FROM THE RECTOR: 150TH PATRONAL FEAST

On Monday, December 9, 2019, we will celebrate the 150th patronal feast, the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (transferred), of the Society of the Free Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Morning Prayer will be sung at 8:30 AM. The Noonday Office will be prayed at 12:00 PM and a Sung Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 PM. There will be an organ recital at 5:30 PM by Ms. Janet Yieh, Trinity Church, New York City. The Right Reverend Andrew M.L. Dietsche, the bishop of New York, will be celebrant and preacher for the Solemn Mass at 6:00 PM. A reception in Saint Joseph’s Hall follows the Eucharist.

In the rectory there are service music records dating back to 1880. The service music lists, which vary in size and color, over the years, were pasted on paper that is now very brittle. The first volume is so fragile that I rarely handle it. I made an exception to look at the bulletin for the “Opening Services 25th Anniversary, Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sunday, December 8th 1895 and Octave.” I realized that the pages were loose. Very carefully, I put them on the copier in the rectory study. I did not press down to make the images clear—the pages are just too fragile. (Here is a link to a PDF.) That said, I think you can read copies and recognize the shape of what would have been glorious worship. The church was overflowing with congregation and clergy.

Newbury Frost Read (1887–1950) in his book The Story of St. Mary’s (1930) quoted many newspaper accounts of the opening of the new church. One from The Herald, Salt Lake City, Utah, began with these words, “The new Church of St. Mary the Virgin was opened today with all the pomp and splendor that can attend such an affair. The edifice is occupied by the ritualistic Episcopalians who have at their head in this city the Rev. Mr. [Thomas] McKee Brown.” From the various newspaper accounts we learn that the service began at 10:30 or 10:45 AM and did not finish until 2:00 PM. We also learn that three Masses were celebrated in the morning so that people could receive Communion—Communion would have been received only by the celebrant, Father Brown, who would not have eaten any food since midnight. (This practice would continue until the spring of 1964, when Father Donald Garfield became rector.) On Thursday, December 12, 1895, the church was consecrated by the Right Reverend Henry Codman Potter (1834–1908, bishop of New York from 1887–1908), was who celebrant for the Holy Communion.

I was delighted to read that the first sermon preached was by the Reverend Arthur Ritchie (1849–1921), rector of the Church of St. Ignatius of Antioch, New York City (1884–1914). He took as his text the Summary of the Law, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36–40). Worship for God and concern for our neighbor remains the heart and soul of the Catholic movement within Anglicanism. We have much to celebrate this year. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Lennon Rae, Brady, Victor, Margaret, Murray, Pearl, Barbara, Guy, William, Gloria, Samuel, Mel, Richard, Nathan, Carlos, Ken, Denis, May, Willard, Alexandra, Karen, Marilouise, Takeem, Donald, Shalim, Philippe, Nam, John, Michael, Rita, Ivy, José, Ross, and Burton; 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 Kathleen Schultz . . . GRANT THEM PEACE: December 8: 1892 Catherine Amelia Birdsall; 1907 Joseph McDowell; 1913 Margaret Dunbar; 1924 Clara Hilda Cross; 1946 Emma Widmayer; 1956 George S. Wallace; 1958 Pearl K. Roberts.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE . . . Kathleen Schultz, the sister of parishioner John Schultz, died on Tuesday, November 26. Her ashes will be interred in the columbarium at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine later this month. Please keep Kathleen; John; his husband, Phil Burgess; their family and friends; and all who mourn in your prayers.

THE ORDINARY FRIDAYS OF THE YEAR are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial in commemoration of the Lord’s crucifixion.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2019–2020 . . . Our stewardship campaign is well underway, and many pledge cards have arrived in the mail. As of December 4, we have received $251,811 in pledges from 63 households, 59.2% 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.

NEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST . . . On December 4, 2019, Sr. Monica Clare, C.S.J.B., was elected superior of her religious community. I know many will join me in wishing her and her sisters the very best in the years to come. I know I am not alone in missing Sr. Deborah Francis, Sr. Laura Katherine, and Sr. Monica Clare. I know I am not alone in being deeply thankful for their time, their witness, their ministry among us, and their joy. I look forward to the relationships that will continue between our parish and their community. —S.G.

OUTREACH AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The Clothing Ministry’s next Drop-in Day will take place on Wednesday, December 11, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, in the Mission House basement. On those Wednesdays when a Drop-in Day does not take place, we continue to offer our Grab-and-Go days—from 2:00 to 3:00 PM—in the former Gift Shop, just off the church Narthex. On those days, basic, even emergency, items can normally be provided—socks, underwear, toiletry articles, and, in the winter months, cold-weather clothing. 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 cooler weather clothing: gently used jackets, coats and sweatshirts of varying weights, jeans, slacks and sweatpants. We always need new socks and underwear in various sizes. Our number of guests continues to grow, and we are always grateful for your financial contributions to this project. We can also use a few more volunteers for our once per month drop-in days . . . 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

AROUND THE PARISH . . . If you are interested in helping the Flower Guild decorate the church for Christmas, please speak to Brendon Hunter . . . Flowers are needed for many Sundays in January and February. 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 at Christmas are always welcome . . . December 9 is the 30th anniversary of Father Jay Smith’s ordination to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine . . . Attendance at all Offices and Masses: Thanksgiving Day 49; Last Sunday 172.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, December 8, The Second Sunday of Advent, Sung Matins 8:30 AM; Mass 9:00 & 10:00 AM; Adult Forum 10:00 AM; Solemn Mass 11:00 AM, Solemn Evensong and Benediction 5:00 PM . . . Monday, December 9, Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (transferred), Sung Matins 8:30 AM, Noonday Prayer 12:00 PM, Sung Mass 12:10 PM, Organ Recital 5:30 PM, Solemn Mass & Confirmation 6:00 PM, Reception in Saint Joseph’s Hall 7:20 PM . . . Wednesday, December 11, Sung Mass 12:10 PM; Wednesday Night Bible Study Class 6:30 PM, Saint Benedict’s Study . . . Thursday, December 12 The Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, 1895, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Friday, December 13, Centering Prayer Group meets at 6:30 PM in the Morning Room, Parish House, 145 West Forty-sixth Street

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . The Adult Forum with Father Peter Powell will meet at 10:00 AM on Sunday morning December 8 in Saint Benedict’s Study, in the Parish House . . . The Wednesday Night Bible Study Class, led by Father Jay Smith, is studying the forms of prayer in the Hebrew Bible, while exploring the ways in which we ourselves pray, asking ourselves: what does it mean to complain, lament, seek, inquire, meditate, intercede, praise, or give thanks. After an introduction to the topic, the class will study and read closely one or two biblical texts each week. The class meets next on December 11 at 6:30 PM. The class takes place in Saint Benedict’s Study in the Parish House . . . 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.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 . . . The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is the Missa in contrapuncto a 4 vocibus by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (c. 1656–1746). Fischer was recognized in his day as one of the finest German composers of keyboard music. He was strongly influenced by the French composer Jean Baptiste Lully, with whom he may have studied, and he conveyed French influences to the Italian-influenced German music of his time. J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel were the two most notable musicians who knew and were influenced by Fischer’s work. Unfortunately, the record of Fischer’s life and career seems best documented in writings devoted to others and which only mention him in passing. Two collections of Fischer’s sacred music were published in his lifetime, one in 1701 and the other in 1711. His Mass for four voices begins with a fugal Kyrie which references the opening phrase of the chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (“Come now, Savior of the Gentiles”) and is therefore particularly appropriate for Advent. While evidencing aspects of the stile antico, this Mass also clearly embraces German baroque style.

