fr. Eric Bergman (chaplain of the St. Thomas More Society (STMS) of Scranton, PA and of the Anglican Use Society) celebrated an Anglican Use Mass according to the Book of Divine Worship at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in downtown Baltimore, MD.  Afterwards we reconvened a few blocks away at Mt. Calvary Church for a reception.  Mt. Calvary is the Baltimore church whose congregation voted overwhelmingly in October of 2010 to leave the Episcopal Church and seek reception into the Catholic Church.  The next day, January 24, several of us also participated in the annual March for Life, under a large banner proclaiming, “Thank you, Holy Father, for Anglicanorum coetibus!”

History continues to be made almost daily regarding the St. Thomas of Canterbury Society—and certainly the same can be said of the Ordinariate itself.  Keep an eye on our website for news and updates.

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A Brief Report from the Anglican Use Gathering in Baltimore

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AU Mass 2 A Brief Report from the Anglican Use Gathering in Baltimore

Anglican Use Mass at St. Alphonsus Church, Baltimore.

More than 100 people attended this week’s Anglican Use Mass at St. Alphonsus Church in Baltimore on the night before the March for Life.  Fr. Eric Bergman of the St. Thomas More Society in Scranton, Pennsylvania celebrated the Mass and preached.  The Mass was followed by a gathering at Mount Calvary Church for fellowship and to hear more about the Anglican Use and Anglicanorum coetibus.  At the gathering at Mount Calvary, Fr. Scott Hurd, assistant to Cardinal Wuerl for the implementation of Anglicanorum Coetibus, did much in his remarks to make those present feel positively about the future.  God bless Fr. Bergman and Fr. Hurd for their work on behalf of the Ordinariate.

Frs Hurd and Berg A Brief Report from the Anglican Use Gathering in Baltimore

Fr. Scott, foreground, with Fr. Eric Bergman

Crowd A Brief Report from the Anglican Use Gathering in Baltimore

Fr. Jason Catania and the members of Mount Calvary continue their own journey toward the Catholic Church with the assistance of Fr. Carleton Jones, OP, formerly of the Society of St. John the Evangelist.  Instruction continues as they move toward reception as a group at Easter and at they continue to work to find an amicable way forward with the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.

Group A Brief Report from the Anglican Use Gathering in Baltimore

Father Eric Bergman and Paul Campbell are standing in the midst of ten members of the St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society of Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. http://www.stthomascanterbury.org

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Mid-Atlantic Gathering

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There will be a Mid-Atlantic Gathering of Ordinariate-bound Anglicans and Catholics
on January 23rd and 24th.

It will begin with an Anglican Use Mass on Sunday, January 23rd at 4:00 p.m. in St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 114 West Saratoga St., Baltimore, Maryland. The celebrant and preacher will be Fr. Eric Bergman, Chaplain of the St. Thomas More Society (Scranton, PA). Immediately after Mass everyone is invited to assemble at Mount Calvary Church, 816 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore, for a time of fellowship and discussion, including brief presentations by appointed speakers for the various Anglican Use communities present, describing their current activities and hopes for the Ordinariate.

On Monday, January 24th at 1:00 p.m., participants in the Gathering are invited to take part in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., by meeting at 7th St. and Independence Ave. SW. They will march under a banner which proclaims, “Thank you, Holy Father, for Anglicanorum Coetibus!” This is a great opportunity to help build up the corporate life of the future Ordinariate by giving a public witness to the sanctity of human life.

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The Weeks of Grace Continue

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Ordinariate Group Flier The Weeks of Grace ContinueThe news this week was dominated by five men of a certain age announcing that they would be seeking new employment — or at least that is how it was portrayed in several media accounts.

We have had several stories here on the stunning news of the five resignations in the UK, so this week I will focus in on some of the stories that missed the headlines.

In the world of the Anglican Use, two stories caught my eye.  First, the St. Thomas More Society in Scranton, PA, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month.  Under Fr. Eric Bergman, an original core of 50 has continued to grow since being received into full communion and has helped other AU groups get off the ground as well.

Further south in San Antonio, where it is probably not snowing today as it is here, Fr. Phillips has returned home from a trip to DC with a group of young people from Our Lady of the Atonement’s school, which is in the process of adding a new building to meet enrollment demands.  Both of these stories are reminders of the good things to begin working for around the world once the Ordinariates are out of the gates.

Earlier in the week, Fr. Phillips was in Orlando to speak at a parish meeting of the ACA Cathedral of the Incarnation, which he describes as incredibly positive.

The Ordinariate Google Map has invaded Canada, adding several ACCC parishes, and the pin count now stands at 28.

In the UK, the Ordinariate exploration groups are beginning to multiply.  Today a group is meeting at Holy Trinity,  Winchmore Hill in London.  Next week in Kent, there will be an informational meeting at St. John the Baptist, Sevenoaks.  And the Redbridge and Havering group has begun the Evangelium Course.

