FROM THE RECTOR: THE LORD’S PRAYER

One of the essential books in my library is a copy of The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary (1950) by the Reverend Dr. Massey H. Shepherd (1913-1990), professor of Liturgics at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific from 1954 until retirement. The Reverend Dr. Louis Weil succeeded him in that position in 1988. The commentary is no longer shelved but on the corner of a shelf where I can easily reach it. Because earlier Prayer Books contained the lessons for Holy Communion on Sundays and feast days, Shepherd’s commentary includes remarks on the meaning and history of readings. I wrote on the inside cover of the book, “Stephen S. Gerth, Jr., 1982, The gift of the Marmion Library, Church of the Incarnation, Dallas.”

When I was sent to the Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, during my middler year at Nashotah House, the parish library, named in honor of a former rector, the Reverend Charles Gresham Marmion, who served as bishop of Kentucky from 1954 until 1974, was tasked with dispersing the books of a retired priest, the Reverend Canon Donald George Smith. He was an associate rector from 1949 until 1967. Canon Smith was born in 1895 and died in 1993. I remember meeting him while I was in Dallas.

I was here at Saint Mary’s when I began to meditate with Shepherd’s comments about the Lord’s Prayer. In his remarks on the service of Holy Communion, Shepherd wrote, “The Lord’s Prayer is the climax of the Consecration; it also the opening devotion anticipatory to Communion. It sums up the intention of the whole liturgy, with respect to the larger purpose of God for the consummation of His Kingdom and to the immediate strengthening of His People in fulfilling His will day by day . . . Pope Gregory the Great [c. 604–September 3, 590] deliberately made it the climax, and to him the most important part, of the Consecration” (page 81–82). I think he’s right. The presider speaks on behalf of the congregation of believers. But he or she can do that only if believers are present. The Body of Christ cannot be in the tabernacle if the Body of Christ, a congregation, has not been at prayer.

I regard Shepherd’s extended remarks on the Lord’s Prayer as a valuable personal devotion. I reached for it this past week one morning as the tragic news from Afghanistan continued to dominate hearts and minds as we learned and saw what is going on there.

Shepherd wrote, “The Lord’s Prayer is a remarkable synthesis of our Lord’s teaching, so compact in statement and yet so comprehensive in range that no single commentator has ever succeeded in exhausting its meaning. It combines the two keynotes that mark the ‘good news’ of our Lord: (1) the sense of vivid expectation of the imminent -inbreaking of the Kingdom of God . . . and (2) the steady, inward calm that comes from obedience and trust in God as a loving Father and dependable Provider for all our needs, both physical and spiritual, so only that His Name be hallowed and His will be done. Among the rabbis there was a saying that aptly fits this prayer: that when all Israel should obey the Law of God, His Kingdom would come among us. Notice particularly the order of petitions: God’s will and Kingdom must come first, and then only may we legitimately ask for those immediate assistances to body and soul that will help us fulfill the primary obligation . . . ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you’ (Matthew 6:33) (Ibid.).” —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Gary, Greta, Jean, Joe, Pat, Evan, Kathleen, Hortense, Larry, José, Ralph, Mario, Liduvina, Jonathan, Emerson, Rita, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, John, Shalim, Peter, George, Abraham, Burton, Emil, Ethelyn, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, and Robert; for Randall and Louis, priests, and Andrew, bishop; for the people of Afghanistan and Haiti; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for all who work for the common good; and for all the friends and members of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . August 29: 1889 Edward William Bridge; 1895 Irma Diller; 1928 Emma Haywood; 1930 Vincent Leguesne; 1936 Bertha McGouigle; 1944 Malcolm Burton Thompson; 1959 James Edward Emanuel; 1961 Joseph B. Thornell.

WE NEED YOUR HELP . . . If you have made a pledge for 2021, please continue to make payments on your pledge, if possible. If you have not yet made a pledge for 2021, we urge you to do so. If you can make an additional donation to support the parish at this time, we would happily receive it. Donations may be made online via the Giving section of the parish website. You may also make arrangements for other forms of payment by contacting our parish administrator, Christopher Howatt, who would be happy to assist you. We are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously. —The Stewardship Committee

FROM THE PARISH ADMINISTRATOR: VIDEO PROJECT UPDATE . . . Beginning August 9, a crew from Ideal Electric & HVAC Company were hard at work drilling through walls and floors and running hundreds of feet of electrical and data cabling throughout our church complex. That work was completed on August 16. Following right on their heels were our audio/video gurus from Audible Difference, Inc. Our speaker system, which we had originally thought was not going to be shipped until early September, arrived at their warehouse an entire month early, so that was the first component to be installed. New speakers—and more of them—cover the entire nave. You will hear and understand far better than before. The new sound system received its maiden voyage for the funeral of our former rector, Father Edgar Wells on Saturday, August 21, and despite a minor hiccup with batteries, was judged a rousing success. The lectern and the pulpit have new microphones.

Three high-end video cameras have been installed in strategic locations around the nave. This installation should be complete by the end of August. In order to better process the massive amount of data generated by our livestream, we are switching over to Verizon FIOS for our office phone and internet service. We expect that to happen concurrently with the completion of the camera installation.

Our system will be in place soon—now we need people to run it! We have been assured that it will be extremely simple to operate. If you are at all interested in this vital outreach, please let Father Gerth or Father Smith know, so we may schedule a training session. —Chris Howatt

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Father Smith returns to the parish office on Monday, August 30 . . . . . . Dr. David Hurd will be away from the parish for some weeks of vacation during the month of September—exact details still to be determined . . . Father Gerth will be away from the parish from Saturday, September 18. He returns Saturday afternoon, September 25.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, August 29, The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 17), Holy Baptism & Solemn Mass 11:00 AM and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM. The readings at Mass are Deuteronomy 4:1–9; Psalm 15; Ephesians 6:10-20; Mark 7:1–23. The celebrant and preacher will be Father Stephen Gerth; Evening Prayer 5:00 PM . . . Monday–Saturday, August 30–September 4, Mass 12:10 PM and Evening Prayer 5:00 PM. The church is open from 11:00 AM until 5:30 PM . . . Tuesday, August 31, Racism Discussion Group Meeting, 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information about this ongoing weekly meeting, please call the parish office . . . Next Sunday, September 5, The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 18, Year B). The readings are Isaiah 35:1–7a, 10; Psalm 146:4–9; James 1:17–27; Mark 7:24–37

ABOUT THE MUSIC . . . Beginning on Sunday, August 22, we returned to what has been our usual custom during the summer months in recent years: Except on Assumption, the “Mass ordinary” at the Solemn Eucharist (that is, “Glory to God,” “Holy, holy, holy Lord,” and “Lamb of God”) will be a congregational setting. One or more cantors will be present to sing the traditional chants and to sing a solo during the ministration of Communion. But this Sunday is different because we are celebrating Holy Baptism at Solemn Mass. A quartet from the parish choir will sing.

Sunday’s organ voluntaries conclude a series, begun four weeks ago, of the eight “Little” Preludes and Fugues, traditionally attributed to J. S. Bach (1685–1750). These pieces are now widely believed to have been composed by one of Bach’s pupils, possibly Johann Tobias Krebs (1690–1762), or his son Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713–1780). Of these eight preludes and fugues, four are in major keys of C, F, G, and B-flat, and the remaining four are in their relative minors of A, D, E, and G. The standard ordering of these eight pieces begins with BWV 553 in C Major and progresses up the scale to BWV 560 in B-flat. This morning’s prelude will be BWV 558 in G minor, and the postlude will be BWV 560 in the relative major key of B-flat. BWV 558, for the prelude, begins with a clear harmonic plan, almost suggestive of a chaconne, simply and directly stated. Its accompanying fugue has a charmingly delicate quality. BWV 560, the last of the collection and played for the postlude, is probably the most extroverted of the eight preludes and fugues. Its prelude includes a distinctive pedal solo and its fugue is angular and emphatic.

