FROM THE RECTOR: CONSECRATION ANNIVERSARY

Saturday, December 12, 2020, was the one hundred twenty-fifth anniversary of the consecration of our present church home. Almost everything about the church complex was new. In The Story of St. Mary’s (1931), we read from that day’s New York Evening Post. The headline was, “The New Protestant Episcopal Church Consecrated by Bishop Potter.” The article began: “At 10:30 A.M. today Bishop Henry C. Potter officiated at the consecration service of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, on West 46th St. The bishop was received at the porch of the rector, the Rev. Thomas McKee Brown, his assistants, the Rev. Al. Mason and the Rev. F. A. Staunton, and the Board of Trustees, Beverly Chew, Haley Fiske, Edward H. Clarke, R. Whiting Pierson and William H. Lane.

“Bishop Potter and the others then went up the middle aisle of the church to the altar repeating the twenty-fourth psalm, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and all that therein is.’ The bishop then entered the sanctuary and occupied the throne. The instruments of Donation and Endowment were then presented to him. Several prayers followed, said by the bishop, kneeling.

“Then, Bishop Potter sitting on the throne, the Sentence of Consecration was read by Father Brown and placed upon the altar, after which the bishop said: ‘Blessed be thy Name O Lord, that it hath pleased thee to put it into the hearts of thy servants to appropriate and devote this house to thy honor, and worship and grant that all who shall enjoy the benefit of this pious work may show forth their thankfulness by making a right use of it to the glory of thy blessed Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’ Morning prayer [followed]. Then . . . the high mass was celebrated by Father Brown attended by the usual number of assistants . . . The church was crowded to its utmost capacity” (page 125).

In the years I have served here, Saint Mary’s has been filled to capacity only twice. Father Rodney Kirk died in the Virgin Islands on July 12, 2001. He was a great friend and supporter of our parish. His funeral was celebrated at Saint Mary’s on Wednesday, July 25. Standing room only. It was a very, very hot day. Father Kirk was the founding director of Manhattan Plaza. Seventy percent of its 1,689 apartments are set aside for performing artists. People stayed until the end of the service.

The only other time was on September 11, 2002. At Noon, a Solemn Requiem was celebrated and preached by the late Bishop Don Taylor, who had been bishop of the United States Virgin Islands. He came to New York as an assistant bishop in 1994. He returned to Jamaica, in 2009. He died in 2014.

It’s worth noting that both of these services involved praying for those who had died. The newspaper article correctly quoted the December issue of the-then monthly newsletter, The Arrow, “The parish paper says: ‘During the month of November written requests were sent to the clergy for prayers for the repose of the souls of 16 bishops, 27 priests, 1 deacon, 1 sister 461 men and 457 women, total 953. For these a requiem mass was said daily during the month’ ” (page 125). What is astonishing to contemplate is the number of people who have prayed in this building since December 12, 1895, and the number of people for whom prayers have been said.

The consecration service was from the then-new 1892 Prayer Book. This is the prayer Bishop Potter prayed before giving the final blessing:

Blessed be thy Name, O Lord God, for that it hath pleased thee to have thy habitation among the sons of men, and to dwell in the midst of the assembly of the saints upon the earth; Grant, we beseech thee, that in this place now set apart to thy service, thy holy Name may be worshipped in truth and purity through all generations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (The Book of Common Prayer [1892], 537).

I’m sorry some form of this prayer isn’t included in the present Prayer Book. I am moved by the words that declare that you and I “dwell in the midst of the assembly of the saints upon earth.” —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Mark, Luis, Barbara, Renate, Matt, Carmen, Shalim, Quincy, Evan, Nadira, Peter, John, Marilouise, Alexandra, Ethelyn, Dennis, and Emil; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Luke, religious, for Gaylord and Louis, priests, and Charles, bishop, for all those who work for the common good, for all the members and friends of this parish; and for the repose of the soul of Brady Risinger . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . December 6: 1876 Mary Esther Weston; 1947 Minnie Simonson; 1961 Katherine W. Ann Collins.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE . . . The Reverend Brady Risinger, known as B.F., father of parishioner, Mark Risinger, died at home in Corsicana, Texas, on December 8, 2020. He was eighty-two years old. He is survived by his wife, Janice Ruth Preston Risinger, and his sons, Mark and Andrew. His funeral was held at the First Baptist Church of Corsicana on Thursday, December 10. You may read more about Pastor Risinger’s life and ministry here. Please keep Brady, Janice, Mark, Andrew, and all who mourn in your prayers.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2021 . . . Our stewardship campaign is well underway, and we are receiving pledge cards each day here at the parish. Some statistics may be helpful. We mailed packets to 117 households that pledged last year; to 47 households that did not pledge last year, but did pledge at some point during the previous four years households; and to 698 households that have expressed an interest in supporting the parish in the past. Our goal for the campaign is $400,000. We encourage all the friends and members of the parish to return their pledge cards before Christmas. This will help the Budget Committee in its work. However, if making a commitment by that date is not possible, we will gladly receive pledge cards at any point during the coming year. Our needs are urgent, especially in these days of the pandemic. Our mission is clear. We invite your support.