Across the Tiber, literally, we received word that Anglicanorum coetibus will be on the agenda for the day of reflection to be held by the College of Cardinals preceding the consistory.  It is fair to say that only topline issues and the Holy Father’s personal priorities are being discussed at this gathering, sending a clear signal that Anglicanorum coetibus is an important matter for the entire Church.

Later in the week, Fr. Scott Hurd, who is assisting Archbishop Wuerl in his work as Pastoral Delegate for Anglicanorum Coetibus, made a strong showing on EWTN’s The World Over.  That interview is now available online.

Finally, William Oddie has been continuing his excellent overview of the Anglican Patrimony in the Catholic Herald.

I’m sure that there was much more news, but I’m taking a couple days away from the cyber-trenches.  More next week, God willing.  Till then, keep the Becoming One gathering in San Antonio in your prayers.

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Two New Anglican Use Groups Forming in Pennsylvania

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The Anglican Use Blog has news of two new AU groups forming in the state of Pennsylvania.

For those in the Lehigh Valley comes this piece from the newsletter of the St. Thomas More Society in Scranton, PA:

Just last evening I received a telephone call from Msgr. Francis Nave, Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Bath, Northampton County, in the Diocese of Allentown. Msgr. Nave was appointed by Bishop John Barres, Bishop of Allentown, as his liaison to the group of Anglicans from the Lehigh Valley that the St. Thomas More Society has been aiding in their desire to be reconciled to Holy Mother Church. Msgr. Nave informed me that the bishop has granted permission for the group to be catechized together, with the intention that they would be reconciled to the Church at the Easter Vigil next year, April 23, 2011. Thus, catechism classes will begin as soon as possible, and for this reason an organizational meeting will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 210 E. Northampton St., Bath, this Sunday afternoon at 4PM.

From Bucks County, Mr. Michael La Rue, K.M., sends notice of a new group forming in Holland, PA:

I am glad to announce that we will be beginning weekly Evensong according to the Anglican Use on Sunday, October 24 at 5 p.m. at St. Bede's Catholic Church in Holland, Pennsylvania. If you are interesting in singing, or otherwise helping out (and there is a lot to be done), please let me know.

If you have any questions, please call me, Michael LaRue, K.M. at (215) 369-2868. The site for St. Bede's, including location, is here: http://www.st-bede.org/. Many thanks to Cardinal Rigali, Msgr. Marine, and the Office of Worship, for helping us get this off the ground.

(The Bucks County group already has a page established at The Anglo-Catholic's Groups of Anglicans forum.)

Please tell any friends you have in these areas about these new groups, support them with your prayers, and also say a prayer of thanks for the support of Cardinal Rigali and Bishop Barres.

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Anglican Use Conference: Final Report

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The second and final day of the annual Anglican Use Conference began as the first day did, with Morning Prayer according to the Book of Divine Worship in the crypt chapel of the Cathedral in Newark. On this Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Father Davis delivered a moving and powerful sermon lamenting the absence of Our Lady from the devotions of Anglo-Catholic churches.

The final session of the conference on Saturday morning began as Dr. Anne Barbeau Gardiner, Professor Emerita of English at John Jay College of the City University of New York, presented a fascinating history of great literary beauty on the English convert kings of the 17th century.

In response to a question about publication of the papers delivered at the conference, Steve Cavanaugh again confirmed that they would be published in Anglican Embers, the quarterly journal of the Anglican Use Society, and that in addition some of the material would be provided on the Society website.

The conference continued with a question-and-answer session with Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, introduced by Msgr. Sheehan. This was a follow-up to the Bishop’s canonical discussion of the personal ordinariates as presented to the conference the previous evening. Among the questions presented were two from Fr. Bergman, one relating to the status of individuals originally baptized outside of the Anglican tradition, but fully initiated through Confirmation within the Pastoral Provision. The second question concerned the manner in which Church real property might be held under the ordinariates, specifically, would church property be held in the name of the ordinariate, or in the name of the local diocese, or in some other form? Bishop Arrieta was thoughtful and gracious in his answers, and took the occasion to underscore the importance of cooperation between the personal ordinaries and the diocesan ordinaries, but it was clear that these and other details have yet to be worked out.

Bishop Arrieta was warm, friendly, and sincerely interested in the concerns of both the Pastoral Provision community and the Anglicans who are discerning reconciliation. As a curial official in the Holy See, Bishop Arrieta may be in a position to make the pastoral concerns of both groups better understood in Rome. Mr. Blake, Archbishop Myers and Monsignor Sheehan were farsighted and prudent in inviting the Bishop to participate in the conference. And in his partcipation, Bishop Arrieta demonstrated that he is more than a scholar and canonist, but is also, as befits the grace of his orders, a kind and thoughtful pastor of souls. I pray that the Bishop will be consulted by the Holy Father and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Before the conference adjourned, the final appearance was by the Traditional Anglican Communion Bishops. Archbishop John Hepworth, Bishop Carl Reid and Bishop David Moyer, who had been present throughout the conference, stood before the assembly while Archbishop Hepworth spoke with feeling, describing the way in which the churches of the TAC (ACA in the United States of America) will proceed as the ordinariates are established. (Archbishop Louis Falk had been present throughout the first day of the conference but was unavailable during this session.)

