Bob Christian writes:

Dateline:  Sunday, 18 June 2011:

The end of summer flowers were in bloom on the lovely campus of Bryn Mawr College as Claudia and I wended our way, this Lord's Day, to worship in Spirit and Truth with the Fellowship of the Blessed John Henry Newman.

We were meeting in a new (temporary) larger location for our growing group of fellow travelers en route to Anglican and Catholic re-unity.  Of course, not everyone will complete that journey, but this group has a sense of openness, willingness to study, to learn, to personally evaluate, and above all, this group has a refreshing love of God mixed with the good will of Christian fellowship.  How wonderful, we thought, to be amongst these good people.

Of course, knowing us, you will not be surprised to learn that we were running late, driving in from West Philadelphia, negotiating, what seemed to us, the labyrinthine byways of the Bryn Mawr campus.  We were looking for the Music Room of the Marjorie Walter Goodhart Hall.  We found it, and then round and round we went to find a parking space.  Not so lucky, we wound up at the railroad station.  It was a walk, but, it was such a lovely day.

As we found the entrance, Mike Cannon and Jay Oberdorf, who had seen our white van circling, greeted us.  They were welcoming everyone and showed us where to find the Music Room.

When we opened the doors, we saw a lovely A-frame structure with large wood beams, interspersed with rugged wrought iron chandeliers.  The room was virtually filled to capacity; some young people were sitting on the floor.  We squeezed in some vacant seats toward the front.

There, before us, were sights to behold:  A simple altar in front of a large clear window framing beautiful green foliage; Bill Gatens was at the console of an actual pipe organ; and our beloved choir had returned.

Bishop David Moyer was in the midst of a heartfelt sermon, as we snuck in, in full view of everyone.  The Fellowship was celebrating the Solemnity of the Holy Cross.  We pronounced the Creed, said our prayers, confessed, were absolved and exchanged the Peace of the Lord.  We went on to receive the Eucharist.  The children were escorted out to the start of the fall Sunday Bible School.

We felt the Peace of God and his Holy Spirit present.  After the Mass and after coffee and doughnuts, we had a productive, orderly meeting to discuss our present and future plans and challenges.

We left in a spirit of hope and goodwill.  And so it was, off to our car parked at the railroad station, and then we left to go back to the City.

Older Posts