FROM THE INTERIM RECTOR: NEIGHBORS IN NEED

The Swiss Reformed theologian Emil Brunner is purported to have said once, “The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning.”

Brunner’s quote serves to raise an incisive question: Where no mission work is being done, is the church really being the church?

Saint Mary’s is proud to be the church in and for Times Square, an outpost of the kingdom of God in this vibrant urban area. And as the church here, Saint Mary’s has a rich history of service in the neighborhood because deep in our Anglo-Catholic DNA is a commitment to serving the least, the lost, the lonely, and the left-behind.

On the third Friday of every month, Saint Mary’s “exists” in mission. Several years ago, led by folks like Clint Best and Sister Monica Clare Powell, C.S.J.B., volunteers from Saint Mary’s launched Neighbors in Need, a ministry to provide clothing and essential items to people who live alongside us in Times Square. Some volunteers are parishioners, some are friends of the parish; some live on the block, some commute from an hour away to serve. Each month, dozens of people stream into the church for a few minutes to find warmth, clothing (some is donated, some we purchase with donated funds), toiletries, and a kind word from someone who honors their dignity and looks them in the eye.

Visit the new Neighbors in Need tab on our webpage (click here) to learn more about this vibrant outreach effort, including a video that the Board recently put together. If you’d like to volunteer to sort items, organize, set up, or host, simply contact Father Jay, MaryJane Boland, or Marie Rosseels (send an e-mail). Teams of six are needed each month, but the more volunteers the better! And if you can’t volunteer in person, you may donate to the ministry online, as well. We are grateful to all those who have supported this ministry in so many ways — Sammy Wood

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Howard, David, Christian, José, John, Philip, Sylvia, Afroza, Rahanna, Tevis,Eloise, Karen, Shalim, Ricardo, Greta, Liduvina, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, Peter, George, Abraham, Emil, Ethelyn, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, and Robert; Louis, priest, and Andrew, bishop.

Your prayers are asked for all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially the people of Ukraine; the sick; the dying; the poor; all refugees and migrants; those without food, shelter, or work; those who suffer from COVID-19; and those who mourn.

Your prayers are asked for peace in Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe; for all health workers and all those who work for the common good; for those who live and work in our neighborhood; and for all the benefactors, friends, and members of this parish.

Your prayers are asked for Pat Rheinhold, who underwent a difficult medical procedure this week. Please keep her in your prayers during the coming days.

Your prayers are asked for Oliver Mitchell Nedkov Davenport who is to be baptized on Saturday. Pray also for his fathers, Peter Davenport and Vladimir Nedkov.

Your prayers are asked for the repose of the souls of Fausto Ribeiro Miranda and Dong Kingman, Jr. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

GRANT THEM PEACE . . . February 27: 1908 Eunice Allen; 1920 William Lee Ward; 1929 Alfred Handy.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE . . . Fausto Ribeiro Miranda, the father of parishioner Ricardo Miranda, died on Saturday, February 19, in Brazil. He had been ill for some time and then suffered a heart attack on Wednesday, February 16. Please keep Fausto’s family and friends in your prayers, especially Ricardo and Ana Maria Miranda Lindsey, his children; his former wife, parishioner Stephanie Felshin; his grandson, Paul Lindsey; and his many siblings.

PRAY FOR PEACE . . . We all awoke on Thursday morning to reports of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the evening news brought startling images and a casualty count from the most volatile conflict in Europe in almost eight decades. Today, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York issued a joint statement that reads, in part:

As Christians, our response to a crisis must always be rooted in prayer. And so we invite you to join with us in praying most earnestly for an outpouring of the Spirit of God, that the world may once again choose peace, strengthening those international bodies that enable us to work and live together as one humanity inhabiting one world.

These two symbols of unity for the worldwide Anglican Communion called for this Sunday, February 27, to be a day of prayer for peace, and for Anglicans to join Pope Francis to fast and pray for peace on Ash Wednesday next week.

At Saint Mary’s, we will add prayers for peace to the prayers of the people at the Eucharist and during the intercessions at Evening Prayer. We invite all parishioners to pray daily for peace in Ukraine. Our church building is open to the public daily from 10 AM to 5:30 PM if you would like to stop in to pray in the worship space.  

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one God; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all, the true love of peace and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

ASH WEDNESDAY . . . Ashes will be imposed during two liturgies on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022, a Said Mass at 12:10 PM and a Solemn Mass at 6:00 PM. Father Matthew Jacobson preaches at 12:10 and Father Sammy Wood at 6:00 PM. The music at the Solemn Mass includes David Hurd’s setting of Psalm 51, Miserere mei, Deus; William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices; and the motet, Hide not thou thy face, by Richard Farrant (c.1525–1580).

FRIDAYS IN LENT . . . We will walk the Stations of the Cross each Friday in Lent, except March 25, at 5:30 PM, following Evening Prayer, which begins at 5:00 PM. We ask that masks be worn during Stations, and we recommend that everyone attending Stations (and Sunday Mass) be vaccinated.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . On Sunday, February 27, The Last Sunday after the Epiphany, the Adult Education class will meet from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM in the Arch Room, on the second floor of the Mission House. Access is via 133 West Forty-sixth Street. The class will be led by V.K. McCarty . . . Tuesday, March 1, Racism Discussion Group Meeting, 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information about this ongoing weekly meeting, please call the parish office . . . Wednesday, March 2, Ash Wednesday, Said Mass & Imposition of Ashes at 12:10 PM and Solemn Mass & Imposition of Ashes 6:00 PM . . . Friday, March 4, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM and Stations of the Cross 5:30 PM; Saint Mary’s Online Centering Prayer Group, 6:30 PM. Send an e-mail for more information about this prayer group . . . Holy Eucharist and the Daily Office: The Angelus is recited Monday through Saturday at 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Evening Prayer is normally said in the church Monday through Saturday at 5:00 PM, except on Federal holidays and certain holy days. Solemn Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM on Sunday morning and Evening Prayer is said at 5:00 PM in the church on Sunday afternoons.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Alicia Collins and Santos Flores were married at the New York City Marriage Bureau on February 2, 2020. Father Jay Smith presided at the Blessing of a Civil Marriage in the Wedding Chapel on Tuesday afternoon, February 22, at which time Santos and Alicia exchanged marriage vows and received the nuptial blessing. Please keep them and their family and friends in your prayers.

LOOKING AHEAD . . . Sunday, March 13, Daylight Saving Time begins . . . Thursday, March 17, Saint Patrick, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Saturday, March 19, Saint Joseph, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Friday, March 25, The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mass 12:10 PM, Organ Recital 5:30 PM, Solemn Mass 6:00 PM . . . Sunday, April 10, The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday.

ADULT EDUCATION . . . On Sunday, February 27, V.K. McCarty will conclude her two-part series, “Encountering Women in the Ministry of Saint Paul” in our adult-education program. The class will meet between 9:30 and 10:30 AM in the Arch Room, on the second floor of the Mission House. Access is via the door at 133 Forty-sixth Street, just east of the main doors of the church.

V.K. was born in Boston and studied acting and voice at Michigan State University, the University of Louisville, and the University of London. After her theater training, she performed here in New York, in regional theater, and at several music festivals.

She later worked as a book editor and studied at the General Theological Seminary, where she earned a master’s degree with a focus on biblical studies. She worked as the acquisitions librarian at the Saint Mark’s Library at General for fourteen years. She has also served the church in several ways, as a hospital chaplain and as an acolyte and a trainer of acolytes at the Church of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. She has taught and was director of Christian education at several parishes in New Jersey, and has taught adult education at other parishes, including the Church of Saint Luke in the Field in Greenwich Village.

V.K. has studied and has an interest in the history of Christian pilgrimage, the history of Byzantium, ascetical theology, and biblical languages. She has edited several volumes, including a history of General Seminary. In March 2021, Gorgias Press published her book, From Their Lips: Voices of Early Christian Women, which won a Best Independent Book Award this year in the category of religion and spirituality. Her research for that volume will be the focus of her classes on February 20 and 27. We are very excited that V.K. has agreed to share her work with us.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED . . . On Friday, February 18, the volunteers of Neighbors in Need welcomed 45 guests into the church for their monthly distribution of clothing and hygiene items. The next Drop-by Day is scheduled for Friday, March 18. Volunteers work from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM. Our guests are invited into the church a bit before 2:00 PM, and we close our doors at 3:00 PM. We need at least 6 volunteers for each Drop-by. If you would like to volunteer, please send an email to neighbors@stmvnyc.org or call the Parish Office at 212-869-5830. The April Drop-by will take place on Friday, April 22, the fourth Friday of the month, instead of the third, because April 15 is Good Friday.

We are especially eager to received donations of coats, thermal underwear, socks, and sweatshirts during these winter months. We are always happy to receive transit cards with one or two trips on them as well. Thank you to all who have supported this important ministry.

ABOUT THE MUSIC . . . The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is Missa Aeterna Christi Munera by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Palestrina was both a source and inspiration for many of the composers who followed him and a practitioner of already established musical practice. He stood on foundations largely laid by the Netherlandish composers Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474) and Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521) and is credited with having set the canons for Renaissance polyphony and the enduring standards for Catholic liturgical music. Among his hundreds of compositions are 105 Masses, most of which were published in thirteen volumes between 1554 and 1601. The Missa Aeterna Christi Munera is based upon a plainsong melody for the hymn commemorating apostles and martyrs attributed to Saint Ambrose (340–397). A translation of this Ambrosian hymn appears at 233 and 234 in The Hymnal 1982, but with different music. At 132 in The Hymnal 1940 one finds both the translated Ambrosian hymn and the plainsong melody on which Palestrina based his four-voice Mass. As one often finds in Renaissance polyphonic Masses, an additional voice is added for the final Agnus Dei.

The motet sung during the Communion on Sunday is O nata lux, a setting of an office hymn for Lauds on the Feast of the Transfiguration by Morten Lauridsen. Lauridsen writes, “O Nata Lux is the central movement from my Lux Aeterna for Chorus and Orchestra or Organ, premiered by the Los Angeles Master Chorale under the direction of Paul Salamunovich at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on April 13, 1997. Each of the five connected movements in this cycle contains references to Light assembled from various sacred Latin texts. This serene a cappella motet celebrating the Redeemer is specially dedicated to the Loyola Marymount University Concert Choir, conducted by Dr. Mary C. Breden, who gave the East Coast premiere at Carnegie Hall on June 29, 1997.” Lauridsen, who is Distinguished Professor of Composition at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, was named an “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2005.

The organ voluntaries on Sunday are compositions of Max Reger taken from his Opus 59, one of his several collections of twelve pieces. Reger (1873–1916) was an extremely prolific composer both in terms of the volume of music he composed in relatively few years, and in the density of that music from the standpoint of harmony, counterpoint and sheer number of notes to the page. His music paid a great debt to the counterpoint of Bach yet stretched forward to a powerful post-romantic expressiveness. Toccata, today’s prelude, is the fifth piece of the Opus 59. It is a brash and dramatic piece with fiery episodes alternating sharply with reflective interludes. Fugue, Sunday’s postlude, is the sixth piece of the collection. It is unambiguously in the key of D Major and moves in a constant crescendo through rich chromatic harmony to a powerful finish. These two pieces, framing today’s Solemn Mass, are well able to stand alone, but are often performed together in concert. — 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 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.

HOW THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD COME TO ST. MARY’S . . . All the flower arrangements at Saint Mary’s are created by parish volunteers, who purchase the flowers and other supplies at local stores and wholesalers in Manhattan’s floral district, which has for years been centered around Twenty-eighth Street and Sixth Avenue. They plan ahead, working creatively and strategically to make every dollar count during their shopping trips. The New York Times recently published an article about some of the supply-chain issues affecting the flower industry. And the problems detailed in the article have been confirmed by our suppliers. (Readers of the article should know that the members of the Flower Guild do not resort to any of the “creative solutions” cited at the end of the article.)

The suggested donation for a Sunday or holy day is $250.00, and we recognize that that is a lot of money. However, our altar is not small, and our church building is large. Costs are high in Manhattan and are getting higher. We believe that careful shopping at our wholesalers allows us to do much more than if we bought at retail florists. We hope that our members and friends will be able to continue to support this ministry. And remember: it is always possible for a group of donors to concentrate their resources and make a donation for a single Sunday or holy day. We are grateful to all those who have encouraged us in our work and who have supported us in all our endeavors over the years. — Brendon Hunter

AVAILABLE SUNDAYS AND FEAST DAYS FOR FLOWER DONATIONS . . . We welcome donations for flowers on the altar and around the church for the following dates: Sunday, May 15, the Fifth Sunday of Easter; Sunday, May 22, the Sixth Sunday of Easter; Sunday, June 5, the Feast of Pentecost; Sunday, June 12, Trinity Sunday; and other dates until the end of 2022. Please contact Father Smith or Chris Howatt to reserve a date for altar flowers. The Guild is already busy making plans for Holy Week and Easter and they welcome gifts of any amount for Easter flowers. Please click on “Donate” and select “Flowers” from the Fund menu. New this year: The Flower Guild plans to keep flowers on the Paschal stand for all fifty days of Easter. For questions about flowers and the Flower Guild, please contact Brendon Hunter.

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Sammy Wood and Father Jay Smith. Father Matt Jacobson is responsible for helping to edit the newsletter and for posting it on the parish website and distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt, parish administrator, and parish volunteer, Clint Best.