Our Story

For 2000 years, the Catholic Church has been leading families to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, celebrated in the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration.

If you’ve been away from the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, if you desire to be a family of love, of prayer, living a life of holiness, if you desire to experience God’s love and protection in a confused, and hurting world, then come join us for a Family Holy Hour with the Love of Mary.  

We are the Catholic faithful, helping fathers and mothers to lead their children to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and with the love of Mary, praying for the salvation of the world. In an ever-changing world, Jesus’s love for us remains true, and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist remains with us until the end of time – recall the great promise “I will be with you until the end of time.” (Mt 28:20)   

Dear families and friends, allow me to share our story with you and the important work we are doing within the Catholic Church.      

Over three years ago, our family joined Saint Thomas More Catholic Parish, a Roman Catholic Parish of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. The pastor Father Bergman and the parishioners welcomed us with open arms and invited our Divine Mercy Ministry to be part of the parish. Our mission - to lead families to the Merciful Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, with the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  

At Saint Thomas More Parish, you can see the work of the Holy Spirit with Our Lady drawing souls closer to her Son Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Families travel near and far from the parish to celebrate their love for Jesus in the Holy Mass.

At the Mass with hearts still, you can experience true holiness as the priest speaks the words of Christ, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is My Body, which will be given up for you.”  And again, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of My Blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of Me.”

Families look forward each week to sharing in the sacraments and in the fullness of the Catholic faith. Often you will see long lines at the confessional, as fathers and mothers with their children open their hearts to God’s mercy in the sacrament of confession before Mass. There is joy in their hearts when they hear the words, “my child, your sins are forgiven.”

There is a beautiful love and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that can be seen in Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays and First Saturdays of the month.

Evensong sung by the high school choir on First Fridays gives the parish the sound of our youth loving Jesus and honoring Mary, the Mother of God.

The fruits flowing from these faithful families can be seen throughout the week as their children attend Maria Kaupas Academy, the Saint Thomas More Parish Catholic school. The school is growing as we give our children a true Catholic education that is centered on Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

Our children attend Daily Mass each school day, and throughout the week, they are given time to be with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, Father Bergman and our family established Children of Our Lady of Mercy, children praying before Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament with the love of Mary. The children pray for you and for our world. They continue to pray for the conversion of hearts, for the sanctity of life, for the salvation of souls, and for peace in our world. The prayers of our children before Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, guided by Our Lady, were soon felt within the community.

Our Bishop, the Most Rev. Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, invited us to increase our prayer and Holy Hours for Life. He writes: “This is a time for increased prayer; please consider saying Rosaries and Holy Hours for the specific intention of an increase in reverence for human life.”

Father Bergman knew that families and the faithful going before Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and with the love of Mary, praying for the sanctity of life, would directly help to save babies in the womb.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, Father asked our family to begin working with families in the parish to help him establish a new Eucharistic Adoration chapel.                                                                                                             

Father wanted to see an increase in devotion to the Merciful Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, along with increasing devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.                                                                                               

With hearts open to God’s grace, our Parish has opened a new chapel for Perpetual Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The adoration chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Ransom, which is also known as Our Lady of Mercy.

The hope was that our prayers before the presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, with the intercession of Our Lady, would lead to vulnerable women who are pregnant to bring their babies to full term, to choose life.

Guided by God’s mercy, Father knew it was time to do more in the work of saving babies in the womb. He asked the parish for prayers and to help him establish a new charity that would help expectant mothers who find themselves in crisis to choose life. Providence Pregnancy Center for expectant mothers was founded.  

Our parish was growing, and Father's heart continued to be open to the mercy of God. Moved by the Holy Spirit, a few families approached father about developing some land to farm on - a ministry that would reflect God’s love and mercy in helping families in need of food, a way to evangelize the presence of the Merciful Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. 

Trusting in the Holy Spirit, Father instructed the families to pray for God’s Providence.

Now it was almost time for the feast of Divine Mercy and the families were praying. During the nine-day novena to Divine Mercy, one of the families decided to give everything up in their life to answer God’s call. On Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus made His will clear as the family approached Father and the other families that they were going to start a farm. The name of the land, Divine Mercy Farm.

Today the Divine Mercy Farm is producing food for families, and for clients of the Providence Pregnancy Center. Devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary continues to grow at Saint Thomas More Parish.

Plans for a new Shrine to Our Lady of Providence are underway, with the hope of providing an outdoor space for prayer and worship. It will serve as an evangelizing public witness to the neighborhood of the love that Our Lady has for her children.

A doctor and a nurse from our parish have started Our Lady of Providence Medical, a new medical practice founded on Catholic ethical principles that respect the dignity of the human person.

The practice is helping families in the community and is supporting the Providence Pregnancy Center by providing free medical care to its clients. They have already received a donation of an ultrasound machine to assist with this work.

At Saint Thomas More Parish, we are always working to help the community by carrying out the works of mercy.

Through the Divine Mercy for Youth ministry, using our food trailer and mobile prayer chapel, we provide food, aid, and special outdoor prayer events for families.

We work closely with the Divine Mercy Farm, Providence Pregnancy Center, and Our Lady of Providence Medical. Keeping with our mission of leading families to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and with the love of Mary, we hold outdoor Eucharistic processions, rosaries, and Holy Hours.

The work of the Holy Spirit with Our Lady at Saint Thomas More Parish is drawing more and more families to the parish and attracting the attention of Catholic ministries across the United States and around the world.

Michael McGlinn, Catholic film maker and founder of Adore Him Daily, has captured the fruits of our parish being centered on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the story at Saint Thomas More Parish.

A longtime friend of our Divine Mercy for Youth and of our parish, he has two short films in production about the life-changing message of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist at Saint Thomas More parish.

The first short film to be released will be Children of Our Lady of Mercy – Eucharistic Adorers. The second film is a children’s Holy Hour with the love of Mary, filmed at Saint Thomas More Parish.

Working with Michael these short films will soon be available on our web site and available to be download on your phone.

With your financial support we will continue to make short films promoting the life-changing message of families praying before the Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, with the love of Mary - a Family Holy Hour with Mary.

Our ministry has been recognized locally, nationally, and globally. Local Scranton television and newspaper outlets, including News 22, News 28, and the Scranton Times, have run stories on Divine Mercy for Youth.

The National Catholic Register published a feature story on us. The National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA, has featured us on their website, in their Friends of Mercy newsletter, and in their Marian Helpers magazine.

With the help of the Shrine, we received global exposure through a segment on Fr. Chris Alar’s Living Divine Mercy program on EWTN, the Global Catholic Network.

St. Thomas More Catholic Parish, 116 Theodore Street Scranton, PA 18508 Phone 570-343-0634