FROM THE RECTOR: ANOTHER VIEW OF SAINT MARY’S

On Thursday morning, October 15, Parish Treasurer Clark Mitchell and I went with our architect Michael Devonshire and his team from Jan Hird Pokorny Associates and Marko Golubovic and Josip Mars from Milan Restoration to view the work in progress up close. We started by climbing out a window on the second floor of the parish house to the scaffolding that rises higher than the roof of the church. On the scaffolding, we looked first at the recently painted windows of the parish house and saw samples of cast stone for the architects to review. Cast stone will be used where needed. Then we began the climb.

At every level, we were shown evidence of the craftsmanship of the design and construction of the architects, Napoleon Le Brun & Sons. The late Nicholas Krasno (1952–2020), in his A Guide to the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin New York City (1999), credits Le Brun’s (1821–1901) elder son Pierre (1846–1924) with much of the design work. He wrote, “Pierre was more academically-minded that his father: his hand is evident in the many details at St. Mary’s that show an architect well-versed in the French gothic prototypes, although Napoleon's contribution to the overall design for St. Mary’s should not be underestimated” (page 15).

The most significant damage to the façade has been done by water. In some places, improper drainage is responsible for the deterioration of the mortar. Much more damage has been done by moisture leaking behind the limestone façade. Between the steel frame of the church, masons carefully set two rows of brick with mortar. Then, the limestone was put in place. Room was left for a less carefully placed brick and mortar wall between the, if you will, two-brick thick wall. The limestone blocks were connected to this wall with iron clamps row by row as they were set.

When moisture comes through leaks in the roof, it finds its way to these clamps. Michael remarked to us that the clamp then expands to seven times its original size. The rusting clamp is stronger than the stone. The stone spalls. We saw signs of this beginning in some stones. As part of the restoration, all known and discoverable rusting clamps will be replaced with stainless steel. We also learned that some stones show signs of seashell fossils. Neat.

I was surprised that the height did not seem to bother me. Many years ago, in Toronto, I went to the observation deck in the C.N. Tower (“Toronto Needle”) with the youth group from Trinity Church, Michigan City, Indiana. The deck is 1122 feet above the ground. One can choose to walk on glass-paneled floors there. I did not choose to do so. Last Thursday, I ascended and descended from the top level of scaffolding, I concentrated on placing my feet carefully each step of the way. I confess, I missed an opportunity to see, for the first time, the church attic, which can be accessed from the scaffolding by a small door, unseen from the street. (There’s another access point to the attic on the west side of the roof from the fire escape on the parish house's north side wall.)

The restoration project will not be finished before the onset of winter. We hope very much that the work will be completed by the fall. Here I want to mention the time and attention Board Members MaryJane Boland and Clark Mitchell, along with Office Manager Christopher Howatt, give to this project. I look forward to our weekly meetings with the architects and the restoration team (almost entirely via Zoom, of course). One learns a lot about other fields of work and knowledge.

I remain moved by the grace given for members and friends to be stewards of this church. As soon as this project is complete, I hope that we will commission another “Survey of Existing Conditions, Interior and Exterior.” Our building is not at all too far gone to survive. Its greatest enemy, interior and exterior, for the foreseeable future, remains rainfall. Of course, there are other needs. But water will find its way to the ground any way it can. Please keep your prayers and your support coming. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Carmen, Shalim, Ingrid, Paul, Margaret, Larry, James, Samantha, John, Randy, Wilbert, Daniel, Ginger, Tony, Marilouise, Ken, May, Willard, Alexandra, Takeem, and Abraham; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Nicholas and Victoria, religious; for Gaylord and Louis, priests; and Charles, bishop; for all those who work for the common good; for all the members and friends of this parish; for the repose of the souls of Brian Malloy and Riley Abdelnour . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . October 18: 1879 Otto Sundermeyer; 1899 Ann Wall; 1903 Maurice Pilgrim; 2003 Bernard Flannery.

