FROM THE RECTOR: SESQUICENTENNIAL MASS

Newbury Frost Read (1887–1950) in The Story of St. Mary’s: The Society of the Free Church of St. Mary the Virgin New York City 1868–1931 (1931) quoted a newspaper account of the opening service of our parish: “On the Patronal Festival, Thursday, Eight December 1870, the Church was opened, and was dedicated by the Right Reverend Horatio Southgate, sometime Bishop of Constantinople” (page 26). On July 23, 1892, Sara Louie Cooke died. She had made St. Mary’s “her residuary legatee” (page 59). It was this legacy that enabled the purchase of the land and the building of our second church home. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on December 4, 1894. The new church opened one year later, on Sunday, December 8, 1895.

From The Arrow (the first newsletter of Saint Mary’s), December 1895: “The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Services, on the 8th, the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Second Sunday in Advent), will begin with the 7 o'clock Mass in the new Church. The Children's High Mass, as usual. at 9 o'clock. Solemn High Mass at 10:45. Solemn Vespers at 4 pm. The same services on the Octave. Holy Communion at 7:30 and 9. The Bishop of New York will consecrate the Church on Thursday morning, the twelfth, at 10:30 a.m” (page 3).

On December 8, 1895, the new church, chapels, and, with the tambour doors open, Saint Joseph’s Hall were filled with people. Of course, we were planning for a very different celebration than the one we will have in this year of grace. I hope that on December 8, 2021, we will be able to have a significant celebration of the heritage and the present ministries of this parish community.

We live and worship in the time of a pandemic that will be with us for many months to come. As I write on Saturday morning, December 5, I hope that the greater part of Manhattan and significant areas of three of the other boroughs, the exception being Staten Island, will continue to have large areas not in a yellow or orange zone. Things could be very different by the end of the week.

Last Sunday, with Board Member Grace Mudd’s leadership, we introduced QR and URL codes at the sign-in table. If you have a smartphone, you can use it. It’s very simple. We will continue to be vigilant about the need for safety for all who enter to pray, rest, and worship.

On Friday, Board Member Marie Rosseels and Sexton Harka Gurung made a new seating plan for the pews in the nave of the church. Pews that will be unoccupied have been closed with black and red masking tape. Open pews are marked with blue and white tape. On the gospel (pulpit) side of the nave, people will sit to the left of the blue and white mark, on the epistle side (with the monument to Father Brown), to the right.

When registration for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services opens on Wednesday, December 16, the order in which reservations are received and the number of persons of the same household sitting together, will be used to determine where people will be seated. Instructions will come with next week’s Angelus.

I spoke with Father Jay Smith this morning. He and his husband, José Vidal, are continuing to improve. Br. Desmond Alban was upbeat about his recovery as well. Please keep them in your prayers. I remain very thankful for the care they have received and the care they themselves have taken to promote their healing.

Saint Mary’s began in the wake of the Oxford Movement that became the Anglo-Catholic Revival. The Eucharist has always been at the heart of our common life. I look forward to many things as the pandemic recedes. Most of all, I look forward to the time when we will be able again to do as Jesus and his disciples did, eat from the same loaf and drink from the same cup at the Lord’s Holy Table. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Bradley who is gravely ill; for Luis, Robert, Bradley, Brady, Barbara, Matt, Nan, Renate, Carmen, Shalim, Quincy, Michael, Brice, Margaret, Evan, John, Marilouise, José, and Dennis; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Desmond, Leo, Barbara Jean, Robert Hugh, Nicholas, and Rafael, religious, for Matthew, Jay, 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; and for the repose of the soul of Scott van Meter . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . December 6: 1876 Mary Esther Weston; 1947 Minnie Simonson; 1961 Katherine W. Ann Collins.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2021 . . . Our stewardship campaign is well underway, and we are receiving pledge cards each day here at the parish. Some statistics may be helpful. We mailed packets to 117 households that pledged last year; to 47 households that did not pledge last year, but did pledge at some point during the previous four years households; and to 698 households that have expressed an interest in supporting the parish in the past. Our goal for the campaign is $400,000. We encourage all the friends and members of the parish to return their pledge cards before Christmas. 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, especially in these days of the pandemic. Our mission is clear. We invite your support.

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, December 6, The Second Sunday of Advent: Adult Education 9:30 AM; Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The preacher is the Reverend Dr. Matthew Daniel Jacobson. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Charlotte Mundy, soprano. This service is live-streamed. Sunday, December 6, The Second Sunday of Advent: Adult Education 9:30 AM; Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The celebrant and preacher is the Reverend Dr. Matthew Daniel Jacobson. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Charlotte Mundy, soprano. This service is live-streamed . . . Tuesday, December 8, The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Rector will be celebrant and preacher. Dr. David Hurd will play the service. A quart from the choir will sing. This service will also be live-streamed . . . Saturday, December 12, The Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church, 1895. The Right Reverend Henry Dodman Potter, VII Bishop of New York (1887–1908) officiated.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . It brings us great happiness to be able to open our doors again for public worship, on weekdays as well as on Sundays. The surge of infections in our city and around the country is concerning. We have committed ourselves to redoubling our efforts to keep every member of the community safe and healthy. If you are sick If you are at all unwell, do not come to church. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your primary-care physician and get tested. If you have a fever of 103.5, which is not being handled by an analgesic, and/or you are having difficulty breathing (by difficulty we mean you must stop talking in order to focus on your breathing), go to an emergency room immediately . . . A Reminder about the Parish Office: Our office manager, Chris Howatt, continues to work only three days per week, normally Tuesday–Thursday. You may always leave a message for him on the office’s voicemail (212-869-5830 x 10).

NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS COVID-19 TESTING SITES . . . COVID-19 testing is walk-in only. No appointment is needed. Walk-in testing is available at no cost to you at NYC Health + Hospitals locations. Please visit the NYC Health + Hospital website for further information and for a listing of testing locations. The site also provides information about tests for children both above and below the age of two.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday’s organ voluntaries are both from the North German Baroque school and are based upon Luther’s chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (“Come now, Savior of the Gentiles”). This chorale (54 in The Hymnal 1982) is Martin Luther’s sixteenth-century adaptation of the fourth-century Latin hymn Veni Redemptor gentium attributed to Ambrose of Milan (55 in The Hymnal 1982). The Prelude is an extended Choralfantasia by Nicolaus Bruhns (1665–1697). Bruhns was a highly regarded virtuoso of both keyboard and stringed instruments of the generation before J. S. Bach (1685–1750). He was known to play the violin while accompanying himself on the pedals of the organ. His Choralefantasia is a monumental example of its genre. Each of the choral’s four melodic phrases is set for two manuals and pedals in its own separate section and embellished thoroughly. The postlude today is the third of the three settings of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland from J. S. Bach’s Great Eighteen Leipzig Chorales. (The first and second of this set of three were played as voluntaries last Sunday on the First Sunday of Advent.) This third setting, BWV 661, is a vigorous fugue for the hands under which each of the four phrases of the chorale in turn is stated boldly in long tones played on the organ pedals.

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Mass XIV 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 XIV (Jesu Redemptor) 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 feasts of the third class in the Roman calendar. The Kyrie of Mass XIV, is in Mode 8 and is the most ancient part of this setting, dating from the tenth century. The Agnus Dei, also in Mode 8, dates from the thirteenth century. The Sanctus dates from the twelfth century and is in Mode 1.

The cantor at Sunday morning’s Mass is Charlotte Mundy. During the Communion she will sing the aria Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze from Cantata 61 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach’s Cantata 61, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, was composed for the first Sunday of Advent and first performed on December 2, 1714, as Bach began his appointment as Kapellmeister of the at the Weimar court. The same cantata was performed again in Leipzig on November 28, 1723, as Bach began his appointment in that city. The cantata’s libretto was compiled by the Lutheran pastor and hymnologist Erdmann Neumeister (1671–1756), including quotes from the Book of Revelation and hymn stanzas of Martin Luther and Philipp Nicolai. Neumeister composed the words for the soprano aria Öffne dich, the fifth of the cantata’s six movements. The scoring is simply for voice and continuo.

More 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. She acted and sang in A Star Has Burnt My Eye at the BAM Next Wave Festival and The Apartment at Abrons Arts Center. As a member of Ekmeles vocal ensemble and TAK ensemble, she has been an artist-in-residence at the music departments of Columbia, Stanford, Penn, Cornell, and many other universities. The multi-sensory ritual of Mass at “Smoky Mary’s” is a constant inspiration to her. Learn more at charlottemundy.com. — David Hurd

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . Please note: all the adult-education classes this year begin at 9:30 AM, NOT at 10:00 AM. On December 13, Father Peter Powell will lead a class on the final book in the Christian Bible, the Revelation to John. (The second half of this series will resume during Lent 2021.)

In January, after the Christmas break, Brother Damien Joseph SSF will lead the Sunday morning adult-education class in a discussion of Christian mysticism, focusing on five different figures from the Western Christian mystical tradition. The series is “Christian Mysticism and the Secret of Knowing God.”

Brother Damien writes, “Recent years have seen a renewal of interest in mysticism of various kinds, including the mystical tradition within Christianity. It’s easy to think of Christianity as a set of doctrines and beliefs, as a systematic theology of right and wrong ideas, and as a way of knowing about God. Academic and intellectual study of God and scripture is undeniably important. But throughout the church’s history, another way has always persisted—sometimes dominant, sometimes neglected or mistrusted, or even actively suppressed. This is the tradition of the mystics, whose pursuit is not solely or primarily to know about God, but rather to know God, in a personal and experiential way.

“Bernard McGinn’s series of books, The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, is likely among the most exhaustive historical works on the movement of mysticism. Currently (he is still writing), it contains eight thick volumes, and covers Western Christian mysticism only through the year 1675. Suffice it to say, in four one-hour classes, we will only make the tiniest scratch in the surface of this vast topic and rich trove of literature.

“Our goal will be to become familiar with some of the basic concepts and imagery of mysticism, and to encounter a few examples of mystical writing in hopes of enriching our own spiritual lives and practice, and as a challenge to approach God not merely through knowledge but also through experience.”

We will approach this goal with a broad introductory session on January 10, followed by three sessions looking at examples from individual mystical writers, in this case, all from the Franciscan tradition: January 17, Clare of Assisi (1194-1253); January 24, Ramon Llull (1232-1315); and, January 31, Bonaventure (1221-1274). We may also add a fifth and final session on February 7, during which we would discuss Francisco de Osuna (1492/1497–c. 1540) and his practice of recollection (akin to centering prayer) discussed in his Third Spiritual Alphabet.

This is the tentative structure of the series:

Session 1: Ascensio – the soul’s ascent into God

What is mysticism? In this introduction to mystical thought, we’ll take a brief look at the definitions, history, and major themes of mysticism as a movement in Western Christianity. We’ll also identify examples of major mystical thinkers for further reading and study.

Session 2: Contemplatio – fixing the mind on God
We will consider a mystical approach to contemplation using brief selections from letters of Clare of Assisi, her imagery of “the Mirror of Eternity,” and her instructions to a sister on her method of contemplative prayer.

Session 3: Dilectio – the delights of God’s love
We will sample the rich (and historically often controversial) theme of romantic and even erotic love as an image for knowing God, specifically through selections from Ramon Llull’s Book of the Lover and the Beloved. We’ll also briefly touch on this theme’s roots in the Biblical Song of Songs.

 Session 4: Passio – knowing God in suffering
The cross, suffering, and death of Christ may seem an unlikely ground for a way of contemplation often associated with “raptures” and “ecstasy,” but it is in fact central to the mystical vision. We’ll look at excerpts of Bonaventure’s reflections on the Cross and Passion of Christ, and on Francis of Assisi as an example of mystical union with Christ.

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.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Thursday, December 24, Eve of The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The sun will set on Christmas Eve at 4:34 PM. Christmas Music & The Holy Eucharist 4:00 PM. The Mass itself will begin at 4:10 PM and conclude by 5:10 PM . . . Friday, December 25, The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Day. The church will be open today from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Angelus & Mass 11:00 AM.

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.

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 mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt.