FROM THE RECTOR: ALL SAINTS’ DAY

All Saints’ Day is Sunday, November 1, this year. Monday, November 2, is All Souls’ Day. Parish Requiems will be celebrated daily beginning Tuesday, November 3, through Saturday, November 7. If you are new to the parish community, you may not know that a large number of friends of Saint Mary’s ask for loved ones to be remembered at a Eucharist here during the week of All Saints’ and All Souls’. The earliest Christians, like much of Mediterranean world at that time, gathered at graves to share food and wine on the anniversaries of the departed. The departed were alive in Christ. In the fourth century, Ambrose in Milan and Augustine in North Africa would attempt to take control over these customs (Peter Brown, The Cult of the Saints [1981], 26). I think one can say that burying a loved one and gathering afterwards with family and friends for food and drink is defining characteristic of humankind. I continue to believe that the faithful departed, and those whose faith is known only to God, do not feel separation from us. I believe their love for us continues, as does our love for them.

Our celebrations of All Saints and All Souls’ are different this year. The church cannot be full; congregations cannot sing. But the Eucharists on these days will be enriched by organ and voice. A quartet from the parish choir will sing at the 11:00 AM Said Mass on All Saints’ Day. Father Jay Smith will be celebrant and preacher. On All Souls’ Day, Sharon Harms will be cantor. I will be celebrant and preacher. The All Souls’ Mass will conclude with the Blessing of the Vault. We have not yet faced the challenge of having too many for safe distancing, and mask wearing has not been a problem for those who join us.

French liturgical scholar Cyrille Vogel (1919–1982) “noted that up until the middle of the second century ancient burial inscriptions reveal that Christians prayed both for and to deceased Christians, whether they were martyrs or not” (P. Bradshaw and M. Johnson, The Origins of Feasts, Fasts and Seasons in Early Christianity [2011], 179–80). I grew up in a tradition, Southern Baptist, where one prayed to Jesus himself, not to saints or departed family members. I started attending the Episcopal Church in college with friends. In graduate school, as a new Episcopalian with high church friends, the prayer “Hail Mary” became very much a part of my prayer life. Back in the day at Nashotah House seminary, everyone stopped when the Angelus was rung. It wasn’t recited aloud, but even those for whom the prayer didn’t find a home, respected the prayer.

My father’s family was Roman Catholic. I knew my Roman Catholic grandparents pretty well growing up, even though our family lived in Virginia and we, including my father, attended a Southern Baptist Church. My grandmother, Sara Jean Shea Gerth, died when I was twenty-years old, my grandfather, Ralph Maynard Gerth, Jr., when I was thirty-eight. I always went with them to their parish church when I was visiting. As the years passed and I attended family funerals, I began to appreciate the role the parish and cemetery had had in the life of my family since before the Civil War.

Looking ahead, in three weeks, Sunday, November 22, will be the Last Sunday after Pentecost: The Feast of Christ the King. Advent Sunday is November 29. Our Clothing Ministry Team is planning to move this ministry indoors. Our church is open daily. The Holy Eucharist is celebrated while the church is open. Daily Evening Prayer is prayed by the resident clergy and friars in the evening. I hope that when the pandemic recedes and people can return to midtown, we will be able to be open more hours of the day and welcome more people to this parish and its community. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Barbara, Matt, Trevor, Carmen, Shalim, Ingrid, Paul, Omar, Quincy, Brice, Margaret, Larry, Samantha, John, Wilbert, Marilouise, and Alexandra; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Michael, Gaylord, and Louis, priests; and Charles, bishop; for all those who work for the common good; and for all the members and friends of this parish . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . November 1: 1891 Stephen Standard Eyre; 1918 Jessie Wilson; 1925 Harry Taylor; 1960 David Lane Smith; 1961 Alice L. Snyder; 1997 Mark Hamilton; 2014 John Knight.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE . . . On All Souls’ Day, November 2, during the Prayers of the People, we will give thanks for the members, friends, and benefactors of this parish, who died during the past year, and we remember them in our prayers, Donald Curtis Almquist, Martha Brown Apgar, Yaw Asante, Peter Bullough, Calvin Davis, Kyle Patrick Egan, Christopher Figuera, Nicole Figuera, Rose Marie Grzella, Arthur Levi Innis, Aleyamma John, Norma Ruth Pringle Jones, Kious Kelly, Robert Klimowicz, Larry Kramer, Lucy Cornelia Dupree Robinson, Gretchen Roesemann Kuestner, Theresa Lococo, Mark McDermott, John McGrath, Michael Merenda, Freda Ocran, Scott C. Ohlmeyer, Frank Pecquex, Charles Postlewate, Carmen Rodriguez, José Rodriguez, Richard Sanchez, Kathleen Schultz, Isaura Torres Sessa, Susan Sisgundo, Yolanda Goldyng Travieso, Annie van Pelt, Pauline Willis; Anthony Francis, religious; David Eastman Allen, SSJE, priest and religious; Horace Choate, priest; and James Parks Morton, priest.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2020 . . . We discovered during the shutdown that began in March that Saint Mary’s is a priority for many people both near and far. If Saint Mary’s is a priority for you, we urge you to return your pledge card to us on Sunday or by mail, indicating your financial commitment to the parish for 2020. We are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously.

