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FROM THE RECTOR: BEQUESTS

Father Edgar Wells began sending me copies of the-then monthly parish paper Ave after I met him in the fall of 1980 at Nashotah House. The priest who sent me to seminary had been a seminarian for Father Wells when he was rector in Waukegan, Illinois. One of the regular features of Ave was this announcement:

REMEMBER SAINT MARY’S IN YOUR WILL

BEQUESTS may be made in the following form: “I hereby give, devise, and bequeath to the Society of the Free Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, and having its principal office at 145 West Forty-sixth Street, New York City, [here state the nature or amount of the gift].

[For the record, I’m not a lawyer. Because of my work as a pastor and experience in my own family, I advise everyone to use the services of an estate attorney to draw up a will—and certainly not to rely on the statement from Ave many years ago.]

Last week I included this rubric from the current Prayer Book. A form of the rubric has appeared in all editions of the Prayer Book: “The Minister of the Congregation is directed to instruct the people, from time to time, about the duty of Christian parents to make prudent provision for the well-being of their families, and of all persons to make wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal goods, not neglecting, if they are able, to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses” (The Book of Common Prayer [1979], 445).

Our congregation’s legal name is the “Society of the Free Church of St. Mary the Virgin.” The parish has never been independent of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It was established with the encouragement and approval of the Right Reverend Horatio Potter, VI Bishop of New York. In a short paper on the founding of the parish by our first rector, the Reverend Thomas McKee Brown, it was Bishop Potter “who pointed out the locality where such a church would be most likely needed” (Newbury Frost Read, The Story of St. Mary’s [1931], 16).

The Reverend Canon James Elliott Lindsley, a priest of the diocese of New York, is the author of This Planted Vine: A Narrative History of the Diocese of New York (1984). The only mention of St. Mary’s by name (and of many other parishes) is in the appendix, “Churches in the Diocese of New York 1984” (page 334). It confirms the account of Father Brown in Read’s book that the first service was held in 1868 (groundbreaking for the new church on April 6, 1868 [Read, 17]). The appendix also states that Saint Mary’s became a parish in union with the diocese in 1874. Reading between the lines in Read, there was opposition to accepting the congregation.

Well into the twentieth century, many Episcopal parishes were supported by renting pews to its members. Incorporation as a “Free Church” meant that Saint Mary’s doors and services were open to all. A parish organized as a free church was required to have a self-perpetuating board of trustees instead of a vestry elected by the congregation. Following a board retreat in 2004, the board began moving to a system of staggered four-year terms with the provision that one could be re-elected as a trustee after a period of one year.

On Monday, December 12, 2005, the Right Reverend Mark S. Sisk was with us to be celebrant and preacher for the 110th anniversary of the church’s dedication on December 12, 1895. After the service, he was present for the Annual Stated Meeting of the Board of Trustees. (Our bylaws require that the board meet within the octave of the patronal feast, the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8). That night the board adopted new bylaws to implement this change.

In 2011, the late Richard "Dick" Leitsch, parish archivist, met with Wayne Kempton, archivist and historiographer of the diocese. There was a mortgage on our first church, 228 West Forty-fifth Street, when it opened on December 8, 1870. At that time, a church could not be consecrated if there were a mortgage on the property. Things were different in 1895. Wayne gave Saint Mary's a copy of the “Instrument of Donation” by the Board of Trustees to the diocese. The Board of Trustees signed it on December 9, 1895. Dick had the copy framed. It hangs in my office.

Read quotes the minutes of the December 9, 1895, meeting, “The Treasurer then read the instrument of donations to request to the Bishop to consecrate the new Church. On motion it was adopted and ordered executed by the President and Secretary of this board, and sent to the Bishop" (page 123–24). The document includes these words "And we [the Rector and Trustees] do moreover hereby relinquish all claim to any right of disposing of the said building, or allowing of the use of it in any way inconsistent with the terms and meaning of this Instrument of Donation, and with the consecration hereby requested of the Bishop of this Diocese.” We are a free church, not an independent congregation.

Back to bequests. In the years I have been a rector, here and in Indiana, many active parishioners have told me that they have remembered their parish in their will. Some do, but my experience has been most do not. I know, again, from my work as a pastor and in my own family, wills and records are of great help to those to whom responsibility falls take care of a funeral, a burial, and estate of another person.

I grew up Baptist. Baptists are tithers. It is often not practical in our time for many people to tithe, but often it is possible to make a tithe of an estate to a church that was enriched by your love, ministry, and worship. It’s hard for many to think about our death. But it is a loving thing to do that will help those one has loved or known well to take care of you when you die. Saint Mary’s is here because people who have encountered Christ in Word, in Sacrament, and community want the doors to be open for those who come after have made bequests. Please remember Saint Mary’s as you plan for the legacy you will leave. For the record, Saint Mary’s will share in the IRA account I opened when I went to work after seminary. This parish has blessed my life in so many ways. I want it to be here for those who come after us. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Ingrid, David, Gloria, James, Shalim, Jennifer, Margaret, Mary, Larry, Samantha, John, Randy, Carmen, Tony, Marilouise, Ken, May, Willard, Alexandra, Takeem, Rita, and Ethelyn; for Nicholas, Rafael, Robert Hugh, Leo, and Barbara Jean, 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 souls of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and of those who have died of COVID-19 . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . September 27: 1910 Emily Miller Noyes; 1926 Mary Nowlen Wilmerding; 1931 Charles Edward Smith; 1940 John Scripture Peabody; 1965 Rhoda O’Connor; 1992 Howard R. Patch.

COVID-19 INFORMATION & RESOURCES . . . We invite you to visit the COVID-19 page of the New York City Department of Health’s website . . . More information with a particular focus on the Times Square neighborhood can be found on the Times Square Alliance’s website.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . We heard this week from parishioner Gloria Fitzgerald. Gloria had shoulder surgery in June. She has been recovering at home and doing physical therapy twice per week. She says that “progress is happening, but it’s slow. Please keep her in your prayers . . . Father Jay Smith and José Vidal spent last weekend on the grounds of the Community of Saint John Baptist’s convent in Mendham, New Jersey. They were very happy to see Sister Monica Clare and Sister Laura Katharine again in the flesh. One of the weekend’s other unexpected blessings was a surprise visit with parishioners Eloise Hoffman and Pat Rheinhold, who had come to Mendham to explore the convent gardens. Pat and Ellie have not been able to return to New York since March, so it was a very good reunion . . . We heard this week that the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center and the dropping of the ball in Times Square on New Year’s Eve will take place, but without the usual crowds of New Yorkers. Safety first, but a strange thing to hear. Let us pray for the safety and welfare of our city and our neighborhood and for a swift return to greater freedom, even if life must necessarily be different.

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 . . . Sunday, September 27, Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The celebrant and preacher is Father Jay Smith . . . Tuesday, September 29, Saint Michael and All Angels, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Saturday, October 3, The Eve of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, Transitus Service at 7:00 PM in the church (see “From the Friary” below for more information). This service is livestreamed . . . Sunday, October 4, Saint Francis of Assisi, Mass at 11:00 AM. This service is livestreamed. Brother Desmond Alban SSF, minister provincial of the Society of Saint Francis in the Americas, will preach . . . 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.

FROM THE FRIARY . . . The feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi is October 4. Each year, on the Eve of this feast, Franciscans worldwide mark Francis’s death in 1226 with a service called the Transitus (literally “passing” or “crossing over”). The Brothers of the Society of Saint Francis invite you to join them for their annual observance of the Transitus on Saturday, October 3, at 7:00 PM.

For those who are able to join in person, the service will be held in the main church here at Saint Mary’s, where space will allow us to maintain social distancing. All the safety practices in place for in-person worship at Saint Mary’s will continue to be observed. (See “Some Guidelines For Attending Services At Saint Mary’s below.) The service will also be streamed live via the Brothers’ Facebook page and will remain available there afterwards,

The Brothers have referred to their observation of the Transitus as a “service of the senses,” incorporating sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. While COVID will require modifying some of these Transitus traditions, it should remain a moving reflection on the life, death, and remarkable legacy of the “Little Poor Man from Assisi.”

CLOTHING MINISTRY . . . On Wednesday, September 23, parishioners Nam Rattan and José Vidal, Brother Desmond Alban SSF, and Father Jay Smith hosted the weekly Drop-by on Forty-seventh Street. José prepared clothes and filled bags with hygiene items beforehand. The volunteers were able to welcome and assist around twenty-seven folks from the neighborhood, providing hygiene items and articles of clothing, especially socks, underwear, T-shirts, and pants.  . . .We discovered this week that we are particularly in need of the following items for the Clothing Ministry: jeans, blankets, sweaters, underwear for both men, and women, and sneakers. If you would like to order some of these items for the Clothing Ministry from an online retailer, please send the package(s) to: Mission House at Saint Mary’s, 145 W 46th Street, New York, NY 10036. You may also make a cash donation via the Saint Mary’s website by following this link. As you fill out the online form, please make sure to indicate that your gift is for the Clothing Ministry. We are very grateful to all those who continue to support this ministry with their gifts, their support, and their prayers . . . Brother Thomas and Brother Damien Joseph will be away from the parish on Wednesday afternoons during the academic year 2020–2021, working with The New York Service and Justice Collaborative (NYSJC). NYSJC is a community for emerging young adult leaders who are committed and dedicated to service, justice, and spiritual growth as a catalyst for leadership development and positive community change. NYSJC is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the Episcopal Service Corps. The brothers will be working with this year’s cohort of student-leaders, teaching the theological and spiritual foundations of social-justice ministries. This means that beginning on October 9, the weekly Drop-by will take place on Friday afternoons from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, instead of on Wednesday afternoons.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Sunday, November 1, 2:00 AM, Daylight Saving Time ends. Clocks are set back one hour . . . Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day, Said Mass with Organ and Quartet, 11:00 AM. This service will be 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.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . We invite you to join us for the beginning of a new season of adult-education classes at Saint Mary’s during the month of October. On October 4, 11, 18, and 25, at 9:30 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall, Grace Mudd will present a series of classes entitled “Living in a Time of Plague.” Grace writes, “Since COVID-19 triggered massive changes to our ordinary way of life in March, historical plagues have piqued the interest of many people who may only have heard of the Black Death in passing before. The Black Death of 1347–1351 killed about a third of the population of Europe, triggering profound changes in European society. During the month of October, I will lead a class exploring how this (and other historical plagues) influenced religious and secular society and culture and how these changes point toward later developments that may be more familiar. Some parallels like quack cures and scapegoating will feel very familiar, but others like shifts in popular culture and social structures may not.” Seating in Saint Joseph’s Hall will be arranged to maximize social-distancing. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide refreshments. We ask those attending the class to wear a face covering.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The Mass setting on Sunday is by the California-born composer Richard Felciano (b.1930). Felciano is founder, composer, professor emeritus at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies at the University of California, Berkeley. His extensive and varied catalogue of compositions includes pioneering sacred works employing aleatoric elements and electronic sounds in collaboration with voices and organ. Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians says:

“Felciano’s music reflects a fascination with the physical world and the context it provides for its inhabitants. He has introduced electronic sounds into religious liturgy, used live electronic interaction to mimic ecological processes, intermingled Eastern and Western modes, and mapped the microcosm of psycho-acoustical phenomena. The power of his music, however, lies in its ability to ennoble the intellect through a paradoxically sensuous love of sound and transform technology into a celebration of the human spirit.”

