VOLUME 22, NUMBER 5

DECEMBER 29, 2019

FROM THE RECTOR: MERRY CHRISTMAS

Let me begin by expressing the great happiness I felt on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, my twenty-first Christmas at Saint Mary’s. Let me add my great thanks for everyone and everything that made it such a special time for so many. There were lots of smiles. I met faithful people from all over who were amazed by our building, our worship, and our music. During the services I found myself thinking of members and friends of Saint Mary’s who live elsewhere but whose commitment to this parish is strong. I also found myself thinking of people who welcomed me to Saint Mary’s and who are now in the nearer presence of God—I felt relationship and peace, but not loss.

There is nothing unfamiliar about the services here on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day This familiarity in worship often helps me to feel not lost, but to sense that I am one with the words that I am singing, praying, or listening to. The words of Christmas Scripture and Christmas hymns have been in my head and heart for a long time. I think they continue to shape how I experience the world that I know and my faith in the world to come.

My brother and his family were here the weekend before Christmas. It was the first time their children had been here for a Solemn Mass. At some point over the weekend, I asked my brother if he remembered seeing A Charlie Brown Christmas when it first came out in 1965. I was eleven, our sister eight, and my brother six. He didn’t, but I remember the three of us sitting in front of the television on the floor together. Seeing the program several times over the years has helped me remember the words Linus spoke after reciting the Annunciation to the Shepherds, Luke 2:8–14. He said, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” I’ve read that the program was structured in such a way that the words from Luke couldn’t be cut—hard to believe there was a so-called “War against Christmas” back then, but Charles Schultz thought there was.

As far as I can remember, there is only Old Testament lesson that I avoid reading in worship, the first lesson at the Eucharist on Christmas Eve, Isaiah 9:2–4, 6–7. It’s impossible for me to get all the way to the end without emotion. (In the New Testament there are two, The Healing of the Man Born Blind [John 9:1–38] and the Raising of Lazarus [John11:1–44]—and even chanting at the high Mass doesn’t help me make it straight to the end.) With great respect for Judaism, for me all three lessons are about Jesus loving us. Believing that Jesus Christ loved me, helped me break out of the only really serious bout of depression I’ve ever had in my life. I was 23. That spiritual conviction remains at the center of my life.

This Sunday, the appointed gospel lesson is a repeat of Christmas Day. It’s been a while since I preached on John 1:1–18. In earlier Prayer Books, we heard the Annunciation and Birth of Jesus from Matthew (1:18–25) on the First Sunday after Christmas Day—with respect, I think that’s where this lesson should still be. But there’s nothing wrong with John. I’m pretty sure Joseph and Mary approve of both. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. —Stephen Gerth

2020 PARISH CALENDARS ARE IN THE MAIL . . . We are mailing copies to those who are supporting the parish through their monetary gifts in 2019 and pledges for 2020. As we go to press, on Friday afternoon, December 27, they are in the mail. And please, let us know if you don't receive your copy! —S. G.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Harka, Stephanie, Sharon, Charlie, Renée, Gretchen, Luis, John, Mary, Alice, Dale, Margaret, Murray, William, Gloria, Mel, Richard, Carlos, Ken, May, Willard, Alexandra, Karen, Marilouise, Takeem, Michael, Rita, Ivy, Pearl, Barbara, and Burton; Damien, religious, and Horace, Gene, Gaylord, Louis, and Edgar, priests; the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Edward; and all the benefactors and friends of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE: December 29: 1912 Josiah Millspaugh; 1949 John Joseph Gordon.

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.

A SPECIAL SCHEDULE FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE ON TUESDAY . . . The church will open at 7:00 AM on Tuesday, December 31. Morning Prayer will be said in the church at 8:30 AM. The noonday services will be offered, but the church always closes early on New Year’s Eve because of the celebrations of the New Year in Times Square. This year we will close the building immediately after the noon Mass, around 1:00 PM, since security barriers and procedures were in place by that time last year. A Sung Mass at 11:00 AM will be celebrated on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2019, The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The members of the staff and I wish you all a safe and joyous New Year, filled with many blessings. —S.G.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR PLEDGE CARD! . . . We encourage all friends and member of the parish to return their pledge cards as soon as possible so that the Budget Committee may begin their work, planning for 2020. Our needs are urgent. Our mission is clear. We welcome your support, and we are grateful to all those who have supported Saint Mary’s so generously in the past and during the current stewardship campaign . . . 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.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . As Advent comes to an end, life gets busier than usual here at the parish because there is much to do to prepare for Christmas. The parish clergy are thankful to all those who worked so hard, and with such enthusiasm and care, to decorate the church, get ready for the liturgies of Christmas, to assist at those liturgies, and to welcome the many visitors who came to worship and share fellowship with us this past week. It is all done for God’s greater glory, but our many parish volunteers, the members of the staff, our assisting priests and their spouses, and all who pitched in and helped also deserve our gratitude, much praise, and, yes, a bit of glory, too. Thank you! . . . Parishioner Stephanie Felshin fell this past week while walking with her son, parishioner Ricardo Miranda,  near Rockefeller Center. She is now at home recuperating from a fracture. Please keep her in your prayers . . . 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 190; Christmas 565.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, December 29, The First Sunday after Christmas Day, 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  . . . Tuesday, December 31, Weekday in Christmastide (Commemoration of John Wyclif), Morning Prayer 8:30 AM, Noonday Prayer 12:00 PM. The church closes immediately after the noon services have ended  . . . Wednesday, January 1, The Holy Name of Jesus, Sung Mass 11:00 AM . . . Friday, January 3, Centering Prayer Group meets at 6:30 PM in the Morning Room, Parish House, 145 West 46th Street . . . Sunday, January 5, The Second Sunday after Christmas Day, Sung Matins 8:30 AM; Mass 9:00 & 10:00 AM; Solemn Mass 11:00 AM . . . Sunday, January 5, The Eve of the Epiphany, Solemn Evensong and Benediction 5:00 PM . . . Monday, January 6, The Epiphany, Sung Matins 8:30 AM, Noonday Prayer 12:00 PM, Sung Mass 12:10 PM, Organ Recital 5:30 PM, Solemn Mass 6:00 PM.

OUTREACH AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The Wednesday Grab-and-Go will not take place 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 29 . . . The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is the four-voice Missa secunda of Hans Leo Hassler. 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. Often Hassler 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.

Michael Praetorius (1571–1621) was the leading German composer and writer on music theory and practice in his day. His Syntagma Musicum, though unfinished, provides a detailed picture of instrumental and vocal musical performance in sixteenth-century Germany. His massive compositional output included the nine-volume Musae Sioniae, a collection of approximately twelve hundred chorale and song arrangements. A composer of giant poly-choral works, he is also known for works of relative simplicity such as the harmonization of Es ist ein Ros which is a staple of music in the Christmas season. Likewise, Praetorius’s dance-like adaptation of the thirteenth-century processional Puer natus has become a Christmas standard.

The organ prelude on Sunday morning is a setting of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897). Brahms is generally considered one of the pillars of the Western musical art. He is the most recent of the proverbial “Three Bs” (the other two being J. S. Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven) after a comment attributed to the conductor Hans von Bülow (1830–1894). While organ music permeates the record of J. S. Bach’s creative output, Beethoven is survived by no significant works for the organ. Brahms’s relatively small number of organ compositions came late in his life and were only posthumously published. Perhaps the seeds had been sown in his childhood, a result of having been born into a Lutheran family. The eleven chorale preludes of Brahms’ Opus 122 are relatively modest by comparison to his masterworks for piano and his orchestral works, yet they are expressive and perhaps intensely personal pieces. The well-known Christmas chorale Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (“Lo, how a rose e’er blooming”) appears in The Hymnal 1982 at #81 with its classic Michael Praetorius harmonization. Brahms’s prelude on this chorale avoids stating the chorale literally, but gently weaves a distinctive musical envelop around its essential form.

The postlude is the setting from J. S. Bach’s Orgelbüchlein (“Little Organ Book”) of another Christmas chorale, In dir ist Freude (“In you is joy”), BWV 615. The chorale melody is stated in the midst of energetic accompanying scales and passage work on the keyboard. The pedals punctuate this activity with a recurring motive and, occasionally, bits of the melody. —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 . . . Sunday, January 12, The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. . . Saturday, January 18, The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle, Mass 12:10 PM. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Begins . . . Saturday, January 25, The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Sunday, February 2, The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.

AT THE GALLERIES . . . At the Metropolitan Museum Fifth Avenue, Eighty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, Gallery 644, The Adoration of the Magi (possibly c. 1320), by Giotto di Bondone (1266–1377). An image of the painting and the following analysis may be found on the museum’s website, “This picture—at once austere and tender—belongs to a series of seven showing the life of Christ. The masterly depiction of the stable, which is viewed from slightly below, and the columnar solidity of the figures are typical of Giotto, the founder of European painting. The impetuous action of the kneeling king, who picks up the Christ Child, and Mary’s expression of concern translate the Biblical account into deeply human terms. As the sculptor Ghiberti declared (c. 1450): “[Giotto] made [art] natural and gave it gentleness.”

Click here for the Calendar of the Week.

Click here for the Schedule of Services through December 31, 2020.