COVID-19 INFORMATION & RESOURCES . . . We invite you to visit the COVID-19 page of the New York City Department of Health’s website . . . More information with a particular focus on the Times Square neighborhood can be found on the Times Square Alliance’s website.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2020 . . . Stewardship packets will be mailed on Tuesday, October 20. We urge you to prayerfully consider how you might commit your time, treasure, and talent to Saint Mary’s during the coming year. We hope that all who read this will be able to make Saint Mary’s a priority in their lives. Now more than ever we need the support of all our members and friends. Once you have received your stewardship packet, if you have questions, please contact Stewardship Committee members MaryJane Boland, Steven Heffner, or Marie Rosseels. We are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously.

ALL SOULS’ DAY & PARISH REQUIEM MASSES . . . Monday, November 2, is All Souls’ Day. Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 PM and will be livestreamed. Father Stephen Gerth is the preacher. Dr. David Hurd will play the service, and he will be joined by a quartet of singers from the Choir of Saint Mary’s. On the weekdays following, we will celebrate the annual parish Requiem Masses, at which the first names of those for whom prayers have been requested will be read during the Prayers of the People, Prayers will be offered according to the following schedule, by the last name of the person making the intention, (e.g., the names provided by Ms. Adams will be read at Mass on November 3; the names provided by Mr. Zabriskie will be read on November 7). Please note: this year, only one Mass will be celebrated at each day, at 12:10 PM.

Tuesday, November 3              Last names A–F

Wednesday, November 4         Last names G–L

Thursday, November 5            Last names M–R

Friday, November 6                 Last names S–V

Saturday, November 7             Last names W–Z

Forms for submitting these names will be arriving in mailboxes by the end of the coming week. We will also have copies of the forms on the ushers table on Sunday morning. Please give the form to an usher or place it in the collection basket at the head of the main aisle. A free-will offering is customary at All Souls’ Day.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . We are always happy to receive donations for our Clothing Ministry especially socks, packages of underwear in various sizes for both men and women, jeans, gently used sneakers, sweaters, blankets and jackets. Please mail to Clothing Ministry, Saint Mary the Virgin, 145 West Forty-Sixth Street, New York, NY 10036. We also welcome cash donations. If you would like to make such a donation, you may do so by following this link. When making a donation, please make sure to indicate that the donation is for the Clothing Ministry . . . Zachary Roesemann, Saint Mary’s resident iconographer, recently completed an icon of Saint Luke in his studio in the Mission House. The icon was commissioned for the Church of Saint Luke, Battersea, in the diocese of Southwark. Battersea is a district of southwest London, England, within the London borough of Wandsworth. On Sunday, October 18, the parish is keeping the feast of Saint Luke, its patronal feast. The bishop of Southwark will be making his visitation that day, and the icon will be blessed before it is placed in its final home, a chapel near the high altar. Please keep Zach and his work in your prayers . . . Brother Damien Joseph SSF will be away from the parish on vacation, visiting with family, until Saturday, October 24. He will be with us for Mass on Sunday, October 25.

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

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, October 18, The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24), Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The preacher is the Reverend James Ross Smith. The cantor is Charlotte Mundy. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd . . . Monday, October 19, Saint Luke the Evangelist (transferred), Mass 12:10 PM . . . Friday, October 23, Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Martyr, c. 62, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Monday through Saturday, the church opens at 11:00 AM and closes at 2:00 PM. Mass is celebrated daily at 12:10 PM. Please see the Calendar of the Week below, and on the website, for this week’s commemorations.

FROM THE FRIARY . . . The brothers are now live-streaming their Evening Prayer service each Thursday evening. They will go live at 5:50 PM Eastern time, and the office will begin at 6:00 PM. One can get notifications about when the service will go live by liking their Facebook pages @ssfamericas and @timessquarefriars. To access these services or any of the brothers’ other live feeds, one should use this link.

NEWS FROM TIMES SQUARE . . . From the website of the Times Square Alliance: Last week, the Broadway League announced that Broadway productions will remain dark until at least May 30, 2021. The exact reopening dates for Broadway shows will be determined on a show-by-show basis, the League said. The extension of the Broadway shutdown presents an obstacle for Times Square businesses that rely in part on both locals and tourists who are drawn to the Theater District.