The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is the four-voice Missa secunda of Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612). Hassler was born in Nuremberg and baptized on October 26, 1564. His musical career bridged the late Renaissance to the early Baroque periods. His initial musical instruction was from his father, Isaak Hassler (c. 1530–1591). Hans Leo left home in 1584 to study in Venice with Andrea Gabrieli (c. 1532–1585) and become a friend and fellow pupil with Gabrieli’s nephew Giovanni (c. 1554–1612). Thus, Hassler was one of the first of a succession of German composers to experience in Italy the musical innovations that were shaping what would later be identified as Baroque style. Hassler was recognized in his day not only as a composer, but also as an organist and a consultant on organ design. Although he was a Protestant, Hassler’s early compositions were for the Roman church. His Missa secunda, first published in Nuremberg in 1599, is a model of efficient and concise text setting. The text is mostly set syllabically, and much of the musical texture is homophonic and rhythmically energetic. Hassler often has the higher two voices and lower two voices singing phrases in playful alternation. These aspects all help to set forth the text with particular clarity.

The motet sung during the Communion on Sunday is a setting of the prayer O Lord, increase my faith for four voices. It was long attributed to Orlando Gibbons (c. 1583–1625), but is now believed to be the work of Henry Loosemore (c. 1605–1670). While Gibbons is well represented in histories of Western music, Loosemore is less well remembered. Loosemore was organist of King’s College, Cambridge, from 1627 until his death. Beyond the true identity of its composer, there remain other inconsistencies in the sources of O Lord, increase my faith. Some sources present the text as singular (e.g., increase my faith), and others as plural (e.g., increase our faith). Likewise, some sources replace “chastity” in the text with a reiteration of “charity.” It is difficult to know which forms are original, yet in spite of the ambiguities, this modest piece remains one of the treasures of the English choral repertoire of its time. —David Hurd

NEIGHBORS IN NEED . . . At our monthly Drop-by Days, we distribute clothing and toiletry and hygiene items to those in need in the Times Square neighborhood. Our next Drop-by Day is scheduled for Friday, September 17. Volunteers work from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM. Our guests are invited into the church at 2:00 PM and we close our doors at 3:00 PM. We need six (6) volunteers for each Drop-by. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Marie Rosseels, MaryJane Boland, or Father Jay Smith. You may reach them by calling the Parish Office at 212-869-5830.

We would welcome donations of new packets of underwear for both men and women, including undershirts, briefs, boxers, boxer briefs, brassieres, etc. We are so grateful to all those who continue to support this ministry so generously.

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 6:30 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.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . On the five Sundays in October, Father Jay Smith will be leading the Adult-Education class in a series on Virtue and the Virtues as Guides for Christian Living. He will focus in particular on the “cardinal” virtues, prudence, justice, courage, and temperance. If you’d like to do some preparation, take a look at Virtues Abounding: St. Thomas Aquinas on the Cardinal and Related Virtues for Today (Cascade Books, 2019) by Mark O’Keefe, OSB, professor of moral theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana. The book is available for purchase online at bookshop.org and other online retailers.

VOLUNTEERS & DONORS NEEDED . . . A Note to Our Faithful Ushers: If you are at Mass and notice that the ushers’ table is understaffed, we invite you to jump in and lend a hand. It’s vacation season, and on some Sundays, we do not have a full complement of ushers . . . Would you like to donate altar flowers? We are looking those willing to donate altar flowers for all the Sundays in August and September, except for August 15 and September 26. (During the month of September, we celebrate the following feast days: the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Cross Day, and Saint Matthew.) The suggested donation for flowers is $250. Donors often give flowers in memory of, thanksgiving for, or celebration of certain people or life events. Please contact Chris Howatt in the parish office, if you would like to donate or you may also speak to Brendon Hunter for more information . . . Please speak to the rector if you’d like to volunteer to take photographs on Sunday morning, during Mass or the adult-education classes. The photographs are used to illustrate the weekly newsletter.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Monday, September 6, Labor Day . . . Wednesday, September 8, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . Saturday, September 11, Requiem Mass for Victims of Attacks on 9/11/2001 . . . Tuesday, September 14, Holy Cross Day . . . Tuesday, September 21, Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist . . . Wednesday, September 29, Saint Michael and All Angels . . . Sunday, October 3, The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, The Beginning of the 2021–2022 Choir Season and the 2021–2022 Christian Education Season.

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 and parish volunteer Clint Best.