FROM THE RECTOR: CHRISTMAS BEGINS

The twelve days of Christmas begin this week, on Tuesday evening, December 24. That said, there will be some signs of it in the church on this, the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Evergreens for Christmas arrived a few days ago. Members of this year’s Flower Guild Christmas Team trimmed and placed the greens in water in Saint Joseph’s Hall. The wonderful smell of the evergreens is a sign for us that Christmas is very near. Some of the work (the crèche) in Saint Joseph’s Chapel is already underway.

On Christmas Eve, music for congregation and choir begins at 4:30 PM. Again this year, a special gift makes it possible for a brass quartet to play during the prelude, as well as during the Sung Mass of the Nativity at 5:00 PM. Christmas music for the later service begins at 10:30 PM. Procession & Solemn Mass of the Nativity will be at 11:00 PM. On Christmas Day, the Solemn Mass of Christmas Day & Procession to the Crèche will be at 11:00 AM. There is fellowship in Saint Joseph’s Hall after the Christmas Day service.

I was the celebrant for the noonday services on Thursday, December 19, the anniversary of the death of the founding rector of Saint Mary’s, the Reverend Thomas McKee Brown (1841–1898; rector 1870–1898). He was the longest serving rector of the parish. An account of his death was published in 1899. The sixth rector of the parish, the Reverend Grieg Taber (1895–1964; rector 1939–1964), served for twenty-five years. This will be my twenty-first Christmas as rector of the parish. Our rector emeritus, the Reverend Canon Edgar F. Wells (rector 1979–1998), is not far behind me in terms of service. December at Saint Mary’s is very much a month for looking ahead and looking behind.

I had a note last week from parishioner Kenneth Isler who, for many years, has blended incense for us. He had a new barrel of incense ready for our sesquicentennial patronal feast on Monday, December 9, the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (transferred)—another great, unique blend. In his note, he mentioned someone whose name I knew. Kenny took over the blending of our incense from John Francis Arnold, who died in 1992. In the rectory there is a small coffee cup saucer, green trim, that another parishioner used as an ash tray. Years ago, he told me John had used it that way before him. I have heard John’s name over the years from others. We are connected as mortals and as Christians to those who have gone before, as we are to our families and friends, who are in the nearer presence of God.

My father died on Christmas Eve 2014. I was in the sacristy when the phone call from my brother came about 20 minutes before the 5:00 PM Eucharist. I didn’t tell anyone. Looking back, I didn’t appreciate in the moment the grace of that night. I did not expect our worship to take care of me, but it did. It quieted my anxiety just enough to open up what I describe as peaceful space in my heart and my mind. I didn’t trust myself to tell anyone about this before the first service. After it, I did tell Fr. Jay Smith—just in case. The grace continued. I had a good cry when I got home after the later service. Biology and strong emotion, not lack of faith or love.

I don’t remember when I first realized that Christmas, like every day of our lives, is a celebration of Easter. I hope there will be a lot of joy and unexpected graces for all as we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, the Son of Mary. Merry Christmas. —Stephen Gerth

CONGRATULATIONS, FATHER PACE! . . . Father Jim Pace has accepted a new position. As of June 1, 2020, he will be dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Valdosta State University in Georgia. Jim moved to New York from Nashville, Tennessee, where he had been at Vanderbilt University, to take a position on the faculty of the New York University College of Nursing in January 2011. The same month we welcomed him to the position of “assistant priest” at Saint Mary’s. His background in chaplaincy and hospice work, in addition to his teaching, brought a diversity of gifts to our clergy staff. We have penciled in Sunday, May 10, for him to be celebrant and preacher at the Solemn Mass before his move to Georgia. I know I am not the only one who is going to miss him very, very much. And there will be more to say about our friend, the Reverend Dr. James Conlin Pace. Again, Jim, congratulations! —S.G.