This is not the proper forum, and I am not the proper reporter, to interpret the Bishops' intent. There are important pastoral issues to be considered as these Bishops work with their people, and it is clear that the Bishops will do this work with great love and great sensitivity. I hope it will be sufficient in this forum to say that the conference was most favorably impressed with the remarks of Archbishop Hepworth, and that the conference expressed a clear message of approbation and welcome with an enthusiastic standing ovation for these Bishops that was the concluding event of the conference. Clearly this is a time of great hope and great promise for the people of the Traditional Anglican Communion and for the cause of Christian unity.

Following the adjournment of the conference, the Anglican Use Society conducted its annual meeting, which was open to all present. Then, at noon, the concluding Mass of the conference was offered in the crypt chapel of the Cathedral Basilica.

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Anglican Use Conference: Day One Afternoon Report

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Following Morning Prayer and the greeting from Archbishop Myers, the conference reconvened in morning session in the auditorium of the Archdiocesan chancery office.

The first speaker, Sister Elaine, ASSP, reflected on the experience of her religious community, All Saints Sisters of the Poor. A long-established order in the Church of England, the sisters first came to Baltimore in 1872, have been in Baltimore continuously ever since, and were received into full communion last September by Archbishop O’Brien of Baltimore.

As Sister Elaine explained, much of the sisters’ daily life remains unchanged, as Archbishop O’Brien had instructed them “keep doing what you’re doing.” For example, the form of their daily office remains unchanged, with the Sisters offering the liturgy of the hours six times daily as a community. Sister Elaine’s presentation was filled with joy, and was frequently punctuated with laughter, as when she explained that not every one understands the monastic life, as demonstrated by the advice she received to “get a job,” perhaps teaching in a Catholic school.

Sister Elaine describes her community’s journey into full communion matter-of-factly as “becoming Roman Catholic.” Sister emphasized the importance of promoting vocations to the religious life and said that she was counting on the parishes represented in the room to send her at least one postulant.

Next up on the program was Dr. William Oddie’s presentation on the important role of influential and literarily sophisticated Anglican converts in Catholic apologetics. Dr. Oddie is a well respected and widely published Church of England clergyman who was received into full communion in 1991.

What could have been a disappointing experience was transformed into a particularly edifying and entertaining experience when, on learning that for health reasons he would be unable to travel to Newark, Dr. Oddie asked Father Allan Hawkins to deliver the paper for him. Today, Fr. Hawkins is best known to us as the pastor of St. Mary the Virgin, the Pastoral Provision parish in Arlington, Texas. Earlier, Fathers Oddie and Hawkins had served together in England, and clearly know each other well. Fr. Hawkins’ annotated reading of the paper brought to life Dr. Oddie’s animated reflections on Chesterton, and the synergy of Chesterton, Oddie and Hawkins greatly exceeded the sum of the parts.

Following a thorough and thoroughly entertaining discussion of Newman and Chesterton, Oddie’s paper went to on to discuss more recent developments. Dr. Oddie made clear his view that last fall, Pope Benedict suddenly accelerated the timetable for the publication of Anglicanorum Coetibus, before its intent could be frustrated by those who oppose the new Apostolic Constitution.

Lunch was an occasion for informal discussions, with clergy and lay people from ACA, other Continuing and Episcopalian parishes dining in small groups with Pastoral Provision folks.

The afternoon conference session was the annual tradition of the Anglican Use Pastors Panel. This is always a crowd favorite, as the audience has the opportunity to define the agenda. This year’s panelists were Fr. James Ramsey of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Fr. Richard Bradford of St. Athanasius in Boston, Fr. Allan Hawkins of St. Mary the Virgin in Arlington, Fr. Jean Hart, SOLT, of St Anselm of Canterbury in Corpus Christi, Fr. Eric Bergman of St. Thomas More in Scranton, Fr. Ernest Davis of St. Therese Little Flower in Kansas City, and Deacon Oliver Vietor of St. Paul’s in Phoenix. In keeping with the issues of the day, questions and comments from the audience leaned heavily toward issues of priestly ordination and the future of the ordinariates.

Going into the pastors’ panel, most conference attendees probably had the sense that the mood of the room was a watchful and somewhat impatient eagerness for the Church “to get on with” the ordinariates. After hearing the tone and content of the questions, this mood was unmistakable.

Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, a distinguished canon lawyer who serves as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, and who is the keynote speaker for the conference, was present for the Pastors' Panel and followed the discussion with animated interest.

Your humble scribe is a cradle Catholic who has worshiped in a Pastoral Provision parish for six years, and, like most Anglican Use parishioners, is eager for the U.S. ordinariate to be established. After talking with these conference attendees, I can see that the need is even greater among our Anglican brethren who are waiting. In a particularly challenging situation are the clergy of the ACA, other Continuing groups, and Episcopal Church groups who are working hard to serve the pastoral needs of the people, while at the same time holding their flocks together under extreme uncertainty about the timing. Let us hope that Rome is reading the blogs.

Further reports will be posted as time allows.

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