The motet Canite Tuba by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594) will be sung during the ministration of Communion on Sunday morning. This classic Advent motet “sounds the trumpet” thrillingly in five-voice chorus with two soprano parts. The motet begins with the three interior voices, to which soon are added the outer two. Palestrina alternates moments of full choir with trio passages featuring the upper three or lower three voices, almost giving the effect of a double choir. The text is the first antiphon at Lauds and Vespers for Advent IV and is derived from Joel 2:1 and Isaiah 40:4.

Georg Böhm (1661–1733) is remembered primarily as organist of the Johanniskirche in Lüneburg from 1698 until his death. A student of Johann Adam Reincken (1623–1722), Böhm is almost certain to have crossed paths with the young Sebastian Bach during the latter’s stay in Lüneburg. Böhm’s partita Freu dich sehr, O meine Seele is a set of twelve variations built upon the melody for Psalm 42 from the 1551 Genevan Psalter, a tune which has been attributed both to Louis Bourgeois and to Claude Goudimel in various sources. By the time Böhm wrote his partita, this melody had been harmonized in many ways, adopted by the Germans, put into equal note values, and paired with various different texts. Many know this melody today as it is found in The Hymnal 1982 at #67 with Catherine Winkworth’s translation of Johann Olearius’ paraphrase of Isaiah 40:1-5, a portion of scripture often read in the Advent season. The organ Prelude on Sunday morning will be Variations 1, 2 & 12 from Böhm’s Partita on this hymn melody, commonly referred to as Psalm 42. Variation 11 will be played as the Postlude. 

AT THE PATRONAL FEAST, MONDAY, DECEMBER 9 . . . The setting of the Mass on Monday evening is Missa Ave Maria by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Palestrina, like J. S. Bach (1685–1750) at a later time, is a composer who is often regarded today more as source and inspiration for what came later than as the product of already established musical practice. However, it may be said that Palestrina stood on foundations that had largely been laid by the Netherlandish composers Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474) and Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521). Palestrina is responsible for setting the canons for Renaissance polyphony and the standard for Catholic liturgical music that pertains to this day. Among his hundreds of compositions are 105 Masses, most of which were published in thirteen volumes between 1554 and 1601. His Missa Ave Maria for four voices was published posthumously by his son Iginio in the Missae Quinque, liber septimus of 1594. The distinctive shape of the Ave Maria chant appears very clearly throughout the Mass.

The motet sung during the administration of Communion on Monday evening is a setting of Ave Maria for five voices by Robert Parsons (c. 1530–1572). Parsons composed sacred music of distinction both in Latin and in English, as well as secular vocal and instrumental consort music. He was appointed to the Chapel Royal in 1567. Little else about Parsons is known with certainty beyond the legacy of his compositions and the fact that he died of drowning in the Trent at a young age, reputedly at the height of his powers. Ave Maria is one of the most often prayed—and set to music—of all Christian devotions. Parsons’ setting for five voices is harmonically rich and exudes a sublimely serene prayerfulness. —David Hurd

LATER THIS MONTH . . . Monday, December 16, The O Antiphons Begin . . . Saturday, December 21, Saint Thomas the Apostle, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Tuesday, December 24, Christmas Eve, Music for Choir and Congregation 4:30 PM, Sung Mass 5:00 PM; Music for Choir and Congregation 10:30 PM, Solemn Mass 11:00 PM . . . Wednesday, December 25, Christmas Day, Solemn Mass 11:00 AM . . . Thursday, December 26, Saint Stephen, Deacon & Martyr, Mass 12:10 PM.

IN THE GALLERIES . . . Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche, at The Met Fifth Avenue, until January 7, 2020. The Met continues a longstanding holiday tradition with the presentation of its Christmas tree, a favorite of both New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. The magnificently lit, twenty-foot blue spruce looms over a vivid eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity scene, enshrined in an abundant array of lifelike figures with silk-robed angels hovering above. The scene describes in detail the Mediterranean harbor town's multicultural society. The installation is set in front of the eighteenth-century Spanish choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall. Recorded Christmas music adds to the enjoyment of the holiday display.

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