At the request of the Standing Commission on Church Music in 1975, Felciano’s five-movement Mass setting was adapted by the composer for Episcopal Rite II liturgy from a setting he had previously composed for obsolete vernacular Roman Catholic Mass texts. Felciano’s unapologetically modern setting was published the following year by the Church Hymnal Corporation as one of five Mass settings for Rite II in Church Hymnal Series One. Four of its movements are found in The Hymnal 1982. Writing in The Hymnal 1982 Companion (1994), the late Alec Wyton said of Felciano’s Mass:

“The fact that it is included in The Hymnal underscores the Christian belief that God is the creator of everything and gives us all our talent. It was also the Service Music Committee’s belief that a variety of styles should be represented in The Hymnal.”

The cantor on Sunday is soprano Sharon Harms. During the Communion, she will sing the aria Schafe können sicher weiden from Cantate 208 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). This aria, well known in English as Sheep may safely graze, is the ninth of the cantata’s fifteen movements. Cantata 208 is the earliest surviving secular cantata of Bach and was first published in the Bach-Gesellschaft edition of 1881. Also known as the “Hunting Cantata,” Cantata 208 was composed for the thirty-first birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels on February 23, 1713, while Bach was court organist at Weimar. The text is by Weimar court poet Salomon Franck and references classical mythology. The aria sung this morning is one of Bach’s most beloved cantata movements. Its musical charm and its reference to sheep and shepherd have gained it a place with the repertory of sacred solos. Many choral and instrumental arrangements have also been made of this aria, the original instrumentation of which is for two recorders and continuo. It is in standard ABA da capo form.

Praised as “superb,” “luscious-toned,” “extraordinarily precise and expressive,” and “dramatically committed and not averse to risk” by the New York Times, American soprano Sharon Harms is known for fearless performances and passionate interpretations of works new and old for the recital, concert, and operatic stage. A member of the Argento Ensemble, Ms. Harms has premiered the music of some of today’s leading composers and her repertoire spans a versatile spectrum of periods and styles. She has sung with Da Capo Chamber Players, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Signal, International Contemporary Ensemble, Juilliard Center for Innovation in the Arts, Limón Dance Company, MET Opera Chamber Orchestra, New Chamber Ballet, Pacifica Quartet, Princeton Festival Opera, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Talea Ensemble, and Third Coast Percussion, among others. She has also been a guest artist with the American Academy in Rome, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Columbia University, Cornell University, June in Buffalo, MATA Festival, University of British Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, Radcliffe Institute, and Resonant Bodies Festival, and a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. Ms. Harms is soprano faculty for the Composer’s Conference at Brandeis University and was a visiting guest instructor at East Carolina University in 2017. She appears on the Albany, Bridge, and Innova labels. www.sharonharms.com. —David Hurd

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.

VIRTUAL BROADWAY . . . Presented by Playbill and The Broadway League in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices will salute the vibrant, lasting legacy that Latinx artists have contributed and continue to give to Broadway and the entire theatre community while showcasing Latinx talent in an effort to continue to increase representation throughout the industry. Directed and choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Ain’t Too Proud), this digital concert will feature appearances by a roster of award winners and nominees, including Lucie Arnaz, Gloria Estefan, John Leguizamo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis Miranda, Chita Rivera and Thalía. The event will include a performance from members of the original cast of In the Heights; performances from Broadway-bound musicals and new works including John Leguizamo’s Kiss My Aztec, Arrabal, and Passing Through; and a look at the first Spanish-language production of A Chorus Line. Additional performers include a long list of talented Broadway actors and performers. Hosted by Andréa Burns (In the Heights, On Your Feet!), the concert will premiere on Playbill.com, Playbill’s YouTube Channel and on The Broadway League’s website (Viva.Broadway) on Thursday October 1, 2020 at 8:00 PM and remain available for viewing until Monday October 5 at 8:00 PM. Proceeds from the concert will support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway Bridges.

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