FROM FATHER JACOBSON: COMMUNITY AT THE CROSSING

A few weeks ago, in the July 31 issue of the Angelus, Father Wood wrote to us about Christian unity on the occasion of the Lambeth Conference, where unity even within Anglicanism seemed challenging. Of course, despite these challenges, we need to be even more ambitious and pray not just for unity amongst ourselves, but pray for and work towards unity of the entire Body of Christ.

I tend to be reminded of this during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that falls between the Confession of Saint Peter and the Conversion of Saint Paul each January, but I also tend to quickly forget about it. I was once at the Vespers liturgy at the Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura which concludes the week, where the Pope, along with the archbishop serving as director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and an Orthodox bishop representing the Patriarch of Constantinople, blessed the congregation together at the end of the liturgy.

Scenes like can make for a powerful symbol of unity, but do they last? Perhaps the most notable of all for us Anglicans was when Pope Paul VI put his episcopal ring on the finger of Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1966. Grand gestures by senior clerics certainly have their role, but unity needs to be cultivated more broadly, especially with younger Christians, if we can ever hope to make any serious progress.

That is why I am particularly enthusiastic about a new program in the Diocese of New York that will be kicking off in 2023 and will be based at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The Community at the Crossing will bring together Anglican, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox lay Christians, between the ages of twenty and thirty, who will live together on the grounds of our Cathedral for one year. The focus of this religious community will be study, service to the poor, prayer, community life, and Christian unity. There will also be a second path for young adults not in residence, but who live locally and meet regularly with the rest of the community, as they continue their work or study outside of the program.

The Community at the Crossing was officially launched this week with an Evensong at the Cathedral, where the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury delivered video homilies, and a letter from the Patriarch of Constantinople was read (click here to watch the service). All three spoke of the importance of religious communities in guiding the Church since the earliest days of Christianity and expressed their support for this new community within our Diocese. Members of Chemin Neuf, a Roman Catholic community with an ecumenical focus, were prayed for at this service, and they will now spend this upcoming year helping the Diocese prepare for the start of the program. Chemin Neuf also helps to facilitate the Community of St. Anselm, a similar program at Lambeth Palace started by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2015.

For additional details about this new and exciting community, please see the program’s webpage. If you know anyone who may be interested in joining the Community at the Crossing, applications will become available in January for the first cohort scheduled to start in September 2023. Please join me in praying for the success of this new initiative within the Diocese of New York! — MDJ

A Prayer on September 11

O Almighty God, who brings good out of evil and turns even the wrath of your children towards your promised peace: Hear our prayers this day as we remember those of many nations and differing faiths whose lives were cut short by the fierce flames of anger and hatred. Hasten the time when the menace of war shall be removed. Cleanse both us and those perceived to be our enemies of all hatred and distrust. Pour out the spirit of peace on all the rulers of our world that we may be brought through strife to the lasting peace of the kingdom of your Son; Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

— From A Proper for September 11, developed by the Liturgical Commission of the Diocese of New York for use on September 11, 2005

Prayer for the Search Committee of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the hearts and minds of those who shall choose a rector for Saint Mary’s, that we may receive a faithful priest and pastor who will boldly proclaim the gospel, faithfully administer your sacraments, and serve your people with love and compassion, equipping us for our ministries in the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

If you feel that you may be called to serve on the Search Committee for our next rector, please click here to fill out an application. You may also nominate others for consideration via this same webpage.

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

Prayers are asked for the sick, for those who mourn, and for those in any need or trouble; for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week, for those who are travelling; and especially for Allen, Reha, Eric, Jordan, Larry, Stuart, David, Sterina, Frank, Dickie, Renee, Noah, Addison, Katie, Maggie, Barbara, James, Claudia, Allen, Marjorie, Shalim, Greta, Liduvina, Luis, Quincy, José, James, Frank, Laverne, Carlos, Abraham, Gypsy, Margaret, Emil, Pat, Robert; James and Nicholas, religious, and Scott, priest; and for the repose of the souls of Queen Elizabeth II, Carol Ashley, and Benjamin Reddick.