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

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Saturday, December 12, The Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, 1895. The Right Reverend Henry Dodman Potter, VII Bishop of New York (1887–1908) officiated . . . Sunday, December 13, The Third Sunday of Advent: 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 Stephen Gerth. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Jonathan May, countertenor. This service is live-streamed. The flowers on the altar and in the church on Sunday (“Gaudete Sunday”) are given in loving memory of Grace Ijose Aideyan and Emokpolo Aideyan. They will be arranged by Brendon Hunter, a member of the Flower Guild of Saint Mary’s . . . Friday, December 18, 2:00–3:00 PM, Neighbors in Need Drop-by Event, Church and Lady Chapel. For more information, to make a donation, or to volunteer, please contact Brother Damien Joseph SSF.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . It brings us great happiness to be able to open our doors again for public worship, on weekdays as well as on Sundays. The surge of infections in our city and around the country is concerning. We have committed ourselves to redoubling our efforts to keep every member of the community safe and healthy. If you are at all unwell, do not come to church. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your primary-care physician and get tested. If you have a fever of 103.5, which is not being handled by an analgesic, and/or you are having difficulty breathing (by difficulty we mean you must stop talking in order to focus on your breathing), go to an emergency room immediately . . . 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) . . . Brother Desmond Alban SSF came out of quarantine this week. Brothers Damien Joseph and Thomas came out of quarantine on Saturday, December 12. On the advice of his physician, Father Jay Smith will come out of quarantine next week. He is scheduled to celebrate and preach at the 11:00 AM Mass on Sunday, December 20, the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Brother Desmond, Father Smith, and Father Smith’s husband, Jose Vidal, have been doing better each day. They are grateful for the prayers and concern of the members and friends of the parish . . . We heard this week that former assistant, Father Jim Pace, will be serving as interim rector at the Christ Church, Valdosta, Georgia, January–March 2021, while the parish’s rector is on sabbatical. Father Pace is the dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Valdosta State University. It seems that our good Father Pace is going to be busy this winter. Please keep him in our prayers . . . The Reverend Prebendary Alan Moses, and his wife, Theresa Moses, are good friends of Saint Mary’s. Father Moses was for many years vicar of the Church of All Saints, Margaret Street, London, UK. Earlier this year he began a new ministry in the diocese of Lincoln, where he is now serving as the warden of spirituality, focusing on the development of spirituality training events, overseeing the spiritual direction network and the development of spiritual resources. We learned this week that the new vicar of All Saints, Margaret Street, is the Reverend Peter Anthony. Father Anthony, before his ordination, spent a month here at Saint Mary’s as a seminarian intern.

NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS COVID-19 TESTING SITES . . . COVID-19 testing is walk-in only. No appointment is needed. Walk-in testing is available at no cost to you at NYC Health + Hospitals locations. Please visit the NYC Health + Hospital website for further information and for a listing of testing locations. The site also provides information about tests for children both above and below the age of two.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday’s organ voluntaries are again based upon Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (“Come now, Savior of the Gentiles”), which has been referenced for the past two Sundays. The chorale (54 in The Hymnal 1982) is Martin Luther’s sixteenth-century adaptation of the fourth-century Latin hymn Veni Redemptor gentium attributed to Ambrose of Milan (55 in The Hymnal 1982). The prelude is the second of four sections from the organ Partita on this chorale by Hugo Distler (1908–1942). Hugo Distler was born in Nuremberg. He attended Leipzig Conservatory first as a student of piano and conducting but later shifted his concentration to composition and organ. He became organist at St. Jacobi in Lübeck in 1931. He also taught at the School for Church Music in Spandau and became a professor of church music in Stuttgart in 1940. Becoming increasingly depressed from the death of friends, aerial attacks, job pressures, and the constant threat of conscription into the German army, he tragically committed suicide in Berlin at the age of thirty-four. His choral and organ compositions are often described as neo-classical because of their lean and carefully crafted polyphony and their employment of compositional devices associated with renaissance and baroque music. Distler had an enormous respect and affection for the baroque and pre-baroque organs and their tonal aesthetic. His access to the largely sixteenth-century organ at St. Jacobi was a strong influence in shaping his compositions for organ. The second section of Distler’s Partita on Nun komm, which constitutes today’s prelude, is a harmonization of the chorale by the sixteenth-century composer Baltasar Resinarius followed by seven original variations, each designed for a specific combination of organ stops. Distler’s fine linear writing, tight imitative figures, and spare harmony all contribute to a crisp, wintry mood appropriate to the chorale. Sunday’s postlude is the Toccata which occurs both as Part I and part IV of Distler’s Partita. The Toccata begins with a passage played on the organ pedals in which the theme of the chorale is heard in fragments. The pedal solo finally resolves into a single extended tone under rising figuration played by the hands. Fragments of the theme continue to punctuate the insistent figuration and the pedal voice eventually restates a fragment of the opening theme in long tones.

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Grosse Pointe Service by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. This setting was commissioned by Christ Church, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, to honor Frederic DeHaven at the time of his anticipated retirement as organist and choirmaster of that parish. The setting is for unison voices and organ and was premiered at Christ Church, Grosse Pointe, in 2007. It was subsequently sung as the setting for daily Eucharist at the 2008 Sewanee Church Music Conference. It utilizes the Rite II Eucharist texts and includes Trisagion and Gloria in excelsis in addition to the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei that will be sung at Mass today.

The cantor on Sunday morning is countertenor, Jonathan May, a regular member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s since 2018. During the Communion he will sing But who may abide the day of his coming from Messiah by George Frederick Handel (1685–1759). Although Handel’s Messiah is classified as an oratorio, it departs from the classical definition of an oratorio in that its libretto is an extended biblical meditation rather than a dramatic biblical narrative. Nonetheless, Messiah is deservedly recognized as one of the great oratorios of the western music canon. Handel’s friend Charles Jennens (1700–1773) compiled the libretto of biblical quotes which begin with the prophetic anticipation of the promised Savior and extend to matters of the final consummation at the end of time. Composed within a month’s time in the summer of 1741, Handel’s Messiah is divided into three parts with a total of fifty-three musical components. But who may abide is the sixth of the twenty-one movements of Messiah’s first part. While this aria is sometimes sung by a bass and has also been transposed to a higher key for soprano voice, it is thought to have been originally intended for male alto voice. The aria’s text is Malachi 3:2 and its musical setting alternates a gracefully lyric theme with a contrasting theme full of drive and agitation.

More about Sunday’s cantor: Jonathan May, countertenor, performs regularly with ensembles such as Early Music New York, Trident Ensemble, Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, and Mark Morris Dance Group. He was most recently featured as a soloist in SWELL, a music-theater work by Melisa Tien that weaves together ten original avant-garde/new music compositions written by ten composers drawing from their personal histories as immigrants and children of immigrants. Through SWELL, he worked with Carolyn Chen, Tamar Muskal, Polina Nazaykinskaya, and other composers to premiere several new music pieces written specifically for his voice.

He appeared with New York City’s TENET Vocal Artists in unconducted performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, featuring only twelve singers and the instrumental ensemble The Sebastians. He also appeared as Testo in Academy of Sacred Drama’s modern premiere of Vincenzo de Grandis’ Il Nascimento di Mose. Other season highlights include appearances as alto soloist in C. P. E. Bach’s Magnificat with American Classical Orchestra and in Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Canticum Scholare; singing the role of Spirit in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Mark Morris Dance Group; singing Philip Glass’s Madrigal Opera at National Sawdust; and performing Tallis’s Spem in alium with The Tallis Scholars. He holds a degree in music from Dartmouth College. —David Hurd

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . Please note: all the adult-education classes this year begin at 9:30 AM, NOT at 10:00 AM.

The Adult Forum begins its Christmas break after Sunday’s class. Classes resume on Sunday, January 10, 9:30 AM, in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

We are very grateful to Grace Mudd and to Father Peter Powell, who taught our classes this fall. We owe a debt of gratitude to Grace Mudd who made it possible to offer the classes via Zoom, which made it possible for those not able, or ready, to come to the class in person to participate in the discussions.