THE ORDINARY FRIDAYS OF THE YEAR are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial in commemoration of the Lord’s crucifixion.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Parishioner Barbara Klett remains at Metropolitan Hospital for treatment and for physical therapy after a fall. Please keep her in your prayers . . . A Reminder about the Parish Office: Our office manager, Chris Howatt, continues to work only three days per week, normally Tuesday–Thursday. You may always leave a message for him on the office’s voicemail (212-869-5830 x 10). For pastoral emergencies, please contact Father Gerth or Father Smith by e-mail or on their landlines . . . Friday, October 30, 2:00–3:00 PM, Clothing Ministry Drop-by. For more information, to make a donation, or to volunteer, please speak to Brothers Damien, Desmond, or Thomas . . . Angeline Butler is a great friend of Saint Mary’s and, in normal times, often worships with us on Sundays. On October 6, Angeline was the keynote speaker at the 2020 Fisk Jubilee Day Convocation at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The convocation commemorated the first national tour of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers. Angeline is a graduate of Fisk, class of 1961. While a student there, Angeline studied music and helped lead the Student Nonviolent Movement of the 1960s, along with Marion Barry Jr., John Lewis, James Bevel, Bernard Lafayette, Peggy Alexander, Eleanor Jones, Curtis Murphy, Jerry Heard and Diane Nash. A video of the convocation, including Angeline’s speech (which begins at 18:04), has been archived on the Fisk Jubilee Day website. (When you access the video, you’ll note another Saint Mary’s connection: at the very beginning of the video, Fisk’s university organist, Dr. Anthony E. Williams, plays Oh! What a Beautiful City, in an arrangement by Dr. David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s.) Congratulations, Angeline, and thank you for all you did for our nation in your struggle for justice and inclusion . . . Sharon Harms, a member of the parish choir, was featured in a photograph in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, October 29, 2020, as pianist, with opera singer Lindell Carter as they performed from the balcony of home in Brooklyn. It was published as part of an article , “For Musicians, It’s a New Gig Economy.”

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, November 1, All Souls’ Day, Adult Education 9:30 AM; Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The preacher is the Reverend Jay Smith. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by a quartet of singers, all members of the Choir of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. This service is live-streamed . . . Monday, November 2, All Souls’ Day, 12:10 PM, Said Mass with Organ, Cantor, and Blessing of the Vault, 12:10 PM. This Mass will be live-streamed . . . Tuesday–Saturday, November 3–7, Annual Requiem Masses, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Monday through Saturday, the church opens at 11:00 AM and closes at 2:00 PM. Mass is celebrated daily at 12:10 PM. Please see the Calendar of the Week below, and on the website, for this week’s commemorations.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The organ prelude on Sunday is the first two of the five movements dedicated to the Latin hymn of praise Te Deum laudamus by Dieterich Buxtehude (1637–1707). Buxtehude is one of the most highly regarded composers of the generation before Johann Sebastian Bach. His compositions include a wealth of organ music, pieces both free and based upon pre-existent melodies for sacred texts. His Choralefantasia Te Deum laudamus is a five-movement work that is based upon the Solemn Tone plainchant for Te Deum, the ancient Latin hymn traditionally (but doubtfully) attributed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine. The first of the five movements, the Praeludium is introductory to the four succeeding versets in which the plainsong melodies are quoted. Following the Praeludium, the second movement, Primus versus, quotes the opening verse of the plainsong for “We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.” It is heard as a cantus firmus in long notes alternately below and above more accompanying figuration, and later in other varied textures.

The setting of the Mass on Sunday, All Saints’ Day, is Missa Iste Confessor by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Palestrina is often regarded today more as a source and inspiration for many of the composers who followed him than as a practitioner of already established musical practice. However, it may be said that Palestrina stood on foundations largely laid by the Netherlandish composers Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474) and Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521). He is responsible for setting the canons for Renaissance polyphony and the standards for Catholic liturgical music which pertain even in our time. Among his hundreds of compositions over one hundred masses, most of which were published in thirteen volumes between 1554 and 1601. The Missa Iste Confessor is from the fifth book of Masses published in 1590. It is based upon a plainsong melody for the eighth-century hymn for the Commemoration of Confessors, originally understood as those who had suffered persecution short of martyrdom for their faith. Eventually the category of confessor came to include bishops and others who lived a holy life and died in peace and did not fit into other saintly classifications. The Mode 8 chant melody which Palestrina utilized in his four-voice mass setting was found at 228 in The Hymnal 1940 with the text “Only begotten, Word of God eternal,” intended for the Consecration of a Church. (That text appears in The Hymnal 1982 but with different music.) Palestrina’s Mass is mostly for four voices. As is often the case in Masses of this time the Benedictus has reduced voicing and the final Agnus Dei calls for an additional voice.

The Spanish composer Tomás Luís de Victoria (1548–1611) is considered one of the most important composers of Renaissance polyphony. Born in Avila, the seventh of eleven children, he began his musical education as a choirboy at Avila Cathedral, and began his classical education at San Gil, a Jesuit school for boys founded in 1554. By 1565 Victoria had entered the Jesuit Collegio Germanico in Rome, where he was later engaged to teach music and eventually named maestro di cappella. Victoria knew and may have been instructed by Palestrina who was maestro di cappella of the nearby Seminario Romano at that time.  During his years in Rome, Victoria held several positions as singer, organist, and choral master, and he published many of his compositions. He was ordained priest in 1575 after a three-day diaconate. Victoria’s motet Gaudent in coelis is a setting for four voices of a Magnificat antiphon originally intended for second vespers on feasts of martyrs. It was first published as number 29 in his 1854 Motecta festorum. —David Hurd

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . Please note: all the adult-education classes this year begin at 9:30 AM NOT 10:00 AM. On November 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, and December 6 and 13, Father Peter Powell will lead a class on the final book in the Christian Bible, the Revelation to John. Father Peter writes, “Episcopalians rarely study or refer to the last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse or the Revelation to John. It’s not a simple read and the images are fantastic. Nevertheless, it exerts a huge impact on the way Christianity is understood in our culture. It underlies the popular understanding of how God works in the world. This Fall, beginning on All Saints’ Day and continuing until the second Sunday in December, then resuming in the spring during Lent, we will explore how we can understand and appreciate the Apocalypse, while weighing its theology against that of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles. As we work through the text, we will encounter the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Michael and the Dragon, the concept of God keeping an accounting of our misdeeds, Armageddon, the Crystal Sea, and much more. We will also see how the imagery of the Apocalypse fueled the contest for faith during the Reformation. You can get a feel for that by searching online for the woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer. Ever wonder why 666 is an evil number? We will encounter it in Revelation. When a Jehovah Witness visits you, why do they speak of 144,000 saved? We will encounter it in Revelation. This promises to be a visually and intellectually stimulating study of the last book of the Bible.”

For all these classes, seating in Saint Joseph’s Hall will be arranged to maximize social-distancing. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide refreshments. All those attending the class must wear a face covering.

LIFE IN TIMES SQUARE . . . You are invited to visit Playbill’s website for information about a variety of plays and other theatrical events that are being live-streamed during this time when Broadway theaters remain dark.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Saturday, November 7, 244th Convention of the Diocese of New York . . . Sunday, November 22, Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King & Commitment Sunday, Mass 11:00 AM . . . Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving Day, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Sunday, November 29, First Sunday of Advent, Mass 11:00 AM . . . Tuesday, December 8, The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the 150th Anniversary of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Mass 12:10 PM. This Mass will be live-streamed.

SAINT MARY’S ONLINE CENTERING PRAYER GROUP . . . The Saint Mary’s Centering Prayer Group continues to meet! The Group meets online, via Zoom, every Friday evening at 7:00 PM. If you are interested in participating, please send an e-mail to this address. The convenors of the group will then send the link to the Zoom meeting.

AT THE GALLERIES . . . At MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens, New York, Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, through April 4, 2021. From the museum website, “This major exhibition explores the work of artists within US prisons and the centrality of incarceration to contemporary art and culture. Featuring art made by people in prisons and work by nonincarcerated artists concerned with state repression, erasure, and imprisonment, Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration highlights more than thirty-five artists . . . The exhibition has been updated to reflect the growing COVID-19 crisis in US prisons, featuring new works by exhibition artists made in response to this ongoing emergency. On view across PS1’s first-floor galleries, Marking Time features works that bear witness to artists’ reimagining of the fundamentals of living—time, space, and physical matter—pushing the possibilities of these basic features of daily experience to create new aesthetic visions achieved through material and formal invention. The resulting work is often laborious, time-consuming, and immersive, as incarcerated artists manage penal time through their work and experiment with the material constraints that shape art making in prison. The exhibition also includes work made by nonincarcerated artists—both artists who were formerly incarcerated and those personally impacted by the US prison system. From various sites of freedom or unfreedom, these artists devise strategies for visualizing, mapping, and making physically present the impact and scale of life under carceral conditions. Alongside the exhibition, a series of public programs, education initiatives, and ongoing projects will explore the social and cultural impact of mass incarceration.”

SOME GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDING SERVICES AT SAINT MARY’S

We are now open for public worship. In order to ensure the health and safety of all, we have instituted the following procedures and guidelines:

-The 47th Street Doors, though open for ventilation, won’t be used for entry into the church. Entry is only via 46th Street. Exit only through the most western 46th Street door (near the former gift shop).

-The Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy and Saint Joseph’s Chapel are closed. The Lady Chapel is open, but all chairs, kneelers, candles, hymnals, and Prayer Books have been removed.

-Facemasks must be worn in the church at all times, except when consuming Communion. Masks should cover both mouth and nose.

-Hands-free sanitizer dispensers are available by the doors and at the head of the center aisle, where Communion will take place.

 -The city, state, and diocese of New York encourages all those attending services to sign a registry and to provide one means of contact. This will be used only if it emerges that an infected person has been in attendance at a particular service and contact tracing is required.

-Everyone must maintain safe distancing (at least 6 feet apart).

-Pews have been marked with blue tape to indicate where seating is allowed.

-Only 44 people will be allowed in the nave at any time (this includes 6 couples or pairs—people who live together—who may sit together).

-All cushions have been removed from the pews. All prayer books and hymnals have been removed from the church. Service bulletins will be provided, but will be removed from the church after each service.

-Electric fans have been removed from the nave of the church. There will be no hand-held fans available at the door.

-A basket has been placed at the head of the main aisle, where pledge envelopes and other donations may be safely placed. There will be no collection taken by ushers.

-Communion (wafers only) will be administered at the foot of the chancel steps. Gluten-free hosts are available. Please inform an usher or a member of the clergy.

-All communicants must proceed down the main aisle, maintain social distance as indicated by the decals on the floor, and return to their seats via the side aisles.

-Restrooms will be available only to those who are attending the service.

If you have questions or wish to make a suggestion, please contact the rector. 

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Stephen Gerth and Father Jay Smith. Father Gerth is responsible for posting the newsletter on the parish website and for distributing it via e-mail.

The Calendar of the Week

The Calendar for November