Moving ahead

Rob Rodgers of the Coming Home Network will speak on “Evangelization” at St. Therese Little Flower at the Anglican Use Liturgy of the Word on Sunday, November 9. Rob is just one of the many gifted people who have been willing to give time and attention to this band of pilgrims entering the Catholic Church. Bishop John Buchanan, the former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri said one time, “Evangelism is one hungry person telling another where rice is to be found.” Rob and many of our speakers have found food for their souls, their daily bread, the true bread from heaven – Jesus Christ - in the Catholic Church, and they are willing to share the good news with others. Our new members are already showing great talent in sharing the good news.
The rest of this post will be a digest of recent happenings. There has simply been too much going on to write about it regularly. Along with everything else I have been preparing to take a group of thirty people on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and then continue to Mt. Sinai and Egypt. Let us just say this will be a fall to remember.
A couple of weeks ago St. Therese Parish had a Town Hall meeting to talk about the Anglican Use community forming here. I made a historical introduction about the Anglican liturgy and the Pastoral Provision and then Cristen Huntz talked about her pilgrimage. Many good questions were asked our new members were warmly welcomed. Several months ago our former Anglican members expressed a desire to be full members of St. Therese Parish without any separate membership structure. We recognize that there will be a challenge to create a parish community with two different liturgical expressions. One of the links between the two will be our parish Sunday School for religious education, scheduled between the two services. Our Lady of Hope Society will continue, but it will not operate as a parallel semi-autonomous organization. St. Therese is a unique parish, and it is privilege to serve here.
After much consultation with our parish Worship Committee and Parish Council, and with the blessing of those preparing to make their Profession of Faith and receive Confirmation and First Communion as Catholics, I have decided that it would be best to receive them during a regular parish Gospel Mass on Sunday morning. It is very important that we express our parish unity this way as we launch, God willing, a new parish liturgy. Bishop Finn has graciously allowed us to postpone his visit to St. Therese, so there will be no Confirmation at St. Therese on December 10.
Bishop Finn has petitioned Archbishop Meyers of the Pastoral Provision Office for permission for us to begin celebrating the Mass according to the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite in the Book of Divine Worship. If permission is received, we hope to begin on the First Sunday of Advent.