Just as the show must go on, though, Times Square businesses are powering through the tough times, and their work has been noticed by the city’s press. NY1 recently interviewed Nick Verses, whose Restaurant Row joint Bar Dough is drawing new residential crowds and weatherproofing their outdoor dining in anticipation of cooler autumn temperatures. And today's reopening of Joe Allen's, another Restaurant Row institution that's a favorite among the Broadway community, has drawn coverage from outlets across the city. To further support our neighborhood restaurants during the pandemic, the Times Square Alliance is proud to present the Taste of Times Square Week, which will run next week from October 23rd to 30th. Participating restaurants throughout the district will offer three-course prix fixe menus at $35 (plus tax and gratuity) for all available dining options: takeout, delivery, and indoor & outdoor dining.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . We invite you to join us for the beginning of a new season of adult-education classes at Saint Mary’s during the month of October. On 18 and 25, at 9:30 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall, Grace Mudd will present a series of classes entitled “Living in a Time of Plague.” Grace writes, “Since COVID-19 triggered massive changes to our ordinary way of life in March, historical plagues have piqued the interest of many people who may only have heard of the Black Death in passing before. The Black Death of 1347–1351 killed about a third of the population of Europe, triggering profound changes in European society. During the month of October, I will lead a class exploring how this (and other historical plagues) influenced religious and secular society and culture and how these changes point toward later developments that may be more familiar. Some parallels like quack cures and scapegoating will feel very familiar, but others like shifts in popular culture and social structures may not.” This class may be attended in person or via Zoom. If you would like to attend the class via Zoom, please contact Grace by e-mail.

Please note: the class “Living in Times of Plague”, and all the adult-education classes this year, begin at 9:30 AM NOT 10:00 AM.

Next up: On November 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, and December 6 and 13, Father Peter Powell will lead a class on the final book in the Christian Bible, the Revelation to John. Father Peter writes, “Episcopalians rarely study or refer to the last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse or the Revelation to John. It’s not a simple read and the images are fantastic. Nevertheless, it exerts a huge impact on the way Christianity is understood in our culture. It underlies the popular understanding of how God works in the world. This Fall, beginning on All Saints’ Day and continuing until the second Sunday in December, then resuming in the spring during Lent, we will explore how we can understand and appreciate the Apocalypse, while weighing its theology against that of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles. As we work through the text, we will encounter the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Michael and the Dragon, the concept of God keeping an accounting of our misdeeds, Armageddon, the Crystal Sea, and much more. We will also see how the imagery of the Apocalypse fueled the contest for faith during the Reformation. You can get a feel for that by searching online for the woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer. Ever wonder why 666 is an evil number? We will encounter it in Revelation. When a Jehovah Witness visits you, why do they speak of 144,000 saved? We will encounter it in Revelation. This promises to be a visually and intellectually stimulating study of the last book of the Bible.”

For all these classes, seating in Saint Joseph’s Hall will be arranged to maximize social-distancing. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide refreshments. All those attending the class must wear a face covering.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The organ prelude on Sunday morning, October 18, is a setting of the chorale Wir glauben all an einen Gott, Vater (“We all believe in one God, Father”), by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). It is based upon Tobias Clausnitzer’s German metrical creed of 1668, not to be confused with Martin Luther’s more widely known Wir glauben all an einen Gott, Schöpfer (“We all believe in one God, Creator”), the modal melody of which is set elsewhere in the organ works of Bach. The present setting, catalogued as BWV 740, is in five voices, two of which are played on the pedals. Bach presents the chorale melody one phrase at a time with the upper pedal voice anticipating its eventual arrival in the soprano register. In other compositions Bach sets the creed in strong and angular music. Here he presents it gently in a placid tone of confident reverence.

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Mass VIII 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 VIII (In Festis Duplicibus, 5 (also known as De Angelis) 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 was traditionally sung on certain feast days in the Roman calendar. The Gloria of Mass VIII, in Mode 5, dates from the sixteenth century. The Sanctus and Agnus Dei are both in Mode 6 and date from the twelfth and fifteenth century respectively.

