FROM THE RECTOR: TEMPLATE DAYS

This morning, Friday, March 13, Father Jay Smith and I had a conference call with the Reverend Dr. James Conlin Pace. He was at his desk at the NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing—he told us that he was alone on his floor for a number of reasons, all related to the current health crisis. I learned from Father Pace that, unfortunately, the COVID-19 virus becomes highly concentrated in the “oropharyngeal” region of an infected person. Jay knew the word; I did not. Basically, “oropharyngeal” means the throat—the pharynx is the cavity that connects the nose and the mouth to the esophagus. We also learned from Jim that the corona virus is also found in high concentrations in the stool of infected persons. These features of the virus are definitely worrying. They explain why contagion seems to occur fairly easily with this virus, and why the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are recommending such stringent sanitary practices. Given the risk of contagion, it becomes ever clearer that, if you are not entirely sure that you are well, you should stay home and seek expert medical advice.

Still, we do not live in a sterile environment. People can spread this virus before they are aware that they are sick. Not touching hands to our face is really important. Washing and/or sanitizing our hands is really important. Whenever possible, trying to remain six feet from other persons is really important too. Jim used the word “template” to describe our plans for this weekend. That said, tomorrow’s news could suggest that we alter some or all of our plans.

So, when we finished our phone call with Jim, Jay and I went into the church with a measuring tape. We were trying to get a better visual sense of how it would work if those gathered for a service here tried to maintain physical distance in that way. So, going forward, at least for the next few weeks, everyone in the nave will need to sit alone in a pew with two empty rows before and behind—and not next to another person, who is sitting next to the divider in the middle of the rows. The folks who were visiting to pray and visiting to rest this morning were very cooperative. I made it very clear that if this doesn’t work, we will have to close the church. I don’t want to do that. And I want to find a way for our services to continue.

We have a big church. I don’t think attendance will be large for the services today, tomorrow, or for the services on Sunday and the coming week. So, beginning today, the only person behind the altar rail at a Said Mass will be the celebrant. Only wafer bread will be used at all Masses; and, despite the rubric at the bottom of page 407 of the Book of Common Prayer, we will not, for the time being, administer the chalice to the congregation. This now seems prudent. This should eliminate at least one possible vector of infection for and by both clergy and congregation. Only the celebrant will receive the Wine at all Masses.

Some more cancelations. On Saturday, 12:00 PM Noonday Prayer and the 12:10 PM Eucharist will be offered. Evening Prayer will be at 5:00 PM. The Sunday Vigil Mass will not be offered. Confessions will be heard only by appointment. On Sunday, Mass will not be celebrated at 10:00 AM. Morning and Evening Prayer will be said, not sung, at the usual times. Benediction will not be offered on Sunday after Evening Prayer.

At the Solemn Mass, an assisting priest will sit near the altar on the gospel side, the celebrant at the sedilia. We’ll figure out the offertory and whatever use of incense we do. For example, we may end up using incense only during the Great Thanksgiving. The thurifer could enter with incense burning and stand to the side of the altar and leave at the usual time—the thurifer will be the only server in the chancel.

At all Masses the celebrant will put on a glove after he or she receives Communion. People will not kneel to receive. Ushers and other assistants will help keep people spread apart as they come up one at a time to receive at the steps to the chancel. Depending on attendance at 11:00 AM, we may have an additional minister of the bread, also with a gloved hand.

Unless we decide to remove the pews from the chancel, only four persons can sit there during a service—it turns out we were five feet apart at Morning Prayer, not six. The four seats in the chancel will be reserved for two assisting priests and friars.

On Sunday, Morning and Evening Prayer will be read, in place of Sung Matins and Solemn Evensong & Benediction. The noonday services on Saturday will be offered, but confessions will be heard only by appointment.

Until the threat of this virus recedes, there will be no food or beverages served at the church—no gathering in Saint Joseph’s Hall for Coffee Hour—the six-feet apart rule holds wherever possible. The Quiet Day scheduled for Saturday, March 14, has been canceled. Christian Education for both Adults and Children, Stations of the Cross, and Centering Prayer will not be offered. The Wednesday Night Bible Study Class will not take place. The Young New Yorkers’ Chorus and the New York Repertory Orchestra both canceled rehearsals this week, and our resident theater company has canceled performances. The many support groups who meet at Saint Mary’s are grappling with this issue too. More will be revealed. We may need to be as innocent as doves, but we certainly need to be as wise as serpents. For me, today’s guiding scripture has been, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34).

Let me close with unexpected graces from the last couple of days, both took place at Whole Foods. Father Jay Smith was at the store at Bryant Park yesterday afternoon about 4:00 PM. The store was very crowded and there was a lot of anxiety in the building. As he entered, he saw, for the first time ever, that there wasn’t a single shopping basket to be had. He stood there for a minute or so, and, suddenly a woman walked up, smiled at him, and, without a word, handed him her basket and left the store. He said that it was a small thing, but that it reminded him, for just a moment, of the days after 9/11. He thought, “New Yorkers can get through this. At our best, we really do know how to help each other.”

My moment of grace took place at the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle, which normally opens at 7:00 AM. When I got down the escalator at 7:02 AM this morning, only two shopping carts were left. It was busy. At some point, I turned my back on my cart and someone took it—along with the shopping bags I had brought with me. Eventually, I decided to get another cart and started over—and there were more carts. Then, there was a long wait to check out. While waiting in line, not far from the checkout counters, I noticed my shopping bags in the cart of an older couple as they passed me—one of mine was from a store in Trinidad and so I recognized it. I left the line and went up to them and said, “Excuse me, but are you quite sure those are your shopping bags?” “No, they’re not! We’re so sorry. They must be yours. Please excuse us.” Problem solved. All was well. They were happy and I was very happy. In the midst of everything that comes our way, may there be many small graces like these for all of us. —Stephen Gerth

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) RECOMMEND:
•        Stay home when sick.
•        Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow.
•        Wash hands frequently.
•        Limit close contact with others as much as possible (about 6 feet).

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Shalim, Diana, John, Ronald, Pat, Sharon, Marilouise, MaryHope, Luis, Carlos, Ken, May, Willard, Alexandra, Karen, Takeem, Michael, and Abraham; for Todd, religious; for Gene, Gaylord, Louis, and Edgar, priests; for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Edward; for the members and friends of this parish, for all those affected by or suffering from COVID-19 infection, and for all the benefactors and friends of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE: March 15: 1876 Samuel Stevens; 1895 Robert Cochran; 1940 Pauline Dunn; 1969 Peter Chan.

THE WEEKDAYS OF LENT AND OF HOLY WEEK, except for the feast of the Annunciation, are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial. Good Friday and all other Fridays of the year, except for Fridays in the Christmas and Easter seasons, and any Feasts of our Lord which occur on a Friday, are also observed as days of special devotion in commemoration of the Lord’s crucifixion.

SOME RESOURCES IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO COME TO CHURCH . . .
•           Trinity Wall Street always live streams their Sunday services on their website at the following link: https://www.trinitywallstreet.org/webcasts (as of Friday, March 13, it appears that Trinity will not be holding public worship for some days, but will continue to livestream its 11:15 AM Eucharist on Sundays.
•           If you do not have access to a Book of Common Prayer, the Prayer Book is available online at the following link: https://www.bcponline.org.
•           You can also find the readings for all Daily Offices and Masses on Saint Mary's website: https://www.stmvirgin.org/bible-lessons-for-all-services.
•           The Society of Saint John the Evangelist’s online Lenten program, Signs of Life, may be accessed at https://www.signsoflife.org/.
•           The Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) offers a daily online meditation. One can sign up to receive the meditation at https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/. Father Richard Rohr is a Roman Catholic Franciscan. CAC is a decidedly ecumenical program.

FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE . . . To fund operations, Saint Mary's routinely liquidates certain investments in accordance with its annual budget plan. However, the recent volatility in financial markets means that those liquidations are potentially very damaging to our long-term stability. We could be selling equities at a 10%+ discount, meaning that every $1.00 we liquidate is costing us $1.10 or more in long-term principal. Therefore, we ask that those of you who pledge or plan to give donations for Lent or Easter to please consider fulfilling those commitments now so that we can meet operating cash-flow requirements—utilities, salaries, etc.—from our cash accounts without dipping into investment accounts at their currently depressed value. Thank you for helping us weather these volatile times!

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Doorways to Saint Joseph’s Hall: The door between the narthex and Saint Joseph’s Hall is still broken. During Sunday Masses, access to the restrooms, hallway, and sacristy will be by the doorways between the pulpit and the organ console in the chancel . . . If you would like to make a donation in support of our Hospitality Ministry, please speak to Father Jay Smith or contact Chris Howatt in the parish office during business hours, Monday–Friday . . . Flowers are needed for the Sundays after Easter. We also welcome donations to help with the decoration of the church for Holy Week and Easter Day. Please be in touch with Chris Howatt in the parish office if you would like to make a donation in order to help with this ministry . . . Attendance at all Offices and Masses: Last Sunday 162.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Saturday, March 14, The Lenten Quiet Day has been cancelled . . . Saturday, March 14, The noonday services will be offered and Evening Prayer will be said in the church, but the Vigil Mass will not be celebrated . . . Sunday, March 15, 2020, The Third Sunday in Lent, Morning Prayer 8:30 AM; Mass at 9:00 AM will be celebrated; the 10:00 AM Mass and Adult Education at 10:00 AM have been cancelled. Solemn Mass at 11:00 AM will be celebrated. Solemn Evensong and Benediction will not take place on Sunday afternoon. Evening Prayer will be said at 5:00 PM . . . Wednesday, March 18, Weekday of Lent, Sung Mass 12:10 PM. The Drop-in Day for the Clothing Ministry will not take place on Wednesday, March 18. The Wednesday Night Bible Study Class will not take place on Wednesday, March 18. The class will not meet on March 25 because of the Feast of the Annunciation . . . Thursday, March 19, Mass with Healing Service 12:10 PM . . . Friday, March 20, Evening Prayer 6:00 PM, Stations of the Cross 6:30 PM.

OUTREACH AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Our next Drop-in Day will not take place on Wednesday, March 18, as originally planned. Brother Damien writes, “Things are changing every day, aren’t they? Just a few days ago, I was advocating to go ahead with our Drop-In day next Wednesday. Today, with increasing activity restrictions in the city, changes in how our church is responding, and frankly a better grasp on my part for our responsibility to help “flatten the curve” of transmission, I believe we’ve got to take a different path. Our guests are among the vulnerable populations, without ready access to healthcare, and risking our program becoming a nexus where they might contract the virus is unacceptable. Especially with regard to the Drop-In, but even in the case of Grab and Go, these events place our guests in close contact for an extended time, and there does not appear to be an option which will allow us to maintain sufficient “social distancing” during either event. The services we provide are of course very important, but a temporary interruption in them won’t be immediately life-threatening. COVID, obviously, could be. As such, we feel the only responsible choice is to suspend them for now out of an abundance of caution. Until further notice, therefore, we will not hold Drop-In or Grab and Go events. We will post signage here to let our guests know so far as possible. For now, the church remains open to people needing shelter and rest during the day. We will continue to field ‘emergency’ requests as we have been doing. We will of course keep you informed of any further changes, and we hope to return to providing this important help just as soon as we can safely and responsibly do so.” —Br. Damien Joseph SSF

A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS . . . The members of the Flower Guild are always happy to welcome those who wish to join their ranks, either on a regular basis, or during Advent and Holy Week, when preparations take place for Christmas and Easter. If you would like to help with Easter decorations this year, please contact Brendon Hunter. You don’t need to be a designer in order to volunteer! Brendon is also looking for help with a variety of altar-guild duties, working with candles, vestments, altar linens, and the sacred vessels. Work in the sacristy can be a prayerful and satisfying ministry. Please contact Brendon if you have questions or would like to serve in this way.

ABOUT THE CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC ON SUNDAY, MARCH 15 . . . The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is Missa Iste Confessor by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Palestrina, standing on foundations largely laid by the Netherlandish composers Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474) and Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521), is generally credited with having set the standards for renaissance polyphony and Catholic liturgical music for the generations which have followed him. Among his hundreds of compositions are over one hundred Masses, most of which were published in thirteen volumes between 1554 and 1601. The Missa Iste Confessor is from the fifth book of Masses published in 1590. It is based upon a plainsong melody for the eighth-century hymn for the commemoration of confessors, originally understood as those who had suffered persecution short of martyrdom for their faith. Eventually the category of confessor came to include bishops and others who had lived a holy life and had died in peace, but did not fit into other saintly classifications, such as monastic. The Mode 8 chant melody which Palestrina utilized in his four-voice Mass setting was found at 228 in The Hymnal 1940 with the text “Only begotten, Word of God eternal,” intended for the Consecration of a Church. (That text appears in The Hymnal 1982 but with different music.) Palestrina’s Mass is mostly for four voices. As is often the case in Masses of this time, the Benedictus has reduced voicing and the final Agnus Dei calls for an additional voice.

The earliest record of the English composer Richard Farrant (c. 1525–1580) is in a 1552 list of the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal. He became Master of the Chapel Royal choristers in 1569. He also served as organist at Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor. Farrant’s most distinctive contribution may have been his writing of plays, in the creation of the first Blackfriars Theater, and in his pioneering work in combining music and drama. The church remembers Farrant for his anthems and canticle settings. His anthems Call to remembrance, Hide not thou thy face, and Lord for thy tender mercy’s sake have become staples of the Anglican Lenten choral repertoire. These three anthems are primarily chordal in construction with clear alignment of words for heightened intelligibility. Sunday’s Communion motet, Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake, is a setting for four voices of a text from “Lidley’s Prayers,” a section of Christian Praiers and Holy Meditations (1570) which was collected by Protestant theologian Henry Bull (d. 1577). While traditionally attributed to Farrant, some scholars believe this musical setting actually to be the work of the elder John Hilton (1565–1609) or Christopher Tye (c. 1505–c.1573). — David Hurd

COMING UP . . . Thursday, March 19, Saint Joseph . . . Wednesday, March 25, The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . April 5, The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday . . . The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, will be the celebrant and preacher here at Saint Mary’s on Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 6:00 PM. We look forward to welcoming Bishop Curry for this, his first visit to Saint Mary’s as presiding bishop . . . April 10, 2020, Good Friday . . . April 11, 2020, Easter Eve . . . April 12, 2020, Easter Day . . . All date and time of all events are subject to change.

The Calendar of the Week

The Complete Service Schedule