FROM THE RECTOR: THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Prayer Book Studies 19: The Church Year was published in 1970. The preface to the study states, “The Committee held its first meeting in January 1968, in the rectory of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, New York” (page iv). The preface concluded with the names of all the then members of the Standing Liturgical Commission. I was delighted to read near the end of the preface, “The Commission appreciates the hospitality of the Reverend Donald L. Garfield, Rector of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and member of the Committee, and the assistance rendered by the staff of the Episcopal Church Center, New York” (page v).

The Roman Catholic Church’s adoption of a three-year lectionary cycle in 1969 shaped the future worship of Anglican, Lutheran, and other Protestant churches that use lectionaries to order the selection of readings for worship. The study states, “The Roman feast of Christ the King has been shifted to the Last Sunday of the season [after Pentecost]; and though we have not adopted the name, we have provided the same proper for this final Sunday. The celebration of Christ’s universal lordship is a fitting conclusion to a year that began with the advent of Christ as our Savior and our Judge” (page 30).

Newsflash: The Epiphany is the ancient celebration of Christ’s kingship: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).

I wonder if members of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, which promoted the adoption of the Revised Common Lectionary and included the words “Christ the King” in the lectionary pages of new Prayer Books, had read the December 1925 encyclical of Pope Pius XI that initiated the feast. I suspect that in 1970 more than a few clergy and scholars knew its history. Rome was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy in 1870. The people voted overwhelmingly to become part of the kingdom. With the invasion and the vote, the pope had considered himself “a prisoners of the Vatican.” That changed in 1929, when the Lateran Treaty established the independent state of Vatican City.

The encyclical is known by its first Latin words, Quas Primas. Pius wrote, “It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings” (paragraph 12). With respect, the Roman Catholic Church is not the kingdom of Christ on earth.

Until I came to Saint Mary’s, my favorite hymn about Jesus’ kingship was “Hark! the herald angels sing glory to the newborn King!” However, I discovered a close second, as it were, after coming to Saint Mary’s. For many years, the final hymn of the Solemn Mass on the last Sunday before Advent has been “Lo! he comes with clouds descending” to the tune Helmsley. It is also the final hymn for the Solemn Mass on our patronal feast, Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wednesday, December 8, 2021. When sung here, with our organ and acoustic, it is as if the Lord is descending on clouds of incense. In retirement, I will miss worshiping here. I cannot put words together that speak what I carry in my heart for this parish. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Andrew, Emil, John, Karen, Linda, Shalim, Patricia, Brian, Emily, William, Theresa, Margaret, Dave, Arax, Greta, Larry, Pat, Ralph, Mario, Liduvina, Jonathan, Emerson, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, Peter, George, Abraham, Burton, Dennis, Ethelyn, Gypsy, Hardy, and Robert; and Randall and Louis, priests; for the repose of the soul of all who work for the common good; and all the friends and members of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . November 21: 1887 Sarah Skotzky; 1896 Thomas Rowe Kent; 1920 Wilhelmina Kramer Roth; 1962 Lillian Clorisse Palmer Smith.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE . . . George John Potanovic, father of parishioner Steven Potanovic, died on Wednesday, November 17. He was 92. He and his wife, Jean Jenkovsky Potanovic, were married on February 28, 1954. In addition to Mrs. Potanovic and Steven, their son George, Jr., and daughters Allison and Christine, and Christine’s three children, and four siblings. A Memorial Service will be offered at 10 am on Saturday, November 20 at St. Mary, Mother of the Church, 106 Jackson Street, Fishkill. Please keep Steven and his family in your prayers.

ADVENT QUIET DAY . . . On Saturday, December 11, Sister Monica Clare, C.S.J.B, will lead a Quiet Day in person here at the church. Her theme will be the virtue of hope. Based on the scriptural foundations of Christian hope, her reflections will suggest some ways of keeping hope alive even in times of despair. The day will begin at 9:30 AM. There will be two reflections in the morning and one in the afternoon. Mass is at 12:10 PM, followed by lunch. Opportunities for prayer, reflection, and journaling will be provided. Reservations for the Quiet Day may be made by sending an e-mail to Father Jay Smith.

DIRECT CHARITABLE GIFTS FROM IRAs: IRA gifts are not recognized as income and will reduce your 2021 tax liability. If you are 70.5 or older, you can make a gift from your traditional IRA account. And if you are 72 or older, your IRA donation is a compassionate way to fulfill your required minimum distribution for the year. Please be sure to consult with your tax professional. Many friends of this parish contribute in this way.

STEWARDSHIP 2022 . . . This year’s Stewardship Campaign has gotten off to a pretty good start, though we have a ways to go. As of November 11, 2021, $108,758.00 has been pledged for the coming year. This is 27% of our goal of $400,000.00.

The Committee has noticed that in addition to pledges by members and friends who worship with us frequently and volunteer their time here in many ways, we also continue to receive pledges from members and friends who live far from Times Square but remain faithful members of this community. This reminds us that Saint Mary’s ministry is both local and something other than local. Saint Mary’s is sustained by the talent, time, and treasure of those who worship and volunteer here in person, as well as of those who cannot be with us in person, but who support us with gifts, not only of money, but of prayer, encouragement, feedback, concern, and good humor. We are grateful for the diversity and commitment of this community. We urge all members and friends of the parish to return their 2022 pledge cards by Commitment Sunday, November 21. For information about how to make a pledge online, please contact the parish office . . .—The Stewardship Committee

NEIGHBORS IN NEED . . . We hope to receive donations of socks and underwear for both men and women in all sizes. Since the weather is beginning to grow colder, we also welcome donations of sweatshirts, thermal underwear, and coats . . . At our monthly Drop-by Days, we distribute clothing, toiletry, and hygiene items—and Metro Cards when they are available—to those in need in the Times Square neighborhood. Our next Drop-by Day is scheduled for Friday, December 17. Volunteers work from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM. Our guests are invited into the church at 2:00 PM, and we close our doors at 3:00 PM. We need six (6) volunteers for each Drop-by. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Marie Rosseels, MaryJane Boland, or Father Jay Smith. You may reach them by calling the Parish Office at 212-869-5830.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . This Sunday, November 21, the Adult Education class will meet in the Arch Room on the second floor of the Mission House. Access is via the sextons’ lodge at the east end of the narthex (vestibule) of the main entrance to the church . . . On Sunday, Father Peter Powell will continue his series on the Holiness Code, Leviticus 17–27. Father will teach until mid-December, and then we will take some time off for the Christmas Break . . . Adult Education resumes on Sunday, January 9, 2022, when the class will study and discuss the gospel lesson appointed for that day. This series, Reading Sunday’s Gospel and Getting Ready for Mass will continue until mid-February (January 9, 16, 23, 30, and February 6 and 13). The class will be taught by Father Jacobson, Father Smith, and Father Powell, who will take turns leading the class . . . Then on February 20 and 27, V.K. McCarty will lead a two-part series, Women Witnessed in the Ministry of Saint Paul, in which she will talk about women such as Lydia, Prisca, Phoebe, Euodia and Syntyche. VK’s book, From their Lips: Voices of Early Christian Women, was recently published by Gorgias Press.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . November 21, The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King. Adult Education 9:30–10:30 AM in the Arch Room on the second floor of the Mission House. Solemn Mass, 11:00 AM. The readings are as follows: Daniel 7:9–14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:1–8; John 18:33–38. The celebrant and preacher at the Mass will be Canon Victor Conrado. Evening Prayer will be said in the church at 5:00 PM . . . Thursday, November 25, is Thanksgiving Day. The church will be open from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 12:10 PM. Father Stephen Gerth is celebrant and preacher . . . The church is open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:30 PM, except on Federal Holidays . . . Tuesday, November 23, Racism Discussion Group Meeting, 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information about this ongoing weekly meeting, please call the parish office.

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 at 6:30 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.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Father Jay Smith will be away from the parish on vacation between Monday, November 8, and Sunday, November 21. For pastoral emergencies, please contact the parish office and ask to speak to Father Gerth or to one of our assisting priests. Father Gerth can also be reached at the rectory.

AT ST. CLEMENT’S CHURCH . . . On Wednesday, November 17, the Wall Street Journal’s theater critic, Terry Teachout, reviewed the current production of the Peccadillo Theater Company at St. Clement’s Church, 423 West 46th Street. Dan Wackerman is the company’s artistic director and a regular member of our Sunday congregation. Teachout wrote, “Paul Osborn’s ‘Morning’s at Seven’ is a great American play that is not widely recognized as such. The original 1939 Broadway production was a flop, running for only 44 performances, and even though ‘Morning’s at Seven’ has since received two successful Broadway revivals, in 1980 and 2002, it has still never quite managed to establish itself as the modern classic that it is. I have heard of only one professional revival in the past 15 years, by Philadelphia’s People’s Light in 2018, and that one, while it was outstanding, did not lead to a wider renewal of interest in the play. Now ‘Morning’s at Seven” is being performed off Broadway in a staging that features a highly distinguished cast and is directed by Dan Wackerman, whose Peccadillo Theater Company (which co-produced this revival) specializes in American plays of similar vintage and quality . . . If, as seems more than likely, you’ve never seen “Morning’s at Seven,” I recommend this revival, from which you will surely come away wondering, as I did back in 2018, why so fine and powerful a play is not better known.” The play continues through January 9, 2022.

ABOUT THE MUSIC . . . The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is the Missa Simile est regnum caelorum of Tomás Luís de Victoria (c. 1548–1611). Victoria is considered the most important Spanish composer of Renaissance polyphony. Born in Avila, the seventh of eleven children, he began his musical education as a choirboy at Avila Cathedral and began his classical education at San Gil, a Jesuit school for boys founded in 1554. By 1565, Victoria had entered the Jesuit Collegio Germanico in Rome, where he was later engaged to teach music and eventually named maestro di cappella. Victoria knew and may have been instructed by Palestrina (1525–1594) who was maestro di cappella of the nearby Seminario Romano at that time. During his years in Rome Victoria held several positions as singer, organist, and choral master and published many of his compositions. He was ordained priest in 1575 after a three-day diaconate. There are twenty authenticated Mass settings of Victoria in addition to two Requiems. The Missa Simile est regnum is one of Victoria’s twelve parody Masses in which he quotes musical ideas from pre-existing musical composition. In this case, Victoria’s musical quotes are from a motet by his friend and contemporary, Francisco Guerrero (1528–1599). Guerrero’s motet on Matthew 20:1–4 likens the Kingdom of God to a landowner justly hiring laborers for his vineyard. Victoria’s Mass skillfully reutilizes distinctive melodic features of Guerrero’s motet, such as the rising perfect fifth which begins most of its movements. With the exception of the Benedictus in three voices, Victoria’s Mass, like Guerrero’s motet, is voiced in four parts. However, the final Agnus Dei spectacularly employs two choirs of four voices each of which sing in strict canon.

The motet sung during Communion on Sunday is a setting of Holy Sonnet XV, Wilt thou love God, by John Donne (1572–1631). This choral setting by David Hurd, organist and music director here at Saint Mary’s, was commissioned by Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas, and premiered there three weeks ago on October 31. Today’s performance by the choir of Saint Mary’s will be the second performance and New York premiere of this music. John Donne is considered the leading English poet of the metaphysical school and the greatest love poet in the English language. He is also noted for his religious verse, his treatises, and for his sermons which rank among the most noted of his time. He was dean of Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London from 1621 until 1631. Wilt thou love God is the fifteenth of his nineteen numbered sonnets under the general heading of “Divine Meditations.” David Hurd’s motet exploits choral textures ranging from unison trebles at its outset to full eight-part mixed voices at its conclusion in setting Donne’s rich meditation.

Sunday’s organ voluntaries are based upon the chorale Nun danket alle Gott (“Now thank we all our God”). Both prelude and postlude are by German composers, but they are two centuries apart in origin. The chorale itself, now sung internationally and interdenominationally, was authored in 1630 by Martin Rinckart (1586–1649), archdeacon in Eilenburg, Saxony. Johann Crüger (1598–1662) is credited with composing the melody for Rinckart’s words which appeared in the 1647 third edition of his Praxis Pietatis Melica. This text and melody combination, in English translation by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878), has been in Episcopal hymnals since 1871. The prelude by J. S. Bach is one of his Leipzig Eighteen Great Chorales. Each phrase of the melody is introduced in turn by three accompanying voices before being presented in unornamented form in the soprano register. The postlude, from Karg-Elert’s Choral Improvisationen, Opus 65, is one of the composer’s most popular organ pieces. It is subtitled Marche triomphale and marked Pomposo e con brio. The chorale melody is not stated literally and is not immediately conspicuous, but a spirit of exuberance and joy is clearly present in the opening and final sections of this setting.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Thursday, November 25, Thanksgiving Day . . . November 28, The First Sunday of Advent (Lectionary Year C/Daily Office Lectionary Year Two) . . . Wednesday, December 8, The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Celebration of the Founding of the Parish and the First Mass in the First Church on December 8, 1870 . . . Tuesday, December 21, Saint Thomas the Apostle . . . Friday, December 24, Christmas Eve. Music for Congregation and Choir with Saint Mary’s Brass 4:30 PM and Procession & Solemn Mass 5:00 PM . . . Saturday, December 25, Christmas Day, Solemn Mass & Procession to the Crèche 11:00 AM . . . Sunday, December 26, First Sunday after Christmas Day, Solemn Mass 11:00 AM . . . Monday, December 27, Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr (transferred), Mass 12:10 PM . . . Tuesday, December 28, Saint John the Evangelist (transferred), Mass 12:10 PM.

CONCERTS AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Saturday, December 4, 2021, 8:00 PM, New York Repertory Orchestra, Saint Mary’s Resident Orchestra, David Leibowitz, music director. The program includes the following music: Mauer, Women on a Journey (Kin Janabarhi Vra), NYRO Commission/World Premiere. In memoriam of Marguerite Iskenderian; Dello Joio, Meditations on Ecclesiastes; Still, Symphony 2 (Song of a New Race), Stephan Fillare, conductor.

Marguerite Iskenderian was a musician, librarian, and teacher, who worked for many years at Brooklyn College. She was killed in a hit-and-run car accident on April 24, 2021, near the Brooklyn College Campus. She was a cellist with the New York Repertory Orchestra. Women on a Journey was composed in her honor and memory. May she rest in peace.

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 distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt and parish volunteer Clint Best.