From the Rector: Ponder Anew

Hymnody plays a huge role in the spiritual life and worship of Episcopalians and most other Christians. It was not always so. Hymns started to creep into Anglican worship near the end of the eighteenth century. For decades it would be considered a dangerous innovation. The Church already had the songs Jesus himself knew and used: the Psalms. And why would we need any others? Today, few of us could imagine the Episcopal Church or Christianity apart from the hymnody that has come to be used, now for generations, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation.

Like many people, I would have a really hard time choosing my five favorite hymns. Choosing ten would be easier. Among the many contenders for my list would be a hymn Episcopalians only began to sing with The Hymnal 1940, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation.” The text and the tune quickly became among the most popular in the Church, and remain so.

Like many hymns, its biblical imagery suffered in the hands of those who produced the texts for the current hymnal, but most of it is still there. (The omitted phrase, “all that hath breath join with Abraham’s seed to adore him”, has been changed to “all that hath life and breath come now with praises before him” – I do get upset when important, basic biblical imagery is discarded.) My favorite line is still there, “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, who with his love doth befriend thee.”

Summer arrived formally last week. The final feasts of Eastertide and the first Sundays of the Season after Pentecost are behind us. As I write on Thursday, June 25, we celebrated the birth of John the Baptist yesterday. On Monday we will celebrate the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. For us in the northern hemisphere, it is the growing season, a good time for pondering anew what the Almighty can do among us, now and in the future. 

I’ve just started reading online the first parish newsletter, The Arrow. It was published from October 1891 until March 1899. I’ve read only two of them so far, the first and the last. The first one discusses many of the contentious issues of the day, and not, it’s probably fair to say, in a very gracious way. The last issue contains noteworthy announcements of Holy Week services. On April 1, 1899, Easter Eve, Morning Prayer was at 9:00 AM, “immediately followed by the blessing of the Paschal candle and Solemn High Mass.” I had thought the first “Easter Vigil” here was in 1917. I’m going to have to go back to the books to find out if there are some other papers that tell more. (And here is a good place to thank Dick Leitsch, Mary Robison and those who made special contributions for the archives which have made the reappearance of The Arrow possible – Thank you!)

Many of you know one of my favorite Scripture verses is Matthew 13:52, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” I hope when people look back on our days we will be seen to be a people looking for the Lord to do something new among us still, open to the work of the Spirit. Stephen Gerth

SUNDAY PRAYER LIST . . . Your prayers are asked for Frances and Margaret who are hospitalized; for Carol, Eva, Allan, Allan, Jenny, Wayne, Charisse, Jewell, Dorothy, Rick, Jean Marie, Kirk, Jack, Alice, Harold, Marcia, Richard, Stephen, Laura, Madeleine, Marc, William, Gert, Mary, Daisy, Colleen, and Rick; and for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Marc, Omar, Christopher, Benjamin, Steven, Andrew, and Patrick; and for the repose of the soul of Murphy . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . Abbie Dobson, June 28, 1890; Mary Elliot, June 28, 1921; Lillie Rebecca Ferguson, June 28, 1929; Edward Delavan Ransom, June 28, 1937; Douglas McNabb, June 28, 1956.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The Irish choir Capella will give a short concert on Saturday, June 27, at 1:15 PM. Music is by Rutter, Allegri, McGlynn and others, and entry is free . . . Monday, June 29, is the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles. Mass will be said at 12:10 PM; Sung Mass will be celebrated 6:00 PM . . . The church will observe the federal holiday for Independence Day on Friday, July 3. The church will be open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The Noonday Office and the 12:10 PM Mass will be offered. The parish office will be closed. The regular Saturday schedule will be observed on Saturday, July 4 . . .  On Saturday, June 28, and on Saturday, July 4, Father Gerth will hear confessions.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Frances Geer, Hardison Geer’s wife, is now at Mount Sinai Medical Center for rehabilitation. Please keep her in your prayers . . . Margaret Malone is at St. Luke’s Hospital. Please keep her in your prayers . . . Altar flowers are needed for the following dates: July 5, 12, 26. Please contact the parish office if you would like to make a donation . . . Father Smith is away on vacation until July 13 . . . Attendance: Last Sunday 277, Nativity of John 113.

FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR . . . During the summer months the full choir is on vacation, and the music at Solemn Mass is sung by a cantor or a small group of voices. This week the cantor is Mr. Geoffrey Williams, countertenor. The prelude is Légende, No. 13 from Pièces en style libre, Op. 31, by Louis Vierne (1870-1937).  The setting of the Mass ordinary is for choir and congregation. During the ministration of Communion, Mr. Williams sings the motet Agnus Dei from the Mass in B minor, BWV 232, by Johann Sebastiann Bach (1685-1750). The Mass in B minor has long been a source of mystery in terms of its purpose and initial performances. It was assembled in 1749, although parts date back to as early as 1724.  Instead of a unifying title, the work is divided into four sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Symbolum Nicenum (Creed), and Sanctus, Hosanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, each section calling for different numbers and arrangements of performers, giving rise to the theory that Bach never expected the work to be performed in its entirety.  It also lasts over two hours! One theory is that it was, at least in part, composed to impress Augustus III, when he succeeded his father as elector of Saxony and king of Poland.  Bach was appointed court composer to Augustus III in 1736 . . . The Irish choir Capella will give a short concert at the church on Saturday, June 27 at 1:15 PM. Music is by Rutter, Allegri, McGlynn and others, and entry is free.  James Kennerley

TO THE PARK . . . Grace Bruni is leading an expedition of parishioners to Central Park to picnic in style and to hear the New York Philharmonic on the Great Lawn July 14 and July 17.  These free concerts feature different programs of Mozart, Beethoven, Copland, and Mahler, with a fireworks display following each concert.  For more information contact Grace (jgracie@gmail.com) with any questions.

MISSION & OUTREACH . . . Food Pantry: You are invited to bring non-perishable food items on Sundays and place them in the basket at the back of the church or on the table in Saint Joseph’s Hall. The food is then delivered to Saint Clement’s Food Pantry. Thank you to all those who have given so generously and so consistently to this very important outreach effort . . . Post-Katrina Mission Trip to the Gulf Coast (Mississippi and Louisiana): A group from Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights, is planning a mission trip to the Gulf Coast for November 8-14, 2009. This is not their first trip so the effort seems to be well-established. The coordinators have already booked lodging (described as “convenient and comfortable”) in New Orleans’s Garden District. For more information, please speak to Deacon Rebecca Weiner Tompkins or send an e-mail to Barbara Pace at meetingadj@optonline.net.

HOSPITALITY AT SAINT MARY’S . . . During this time of belt-tightening and budget cuts, we would like to invite the members and friends of Saint Mary’s to consider making a donation to support the parish’s hospitality efforts. There are several ways that one can do that. One thing you can do is donate unopened boxes of cookies or other sweets or pastries for use at Coffee Hour on Sunday mornings. Even if there is a surplus of donated items on a given Sunday, we are able to freeze items for use at a later date. You can also make a cash donation. Checks should be written to the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin and “Hospitality Fund” should be written in the memo line. We are grateful to all those who have already answered this appeal and have helped with this important ministry of hospitality. James Ross Smith

A FRIENDLY REMINDER . . . If you plan to be away from the parish for all or part of the summer, we would appreciate it if you tried to stay current on your pledge payments. We often run into cash-flow problems during the summer months and that is, of course, a special concern this year. Thank you very much for your consideration – and thank you to all who give so generously to support the work and mission of this parish.

The Parish Clergy 

The Reverend Stephen Gerth, rector.

The Reverend Matthew Mead, curate.

The Reverend James Ross Smith, curate.
The Reverend Rebecca Weiner Tompkins, deacon,

The Reverend John Merz, assisting priest.

The Reverend Canon Edgar F. Wells, rector emeritus.

Saint Mary’s Mission House
Sister Deborah Francis, C.S.J.B.
Sister Laura Katharine, C.S.J.B.
The Community of St. John Baptist

The Parish Musicians
Mr. James Kennerley, organist and music director.
Mr. Lawrence Trupiano, organ curator. 

Parish Staff
Aaron Koch, business manager.

Finance Office, finance office.
Mr. Hector Rojas, building mechanic.

Mr. Mario Martinez, Mr. Justin Thorne, Mr. Timothy Zimmerman, sextons.

Questions about the Angelus newsletter 

Sunday: 8:30 AM Morning Prayer, 9:00 AM Said Mass, 10:00 AM Said Mass, 11:00 AM Solemn Mass, 5:00 PM Evening Prayer.  Childcare is available from 8:45 AM until 12:45 PM every Sunday.

Monday–Friday: 8:30 AM Morning Prayer, 12:00 PM Noonday Office, 12:10 PM Mass, 6:00 PM Evening Prayer. The Wednesday 12:10 PM Mass is sung. Thursday Masses include anointing of the sick.

Saturday: 12:00 PM Noonday Office, 12:10 PM Mass, 5:00 PM Evening Prayer, 5:20 PM Sunday Vigil Mass. Confessions are normally heard on Saturdays at 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM or by appointment.