Sunday’s cantor is soprano, Charlotte Mundy. Her musical offering during the Communion will be Sing ye a joyful song (Opus 99/10) by Antonín Dvořák (1841–1901). In March 1894, while he was living in New York City, Dvořák composed a cycle of ten Biblical Songs, Opus 99, of which Sing ye a joyful song is the last. The text is drawn from Psalms 96 and 98. Dvořák’s Biblical Songs were first published in Czech with English and German translations in 1895. Scored originally quite simply for piano and voice, Dvořák orchestrated only the first five of the songs in a manuscript which was published posthumously in 1914 by Simrock Verlag, the publisher of the original 1895 edition. The conductor Vilem Zemanek was the first, in 1914, to orchestrate the last five of the Dvořák songs. Despite a profusion of arrangements which have been created subsequently, Dvořák’s Biblical Songs, in their original form, are notable for their simplicity of means and effectiveness of expression. They are often performed as a cycle or in select groupings.

Some words about our cantor: Soprano Charlotte Mundy specializes in music that is new, daring, and sublime. She has been called a “daredevil with an unbreakable spine” (SF Classical Voice). Recent performances include George Benjamin’s one-act opera Into the Little Hill at the 92nd Street Y and a set of music for voice and electronics presented by New York Festival of Song, described as “an oasis of radiant beauty” by the New York Times. Charlotte acted and sang in A Star Has Burnt My Eye at the BAM Next Wave Festival and The Apartment at Abrons Arts Center. In fall 2020, Mundy will develop her surround sound/light/wind/smell installation, Light as a Feather, as a resident artist at the Harvestworks house on Governor's Island. The multi-sensory ritual of Mass at “Smoky Mary’s” is a constant inspiration to her. Learn more at charlottemundy.com. —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 7:00 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.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Sunday, November 1, 2:00 AM, Daylight Saving Time ends. Clocks are set back one hour . . . Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day, Said Mass with Organ and Cantor, 11:00 AM. This service will be livestreamed . . . Monday, November 2, All Souls’ Day, 12:10 PM, Said Mass with Organ, Cantor, and Blessing of the Vault, 12:10 PM. This Mass will be livestreamed . . . Saturday, November 7, 244th Convention of the Diocese of New York . . . Sunday, November 22, Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King & Commitment Sunday, Mass 11:00 AM . . . Thursday, November 26, Thanksgiving Day, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Sunday, November 29, First Sunday of Advent, Mass 11:00 AM.

SOME GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDING SERVICES AT SAINT MARY’S

We are now open for public worship. In order to ensure the health and safety of all, we have instituted the following procedures and guidelines:

-The 47th Street Doors, though open for ventilation, won’t be used for entry into the church. Entry is only via 46th Street. Exit only through the most western 46th Street door (near the former gift shop).

-The Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy and Saint Joseph’s Chapel are closed. The Lady Chapel is open, but all chairs, kneelers, candles, hymnals, and Prayer Books have been removed.

-Facemasks must be worn in the church at all times, except when consuming Communion. Masks should cover both mouth and nose.

-Hands-free sanitizer dispensers are available by the doors and at the head of the center aisle, where Communion will take place.

 -The city, state, and diocese of New York encourages all those attending services to sign a registry and to provide one means of contact. This will be used only if it emerges that an infected person has been in attendance at a particular service and contact tracing is required.

-Everyone must maintain safe distancing (at least 6 feet apart).

-Pews have been marked with blue tape to indicate where seating is allowed.

-Only 44 people will be allowed in the nave at any time (this includes 6 couples or pairs—people who live together—who may sit together).

-All cushions have been removed from the pews. All prayer books and hymnals have been removed from the church. Service bulletins will be provided, but will be removed from the church after each service.

-Electric fans have been removed from the nave of the church. There will be no hand-held fans available at the door.

-A basket has been placed at the head of the main aisle, where pledge envelopes and other donations may be safely placed. There will be no collection taken by ushers.

-Communion (wafers only) will be administered at the foot of the chancel steps. Gluten-free hosts are available. Please inform an usher or a member of the clergy.

-All communicants must proceed down the main aisle, maintain social distance as indicated by the decals on the floor, and return to their seats via the side aisles.

-Restrooms will be available only to those who are attending the service.

If you have questions or wish to make a suggestion, please contact the rector. 

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Stephen Gerth and Father Jay Smith. Father Gerth is responsible for posting the newsletter on the parish website and for distributing it via e-mail.

The Calendar of the Week