In January, after the Christmas break, Brother Damien Joseph SSF will lead the Sunday morning adult-education class in a discussion of Christian mysticism, focusing on five different figures from the Western Christian mystical tradition. The series is “Christian Mysticism and the Secret of Knowing God.”

Brother Damien writes, “Recent years have seen a renewal of interest in mysticism of various kinds, including the mystical tradition within Christianity. It’s easy to think of Christianity as a set of doctrines and beliefs, as a systematic theology of right and wrong ideas, and as a way of knowing about God. Academic and intellectual study of God and scripture is undeniably important. But throughout the church’s history, another way has always persisted—sometimes dominant, sometimes neglected or mistrusted, or even actively suppressed. This is the tradition of the mystics, whose pursuit is not solely or primarily to know about God, but rather to know God, in a personal and experiential way.

“Bernard McGinn’s series of books, The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, is likely among the most exhaustive historical works on the movement of mysticism. Currently (he is still writing), it contains eight thick volumes, and covers Western Christian mysticism only through the year 1675. Suffice it to say, in four one-hour classes, we will only make the tiniest scratch in the surface of this vast topic and rich trove of literature.

“Our goal will be to become familiar with some of the basic concepts and imagery of mysticism, and to encounter a few examples of mystical writing in hopes of enriching our own spiritual lives and practice, and as a challenge to approach God not merely through knowledge but also through experience.”

We will approach this goal with a broad introductory session on January 10, followed by three sessions looking at examples from individual mystical writers, in this case, all from the Franciscan tradition: January 17, Clare of Assisi (1194-1253); January 24, Ramon Llull (1232-1315); and, January 31, Bonaventure (1221-1274). We may also add a fifth and final session on February 7, during which we would discuss Francisco de Osuna (1492/1497–c. 1540) and his practice of recollection (akin to centering prayer) discussed in his Third Spiritual Alphabet.

This is the tentative structure of the series:

Session 1: Ascensio – the soul’s ascent into God

What is mysticism? In this introduction to mystical thought, we’ll take a brief look at the definitions, history, and major themes of mysticism as a movement in Western Christianity. We’ll also identify examples of major mystical thinkers for further reading and study.

Session 2: Contemplatio – fixing the mind on God

We will consider a mystical approach to contemplation using brief selections from letters of Clare of Assisi, her imagery of “the Mirror of Eternity,” and her instructions to a sister on her method of contemplative prayer.

Session 3: Dilectio – the delights of God’s love

We will sample the rich (and historically often controversial) theme of romantic and even erotic love as an image for knowing God, specifically through selections from Ramon Llull’s Book of the Lover and the Beloved. We’ll also briefly touch on this theme’s roots in the Biblical Song of Songs.

Session 4: Passio – knowing God in suffering

The cross, suffering, and death of Christ may seem an unlikely ground for a way of contemplation often associated with “raptures” and “ecstasy,” but it is in fact central to the mystical vision. We’ll look at excerpts of Bonaventure’s reflections on the Cross and Passion of Christ, and on Francis of Assisi as an example of mystical union with Christ.

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.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Thursday, December 24, Eve of The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The sun will set on Christmas Eve at 4:34 PM. Christmas Music & The Holy Eucharist 4:00 PM. The Mass itself will begin at 4:10 PM and conclude by 5:10 PM . . . Friday, December 25, The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Day. The church will be open today from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Mass & Angelus 11:00 AM.

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 the Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, at Thirty-sixth Street, Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol,” December 7, 2020, through January 11, 2021. From the museum website, “Every holiday season, the Morgan displays Charles Dickens’s original manuscript of A Christmas Carol in J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library. Dickens wrote his iconic tale in a six-week flurry of activity beginning in October 1843 and ending in time for Christmas publication. He had the manuscript bound in red goatskin leather as a gift for his solicitor, Thomas Mitton. The manuscript then passed through several owners before Pierpont Morgan acquired it in the 1890s.

“Beginning a few years ago, the Morgan started advancing the Christmas Carol manuscript by one page each season. This year the manuscript is open to Scrooge’s vituperative remarks about Christmas, which, he believes, is nothing more than “a time for finding yourself a year older and not an hour richer.” For the obstinate Scrooge, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!” Scrooge’s nephew Fred counters with a spirited vindication of the holiday, “though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in [his] pocket”: “[it is] the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts, freely.”

Please visit the museum’s website for information about planning a visit and the museum’s COVID restrictions.

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 mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt.