THE ANGELUS
Volume 6, Number 52, November 28, 2004
The Weekly Newsletter from the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

DECEMBER AT SAINT MARY'S

December 8 is a very special day for the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. Since the beginning of the parish community in 1868 many great events in our common life have happened on this date. Of special note is the laying of the cornerstone of our second and present church on this date in 1894. The first service was held in this new church on December 8, 1895. It was a Sunday. The rector, the Reverend Thomas McKee Brown, was the celebrant. The church was consecrated four days later by the Right Reverend Henry Codman Potter, the bishop of New York, on Thursday, December 12. Both services were widely reported in the newspapers of the day. There had never been an Episcopal church quite like Saint Mary's.

Many, many elements of the common worship of Episcopalians today were quite new when this parish began. Flowers on altars were shocking to many members of the Church a century ago, to say nothing of incense, chanting and traditional liturgical ceremonies. Our parish has always been on the forefront of proclaiming Christ in liturgical worship. I believe this mission is very much alive today.

When I became rector of the parish, inadvertently I began describing December 8 by the title most Christians use, "The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The usual title in the parish's history for the date has been "The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary." "Immaculate" in Roman Catholic theology refers to an act of God in the life of Mary which prevented her from passing "original sin" on to her son. (You can make a career of supporting or opposing this if you want to do so.) Our parish's records, written and visual, reveal a certain ambiguity. Both titles are present in different ways and at different times. I find myself mostly uninterested in the technical arguments about this. I believe Mary was special from the beginning. She was part of God's plan of salvation for humankind. We are too. And perhaps most importantly of all, at a time when ecumenical voices are being drowned out on the theological and on the theological right - there are plenty of so-called Christians who are sure that we Episcopalians are wrong about nearly everything -Saint Mary's embodies a common life that transcends the ideas most Christians would have of what it means to be Protestant or Catholic. Mary invites us all to Jesus.

On Wednesday, December 8, 2004, at 6:00 PM the Bishop of New York, the Right Reverend Mark S. Sisk, will be here as celebrant and preacher for the principal celebration of our patronal feast. The liturgy and the music will be glorious for all the right reasons. Robert McCormick will play a recital at 5:30 PM with music by Franck and an improvisation.. Music of the Mass will be by Sheppard and Parsons. The congregation will sing three of our very favorite hymns, Ye who own the faith of Jesus, Sing of Mary and Lo! he comes with clouds descending. Do not miss the celebration. There will be a reception following the Mass and we hope many will have time to greet personally our bishop and to thank him for all that he does.

As I write today, most readers of this newsletter will know the 2005 Stewardship Campaign is well underway. The response to date has been very, very encouraging. So far, 122 people have pledged for 2005. Forty-six people who pledged last year have not yet turned in pledge cards for this year. Fifty-three people pledged for the first time in this year. Fifty-two people have increased their pledges. 8 have decreased their pledges. Total to date pledged for 2005 is $266,083.00. Although there is still a long way to go, there are signs that we may be on the road to financial recovery. It's really exciting.

Finally, December brings us the wonderful Sundays and weekdays of Advent, and of course, the great feast of the Nativity of our Lord. On Christmas Eve, there will be Carols for Choir and Congregation at 10:30 PM. The Solemn Mass of the Nativity begins at 11:00 PM with the Proclamation of the Birth of Christ and our traditional Procession. The Solemn Mass on Christmas Day at 11:00 AM is a favorite for many. During the recessional hymn the clergy and congregation process to the cr_ che. The Angelus is said. Then, the dismissal is given. It's another great day at Saint Mary's. I hope you may be able to be here on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Stephen Gerth

PRAYER LIST . . . Your prayers are asked for Brenda, Doreen, Rick and Charles, PRIEST, who are hospitalized; Mary, Pamela, Charles, Gloria, Penn, Gilbert, Robert, Margaret, Jason, Bart, Hugh, Marion, and Christine, for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Bruce, Paul, Brenden, Jonathan, Jeffrey, Ned, Timothy, Patrick, Kevin, Christopher, Andrew, Joseph, Marc, Timothy, David, Colin, Christina, David, Nestor, Freddie, Matthew and Bennett and for the repose of the soul of Kathy . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . . December 5: 1989 Lorelle D. Brownell Britt; December 7: 1966 Eloise Cole Janke, 1993 Lily S. M. Latham.

LITURGICAL NOTES . . . The Sunday Proper: Isaiah 1:1-10, Psalm 7:1-8, Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12 . . . Father Mead will be celebrant and preacher for the 9:00 AM Mass . . . Father Gerth will be celebrant and preacher for the 10:00 AM Sung Mass and the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass . . . The Rector will be the celebrant and Father Beddingfield will be the preacher at Solemn Evensong & Benediction at 5:00 PM . . . On Saturday, December 4, confessions will be heard by Father Beddingfield. On Saturday, December 11, Father Gerth will hear confessions.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . As we go to press, Rick Austill is at Bellevue Medical Center and Doreen Swann and Father Charles Whipple are both at Saint Vincent's Medical Center. Please keep them in your prayers . . . This Tuesday evening, December 7, at 7:00 PM in Saint Benedict's Study we begin our three-part bible study of the Gospel narratives of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please join us . . . Please welcome our newest members of the parish. We have recently received letters of transfer for Michael Innis-JimŸ??nez and Heather Kopelson. Mike is a professor of American History and Heather is completing a Ph.D. in history. Both of them are altar servers when they are able. Heather and Michael, Welcome! . . . Attendance last Sunday 215.

NOTES ON MUSIC . . . This Sunday at the Sung Mass, played by Robert McDermitt, the prelude is Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 599 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). The postlude is Voluntary on `Winchester New' by Craig Sellar Lang (1891-1971) . . . At the Solemn Mass, the voluntaries are settings of Freu dich sehr, meine Seele (our Postcommunion Hymn, "Comfort, comfort ye my people") by Anton Heiller (1923-1979) and Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780), a student of Bach. The Mass ordinary is Missa `Ave Virgo sanctissima' by Juan Esquivel (1563-after 1613). This Mass, published in 1608, is modeled very closely on a motet of the same name by Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599), a piece our choir last sang in September at Father Mead's first Mass. Little is known of Esquivel's life; he was maestro de capilla in Oviedo and Calahorra and had a profound respect for the great master Guerrero (as evidenced by the flattery of this Mass). The motet at Communion is Guerrero's Canite tuba . . . The organ recital at 4:40 is played by Roger Castellani of Brooklyn . . . Music for the Immaculate Conception begins with an organ recital by the music director at 5:30, featuring C,sar Franck's Choral III and an improvisation on Ave maris stella. At the Mass, the choir sings Missa Cantate by John Sheppard (c. 1515-1559/60). Sheppard's great career as a musician spanned great changes in English Church music, from the elaborate Catholic music of the early part of the reign of Henry VIII to the simplifications of the Reformation. Like much of his Latin music, this stunning work for 6-part choir probably dates from the reign of Mary Tudor. The motet is Ave Maria by Robert Parsons (c. 1530-1570). The postlude is Improvisation sur le `Te Deum' by Charles Tournemire (1870-1939), reconstructed by Maurice Durufl, (1902-1986). Robert McCormick

MARY MAGDALEN: SAINT OR SINNER? MAGDALEN ART THROUGH THE AGES Thursdays, December 2 and 9, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in Saint Joseph's Hall. A great friend of Saint Mary's, Joan Baldridge, reviews how the saint has been depicted in art from the Third Century through the Renaissance and into the Twenty-first Century. In a presentation that debuted at Saint Mary's in 2003, but has grown in depth and complexity, Joan challenges popular myths and beliefs about the woman we refer to as Mary Magdalen. There is a $5 suggested donation.

CALLED TO A LIFE OF HOPE: AN ADVENT QUIET DAY . . . Plan to spend this Saturday, December 4, from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM at Saint Mary's for a day of prayer and reflection with the Reverend James Ross Smith. Father Smith's devotions will lead us to reflect on Saint Paul's words from Ephesians 4, "You were called to the one hope that belongs to your call." While "calling" often seems to refer to those with particular religious vocations, Father Smith will help us to think about what our own "callings" might be. What might it mean for hope to enter into our sense of calling? And finally, how does all of this fit within the season of Advent, a time of hope? A simple lunch is included with the Quiet Day and, if possible, we ask for a donation of $5 to help cover the lunch. RSVP by calling the parish office or send an e-mail to sschubert@stmvirgin.org.

GIVE A GIFT THAT HONORS SOMEONE AND ALSO HELPS OTHER PEOPLE . . . Alternative giving at Christmas is an idea made especially popular by groups such as Habitat for Humanity and Heifer Project International. This year, since Saint Mary's is participating in a diocesan global mission trip to Honduras, we are offering a way for you to give a Christmas gift to someone and help the people of Villanueva, Honduras at the same time. You can provide paint ($25), cinder blocks ($50) or a new church pew ($100). Check the church web site for more information and a form or email Father Beddingfield at jbeddingfield@stmvirgin.org.