We ask your prayers for all those who were murdered on September 11, 2001.

We ask your  prayers for the repose of the souls of the firefighters from Midtown Engine Company 54, 4 Truck, Battalion 9, Eighth Avenue and Forty-eighth Street, who gave their lives on September 11, 2001 in order to protect and rescue their fellow New Yorkers: Engine 54—Paul Gill, José Guadalupe, Leonard Ragaglia, Christopher Santora; Battalion 9—Edward Geraghty, Dennis Devlin, Charles Garbarini; 4 Truck—Allen Feinberg, Carl Asaro; David Wooley, Daniel O’Callaghan, Joseph Angelini, Jr., Michael Brennan, Michael Haub, Michael Lynch, Samuel Oitice, John Tipping II.

We ask your prayers who grieve, and all those who were injured or harmed in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

Benjamin Colquett Reddick, the youngest brother of Allen Reddick, died at his mother’s home in Cullman, Alabama, on September 4, after a long illness. He was fifty-seven years old. Allen has been a member of the Saint Mary’s community since 2021. He divides his time between New York and Sewanee, Tennessee, and is with us when here in New York. Please keep Ben, Allen, their family and friends, and all who mourn in your prayers.

You are invited to keep these intentions in your hearts and prayers this week:

In thanksgiving for the life, work, and ministry of Queen Elizabeth II, and also for King Charles III and the Royal Family, and for all the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in this time of mourning, reflection, and change;

For the people of Pakistan, the people of Jackson, Mississippi, and for all those living in the path of fire, flood, and other natural disasters;

For peace in Ethiopia, Ukraine, Myanmar, Syria, Israel, Gaza, and Yemen;

For those ill with COVID-19;

For those suffering from depression, anxiety, or addiction;

For all refugees;

For those without food, shelter, or work;

For all Anglican religious orders;

For the Search Committee of the parish.

THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT RECTOR OF SAINT MARY’S

Please come to Coffee Hour this coming Sunday, September 11: The friends and members of the parish are invited to join Mark Risinger and Mary Robison, the co-chairs of the Search Committee, at Coffee Hour this coming Sunday, September 11, in Saint Joseph’s Hall for a question-and-answer session about the search for the parish’s next rector. Come hear about the committee’s work. You will of course have an opportunity to ask questions and hear about how things are going with the search process.

SAINT MARY’S BOOK GROUP: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 12:45 PM

“I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, because I’m old, and you said, I don’t think you’re old, and you put your hand in my hand and you said, You aren’t very old, as if that settled it.”

Thus begins Gilead, Marilynne Robinson’s novel in the form of a letter from a not-young Congregationalist pastor to his very young son, a letter meant to be read some years after the pastor’s perhaps imminent death. This deeply personal letter is all about family—at least four generations of a family—but it is also about the place of a couple of families who lived their lives within the framework of a troubled American history. And so, it is also a novel about violence, war, loyalty, faith, ministry, race, radicalism, pacifism, dissent, Calvinism, Puritanism, and what it means to say, “I am a follower of Jesus.” It is also at its heart a book about sin, forgiveness, and the difficulties with forgiving. For all that, the book is subtle and never didactic. And it is dominated by the distinctive voice of one of contemporary American literature’s most complex and interesting characters—who is a pastor no less!

The novel was written by Marilynne Robinson (b. 1943), American novelist and essayist and professor emerita at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Robinson is the recipient of many awards. She was twice longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and once for the Man Booker Prize itself. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for Gilead. In 2012, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama. The award citation read, “Marilynne Robinson for her grace and intelligence in writing. With moral strength and lyrical clarity, Dr. Robinson’s novels and nonfiction have traced our ethical connections to people in our lives, explored the world we inhabit, and defined universal truths about what it means to be human.”

We invite you to join us on September 18 in Saint Joseph’s Hall. Sandwiches and beverages provided. If you have a chance, let Father Jay Smith know you are coming.

TIMES AND LOCATIONS OF DAILY AND SUNDAY LITURGIES:

Monday–Saturday: Daily Mass 12:10 PM, Lady Chapel

Monday–Sunday: Evening Prayer 5:00 PM, Choir and Church

The Solemn Mass on Sunday morning at 11:00 AM is celebrated in the Church.

AROUND THE PARISH

Morning Prayer in the church returns: It is our plan to resume Morning Prayer in the church, Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM, beginning on Monday, October 3. All are invited to join us in person to pray the Office. It is a fine way to begin the day.

If you think you might be called to serve as an officiant at Morning or Evening Prayer, please speak to Father Wood. We are resuming Morning Prayer in the church in October, Monday through Friday, and would love to have the help of others with this ministry.

If you have been considering baptism or confirmation, please speak to Fathers Wood, Smith, or Jacobson. They would be happy to discuss this with you.

Keeping up to date with pledge payments: It is not uncommon for us to experience cash-flow problems during the summer months, we urge all our members and friends to stay current with their pledge payments, and we welcome donations in support of the parish’s mission during this time. If you have questions, please contact the parish treasurer, Steven Heffner. We are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously.

THE VISUAL ARTS PROJECT AT SAINT MARY’S

Curator José Vidal has been hard at work in Saint Joseph’s Hall this week, preparing to unveil an exhibition which will be a component of the parish’s sesquicentennial celebrations (1870–2020), which have been delayed because of the COVID pandemic. The show will include photographs, paintings, vestment fragments, and other memorabilia, all of which help tell the story of Saint Mary’s history. Some elements are already in place. We invite you to take a look this Sunday and in the coming weeks.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Sunday, October 2, The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Solemn Evensong & Benediction 5:00 PM.

On Tuesday, November 1, All Saints’ Day, Solemn Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 PM in the church. The Bishop of New York, the Right Reverend Andrew M.L. Dietsche will celebrate and preach. Mass is preceded by an organ recital that begins at 5:30 PM.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Mass XI as found in the Liber Usualis (“Usual Book”), a comprehensive anthology of medieval Roman plainsong compiled in the nineteenth century by the monks of Solesmes, France. Like the several other numbered Masses of the Gregorian Missal, Mass XI (Missa Orbis factor) is a collection of chants for the Ordinary of the Mass which likely were originally independent pieces brought together and associated with one another by later custom. This particular combination traditionally has been designated for use on Sundays outside of Advent and Lent—In Dominicis infra annum. The Gloria of Mass XI is in Mode 2 and dates from the tenth century. The Sanctus, also in Mode 2, is dated eleventh century, and the Agnus Dei in Mode 1 is dated fourteenth century.

During the Communion, Sunday’s cantor, Dr. Mark Risinger, will sing Weary of all trumpeting, with words by Martin Franzmann (1907–1976) and music courtesy of Hugo Distler (1908–1942), Jan Bender (1909–1994), and Richard Proulx (1937–2010). This collaborative work is found at 572 in The Hymnal 1982. The Hymnal 1982 Companion includes the following description: “This antiwar text, couched in strong prophetic rhetoric, matched with an equally strong tune punctuated by martial dotted rhythms, is in itself a paradox. It reflects the paradox of much of the Gospel, especially the paradox of the painful crucifixion and death of Christ upon the cross, which is seen by some as defeat, but by others as victory over sin and death.” The story of this song is too complex to relate in a paragraph, but a short version is that composer Jan Bender, who had been a friend and former student of Hugo Distler, asked Martin Franzmann in 1971 to write a suitable text for a melody which Distler originally had been compelled to compose for the advancement of Third Reich propaganda in the 1930s. Bender had remembered Distler’s melody, although the original source had been lost, and in 1965 he composed his Variations for Organ on a Theme by Hugo Distler. By 1972, Franzmann’s words and Distler’s music had come together in hymn publications. The version included in The Hymnal 1982 is a reconstruction in the style of Hugo Distler by American composer Richard Proulx.

More about Sunday’s cantor: Bass Mark Risinger, a Texas native, has been a member of the Saint Mary’s choir since 2005 and is also currently the Vice President of the Board of Trustees. He teaches music and English literature at Saint Bernard’s School and serves on the Education Committee of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. As a soloist, he has performed opera and oratorio throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico, including appearances with New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, the New York Choral Society, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Opera Orchestra of New York, Boston Baroque, and the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia. In addition to degrees in English literature, he holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from Harvard University, where he completed a dissertation on the compositional process of G.F. Handel and where he was Lecturer on Music for five years. In addition to teaching and singing, he is a frequent guest lecturer for the Metropolitan Opera Guild and an editor of the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, September 11, The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19C), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. The readings are Exodus 32:1, 7-14; Psalm 51:1–11; 1 Timothy 1:12–17; Luke 15:1–10. Father Jacobson will celebrate, and Father Wood will preach. The Mass setting on September 11 will be Mass XI (Missa Orbis factor), Plainsong Mode 2. The vocal solo, sung by cantor Mark Risinger, will be a vocal solo setting of Weary of all trumpeting, music by Hugo Distler (1908–1942) and words by Martin Franzmann (1907–1976).

Upcoming Commemoration: Monday, September 12, John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York; Tuesday, September 13, Cyprian of Carthage, Bishop and Martyr; Wednesday, September 14, Holy Cross Day; Friday, September 16, Ninian, Bishop in Galloway; Saturday, September 17, Hildegard, Abbess in Bingen.

The Holy Eucharist is celebrated Monday–Saturday at 12:10 PM in the Lady Chapel.

Holy Hour. Wednesday mornings 11:00–11:50 AM, in the Lady Chapel. A time for silent prayer and contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Eucharist follows at 12:10 PM. We invite you to join us.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED

The Neighbors in Need program is Saint Mary’s principal outreach ministry. It was founded by members of the parish, along with resident sisters and friars and members of the parish’s clergy staff. We “own” it and run it. We provide clothing and basic, but essential, hygiene items to our neighbors in Times Square. Your cash donations and gifts of new and lightly used clothing make this ministry possible.

We need pants! At our last Drop-by, our stock of pants mostly for men, but for women also, was seriously depleted. Please take a look in your closets and see if you have some pants or slacks for women and men that you are able to part with. Donations can be brought to church on Sunday morning. Leave the bag with the ushers, and thank you.

The September Drop-by will take place on Friday, September 16.

If you would like to volunteer for Neighbors in Need, please send us a message at neighbors@stmvnyc.org. Our goal is to continue to distribute clothing and hygiene items to those in need in the Times Square neighborhood. We are grateful to all those who continue to support this ministry.

HEALING MASS ON THURSDAYS

The noonday Mass on Thursdays at 12:10 PM includes anointing, also known as unction, and prayers for healing immediately after the homily or, on holy days, after the Nicene Creed. “Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 861). Anointing is a much-respected rite here at Saint Mary’s, and all are invited, though none are compelled, to come to the rail for anointing during Mass should they wish.

AT THE MET CLOISTERS

On Saturday, September 17, we will commemorate Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), that amazing medieval saint, who was abbess, musician, writer, and spiritual teacher. There is much that one could say about her, but this, from the Metropolitan Museum’s website, seems both lovely and fitting for Saint Mary’s, where flowers, the “the lilies of the field,” are appreciated and admired. The link above will take you to an article entitled “On Beauty and Fragrance,” by Carly Still, assistant horticultarist at the Met Cloisters, dated June 13, 2014. The article tells us about the importance and the meaning of flowers in the medieval West, as well as some things about Hildegard: “The Madonna Lily, Lilium candidum, was also dedicated to the Virgin. Its beautiful white flowers were a symbol of purity, and the golden anthers symbolized the light of the Virgin’s soul. Hildegard von Bingen, the twelfth-century abbess, writer, and polymath, believed that the ‘smell of the bud of the lily and the smell of the flowers themselves cheer a person’s heart and makes a person’s thinking right.’ In addition to the healing properties of the lily’s fragrance, the leaves were used to aid burns and serpent’s bites. The root mixed with honey was thought to give skin a youthful appearance (the medieval anti-wrinkle cream!).”

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Jay Smith, except as noted. Father Matt Jacobson helps to edit and is responsible for formatting and 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.