2020 PARISH CALENDARS . . . As we go to press, we are told that 2020 Parish Calendar will be delivered to the parish on Monday, December 23. We hope to have them in the mail by Friday, December 27. —S. G.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Sharon, Charlie, Renée, Blair, Emily, Michael, Dale, John, Mary, Kristie, Alice, Dale, Brady, Margaret, Murray, William, Gloria, Samuel, Mel, Richard, Carlos, Ken, May, Willard, Alexandra, Karen, Marilouise, Takeem, Michael, Rita, Ivy, Hanoo, Pearl, and Abraham; for Horace, Gene, Gaylord, Louis, and Edgar, priests; for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Edward; for all the benefactors and friends of this parish; and for the repose of the soul of Erica Tishman . . . GRANT THEM PEACE: December 22: 1909 Emma Baley; 1912 Florence Gertrude Wilson; Elizabeth McDowell; 1920 Mary Ann Meadows; 1932 Mary C. Parsons France; 1934 Lillian Emily Dellegar Spence; 1938 Elizabeth Hahn; 1960 Marion H. Newcombe, Fannie Murray; 1962 Elizabeth St. John Day; 1984 Anne Starry.

THE ORDINARY FRIDAYS OF THE YEAR are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial in commemoration of the Lord’s crucifixion. Abstinence is dispensed during the Twelve Days of Christmas.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2019–2020 . . . Our stewardship campaign is well underway, and many pledge cards have arrived in the mail. As of December 11, we have received $255,189 in pledges from 68 households, 60% of our goal of $425,000. We still have a ways to go. We encourage all the friends and members of the parish to return their pledge by the end of December. 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. Our mission is clear. We invite your support.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Parishioner Renée Pecquex underwent surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital on Thursday. Her husband, Blair Burroughs, reports that she came through the surgery well. Please keep Renée and Blair in your prayers . . . Volunteers are needed: If you are interested in helping the Flower Guild decorate the church for Christmas, please speak to Grace Mudd or contact her by e-mail. The decorating schedule is as follows: constructing the crèche, Wednesday–Friday, December 18–20, 5:30–8:00 PM; hanging greens and making arrangements, Saturday–Monday, December 21–23, during the day and into the evening; and Tuesday, December 24, mid-morning until mid-afternoon. One need not be a designer in order to volunteer. There are a variety of jobs and tasks for all who are interested . . . Flowers are needed for Sunday, January 5 (Christmas 2) and Monday, January 6 (The Epiphany); for Sunday, January 12 (The Baptism of Our Lord), 19, and 26; and February 9, 16, and 23. Please be in touch with Chris Howatt in the parish office if you would like to make a donation for one of these dates. Donations to support the work of the Flower Guild during the Christmas season are always welcome . . . Attendance at all Offices and Masses: Last Sunday 187.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, December 22, The Fourth Sunday of Advent, Sung Matins 8:30 AM; Mass 9:00 & 10:00 AM; Solemn Mass 11:00 AM, Solemn Evensong and Benediction 5:00 PM. The Adult Forum has begun its Christmas Break. The class meets next on Sunday, January 12, 2020, at 10:00 AM in Saint Benedict’s Study  . . . Monday, December 23, The O Antiphons End . . . Tuesday, December 24, Morning Prayer 8:30 AM, Last Mass of Advent 9:00 AM . . . Tuesday, December 24, Christmas Eve, Music for Congregation and Choir 4:30 PM, Sung Mass 5:00 PM; Music for Congregation and Choir 10:30 PM, Procession and Solemn Mass 11:00 PM . . . Wednesday, December 25, Christmas Day, Solemn Mass and Procession to the Crèche at 11:00 AM. The church closes at 2:00 PM . . . Thursday, December 26, Saint Stephen’s Day, The church opens at 7:00 AM and closes at 7:00 PM. Only the noonday services are offered. The parish office is open . . . Friday, December 27, Saint John, Apostle & Evangelist, Mass 12:10 and 6:20 PM; Centering Prayer Group meets at 6:30 PM in the Morning Room, Parish House, 145 West Forty-sixth Street . . . Saturday, December 28, The Holy Innocents, Noonday Prayer 12:00 PM, Mass 12:10 PM, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM. A Vigil Mass for the First Sunday after Christmas Day will be celebrated at 5:20 PM Saturday, December 28, at 8:00 PM, ARTEK: Art of the Early Keyboard, Monteverdi: Mass For the Virgin. Festive Venetian Christmas Mass. A pre-concert talk by Dr. Jeffrey Kurtzman will take place at 7:00 PM.

OUTREACH AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The Wednesday Grab-and-Go will not take place on December 25 or on January 1. The next Grab-and-Go is on Wednesday, January 8, 2:00–3:00 PM. (We were pleased when we realized recently that we have distributed clothing and other necessary items almost every Wednesday in 2019. We are grateful for the support that has made this possible.) The Clothing Ministry’s next Drop-in Day will take place on Wednesday, January 15, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, in the Mission House basement, and in the former Gift Shop. We continue to offer our Grab-and-Go distribution Wednesdays from 2:00 to 3:00 PM in the former Gift Shop, just off the church Narthex. Grab-and-go includes essential items like socks, underwear, and hygiene items, and is now open every Wednesday, including when there is a Drop-In in our main clothing room. Please contact Brother Damien if you would like to donate cash, clothing, or toiletry articles, or to volunteer for this important ministry. We have a particular need at the moment for winter coats for both men and women, blankets, and sleeping bags. Sleeping bags and smaller blankets are generally in more demand as they’re easier to carry around. Our number of guests continues to grow, and we are always grateful for your financial contributions to this project, which allow us (among other things) to offer the dignity and hygiene of brand new underwear and socks to all our guests. We can also use a few more volunteers for our once-per-month drop-in days, generally held on the third Wednesday of each month . . . We continue to receive donations of canned goods and other nonperishable food items for the Saint Clement’s Food Pantry. Donations may be placed in the basket next to the Ushers’ Table at the Forty-sixth Street entrance to the church. —Br. Damien Joseph SSF

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22 . . . The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is Missa Dixit Maria by Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612). Hassler was a student of Andrea Gabrieli (c. 1510–1586) in Venice and 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. Although he was a Protestant, Hassler’s early compositions were for the Roman church. His Missa Dixit Maria, published in 1599, is a parody Mass with themes borrowed from his own motet Dixit Maria ad Angelum. The text of the source motet—which will be sung during the ministration of Communion—recounts Mary’s words to the angel of the Annunciation, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me, according to your word.”

The organ prelude on Sunday morning, Fugue on the Magnificat, is one of the miscellaneous chorale preludes of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). It is a fugue in the French manner with theme and counter-theme introduced simultaneously at the outset. The theme is based upon the Tonus peregrinus (“Wandering Tone”) sometimes called the ninth tone, a distinctive medieval melodic formula to which Magnificat was often sung. Only in the final section of this fugue does Bach call for the use of the organ’s pedals to play the theme in long notes as the fugal counterpoint continues above.

The postlude today is by the celebrated African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941), currently professor of composition at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. In Hailstork’s Toccata on “Veni Emmanuel” one can hear fragments of the fifteenth-century Advent hymn “O come, O come Emmanuel,” based upon the “O” Antiphons, although the entire chant melody is never stated as such. The unusual meter of five beats to the bar gives the Toccata a curious off-balanced rhythmic energy, and the harmonic dissonances may reflect a world in chaos awaiting the birth of the Savior. —David Hurd

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . On three Sundays in January—January 12, 19, and 26—Father Jim Pace will lead the Adult Forum in a discussion of healing ministry, hospice ministry, and end-of-life care. Father Pace is the senior associate dean for academic programs at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, where he holds the rank of clinical professor . . . The Wednesday Night Bible Study Class is on its Christmas Break. The class will resume on January 8 at 6:30 PM in Saint Benedict’s Study.

COMING UP . . . Wednesday, January 1, 2020, The Holy Name of Jesus, Sung Mass 11:00 AM . . . Monday, January 6, The Epiphany, Sung Matins 8:30 AM, Noonday Prayer 12:10 PM, Sung Mass 12:10 PM, Organ Recital 5:30 PM, and Solemn Mass 6:00 PM . . . Sunday, January 12, The First Sunday after the Epiphany: the Baptism of Our Lord . . . Saturday, January 18, The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle, Mass 12:10 PM. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Begins.

LIFE IN TIMES SQUARE . . . At Saint Mary’s we understand the need for ritual and liturgy, so it’s always interesting to see the need for ritual emerging in odd and unexpected ways and places, especially in places where ritual is sometimes considered old-fashioned. As our friends over at the Times Square Alliance (TSQA) prepare to host the annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza on December 31, they are offering New Yorkers, and the many visitors who come to our neighborhood at this time of year, the chance to participate in two end-of-year rituals that constitute, it seems to me, a kind of examen, an examination of conscience, an assessment of one’s spiritual well-being, and one’s hopes for the future. The first “ritual” is Good Riddance Day. From the TSQA website, “Good Riddance Day is inspired by a Latin American tradition in which New Year’s revelers stuffed dolls with objects representing bad memories before setting them on fire. The annual event will take place on December 28, 2019, from 12:00–1:00 PM on the Broadway plaza between 45th and 46th streets. Join us in tossing, shredding, and smashing any unpleasant, embarrassing, and downright unwanted memories from the past year — be it an old remnant of your ex, the bill you finally finished paying off, old study guides for your most onerous class, or something else that you'll write down on one of our official Good Riddance Day forms to shred.” The second “ritual” involves the “NYC Wishing Wall.” TSQA says, “Your wishes will be added to the confetti that flutters down in the heart of Times Square on New Year's Eve! Each year, people from around the planet include their wishes for the new year on pieces of official Times Square New Year’s Eve confetti, either digitally or in person.” The Wishing Wall is open until December 29, 2019, 11:00 AM—8:00 PM, on the Times Square Place, Broadway between Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Streets.” (The Wall is not open on Christmas Day.) We have the rituals of Advent, of course, a season in which time—past, present, and future—is a central concern. The One who came among us so long ago now dwells with us as Risen Lord and will return one day in glory. How does this faith shape the way we view our regrets, our frustrations, our joys, and our hopes, both now and for the future? What prayer, what worship, what rituals do we need to put our regrets to rest so we can move into the future into which God is calling us? —JRS

AT THE GALLERIES . . . At the Frick Collection, 1 East Seventieth Street, Location: Living Hall, Saint Francis in the Desert (1476–78), by Giovanni Bellini (c. 1424/35–1516). From the museum website, “St. Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226), founder of the Franciscan order, is believed to have received the stigmata—the wounds of Christ’s Crucifixion—in 1224 during a retreat on Mount Alverna in the Apennines. It may be this event that Bellini evokes here through the naturalistic yet transcendental imagery of rays of light flooding the foreground from an unseen source at upper left. However, alternative explanations for the scene have been proposed. The wilderness—or desert—of Mount Alverna is compared in early Franciscan sources to the desert of the Book of Exodus, and Moses and Aaron were seen by the Franciscans as their spiritual ancestors, who were believed to have lived again in their founder. A parallel was seen between the saint’s stigmatization on Mount Alverna and Moses’ communion with God on Mount Horeb. The quivering tree at upper left, shining in the mysterious light, may then be intended to recall not only the Cross but also the burning bush of Moses’ vision at Horeb. The landscape of Bellini's desert is filled with marvelous details—animals, birds, persons, plants, objects such as the skull and sandals, and strange rock formations—that yielded hidden meanings for those who understood their importance in Franciscan literature. The water trickling from a spout in the stones at left, for example, is compared to the miraculous fountain Moses brought forth from the rocks at Horeb, and the empty sandals behind the barefoot saint recall God’s command to Moses to ‘put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’ It is perhaps this sense of significance in all things as well as the radiant light flowing over the landscape that imbues the painting with such magical appeal.”

Click here for the Calendar of the Week.

Click here for the schedule of services for December 2019 through December 2020.