FROM THE RECTOR: HOLY WEEK AND EASTER AHEAD

Music—organist, cantor, and, as needed, a quartet—has made Lent special this year. I was afraid that the absence of congregational chant and hymnody on Ash Wednesday would be a particularly painful loss. So, it was wonderful to experience the ways in which the music we heard that day somehow made up for what was lost. There was an appropriate modesty to Dr. David Hurd’s programming that made Ash Wednesday, though we had no ashes, feel more than complete. It was clearly the First Day of Lent—and it certainly felt like it during Mass that day.

I’m incredibly grateful for the ministry of music at Saint Mary’s since we reopened for public worship on July 1, 2020. Music draws us together during worship. There will of course be limitations to what we can do during Holy Week and at Easter this year. That said, I’m confident that what is essential will be done and done beautifully during those days. We’ve discovered that four singers and Dr. Hurd can successfully safe-distance and sing from the gallery during Mass. There will be liturgies with a quartet for Palm Sunday at 11:00 AM, Maundy Thursday at 6:00 PM, Good Friday at 12:30 PM, the Easter Vigil at 6:00 PM, and on Easter morning at 11:00 AM. All of those services will be live-streamed on Saint Mary’s Facebook page.

I was hoping that we might be able to have an early Mass on Easter Day at 9:00 AM this year. However, there are some problems with that plan. The rose window is scheduled to be reinstalled and the interior scaffolding removed by the end of the day on Wednesday in Holy Week, March 31. But if that doesn’t happen, the singers will definitely need to be able to rehearse in the church on Easter morning. It turns out that with the combination of scaffolding in the organ loft and the need for safe-distancing, the musicians must work particularly hard to hear the organ and each other. It takes work, and rehearsal, to overcome those obstacles. The choir will need to be in the organ loft at 9:00 AM this year, and so we will have to forego that second Mass. There will be one Mass on Easter Day this year. It will be at 11:00 AM. We look forward to returning to a more normal schedule in 2022.

We know we can safely seat 50 persons in the nave of the church. During the last week of Lent, we will be asking for persons who want to attend in person on Easter Day to reserve their places, as we did for Christmas Eve. In the meantime, there are two more weeks of Lent ahead of us. Father Jay Smith will be celebrant and preacher for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and Father Matt Jacobson will be celebrant and preacher for the Fifth Sunday in Lent.

At the Easter Vigil, Matthew Lobe will be baptized. Since the congregation cannot gather in the space between the pews and the chancel, David suggested that we place a vessel for water on a table in the chancel. Brilliant. The choir can stay in the loft and sing from there. Safe-distancing will be a priority at every point on Easter Eve.

We have been thinking about how to do the baptism safely. When the Thanksgiving over the Water is complete, I will step back. Matthew will approach and bow over the font. Then I will come with the bowl to pour the water—for infants, we use our hands. Even if I pour the water and say the words of ministration very slowly, it will take less than fifteen seconds. I will step back. Matthew’s partner, Jeremy Jelinek, will hand him a towel. Jeremy will step back, and I will go to him with the oil of chrism. I will pour it and mark Matthew’s forehead with the sign of the cross, step away, and then say the appointed words, “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever.” Jeremy will assist him in putting on the baptismal garment. I will say the appointed words. Then, I will give him a lighted candle, step back, and say the prayer associated with this sign of eternal life. Because of the pandemic, the congregation will not be sprinkled with baptismal water. I want the choir to sing the setting of Psalm 23 that we use during the sprinkling, but without the antiphon that the congregation sings, “You anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.”

Many members and friends of Saint Mary’s remember George Handy. He was born on June 5, 1918, and died on May 5, 2012. He was the last member of the congregation who had been born in the neighborhood and then grew up and was confirmed in the parish. He was for many years the head of our ushers’ guild. Our then musician, James Kennerly, suggested that we use the setting of Psalm 23 that we use at baptism as the psalm between the lessons for George’s funeral. Perfect. We’ve used it at every sung funeral Mass since then.

This setting was used during baptismal liturgies at Nashotah House Seminary when I was a student. When I became a rector in Indiana, I brought it to Trinity Church, Michigan City. When I came to Saint Mary’s, it came with me. At baptism, it’s a joyful proclamation of God’s care for us. At the Burial of the Dead, it is a statement of our faith. God keep us in eternal life. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Matthew, Burton, Joe, Michelle, Leslie, Margaret, Jennifer, Ida, Jake, Rita, Dale, Ken, Loretta, Aston, Caryn, Christine, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, John, Shalim, Abraham, Dennis, Emil, Ethelyn, Hardy, Margaret, and Robert; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Louis, priest, and Charles, bishop, for all those who work for the common good, and for all the members and friends of this parish. Grant that we may serve Christ in them and love one another as he loves us . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . March 14: 1895 Leonora Fanning; 1916 Annie Roberts; 1918 Harold Magagnos; 1928 Loretta Webb Harvey; 1959 John H. Moyer, Catherine Handy; 1989 Timothy Francis Meyers.

THE WEEKDAYS OF LENT AND OF HOLY WEEK, except for the feast of Saint Joseph and the feast of the Annunciation, are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2021 . . . Our stewardship campaign has come to an end. We were not able to achieve our $400,000.00 goal, but we recognize that we are living in a difficult time, and we are all doing the best we can. We live in hope and trust in God. Still, we continue to ask you for your help. We would welcome your financial pledge if you have not yet pledged for 2021. and we are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED . . . At our monthly Drop-by Days, we distribute clothing and toiletry and hygiene items to those in need in the Times Square neighborhood. Our next Drop-by Day is Friday, March 19. 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 eight (8) volunteers for each Drop-by. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Brother Desmond SSF.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, March 14, 2:00 AM, Daylight Saving Time Begins. Clocks are set one hour ahead . . . Sunday, March 14, The Fourth Sunday in Lent (“Laetare” Sunday or “Refreshment” Sunday), Adult Education 9:30–10:30 AM (the doors at 145 West Forty-sixth Street open at 9:00 AM), Mass 11:00 AM. The main doors of the church open at 10:00 AM and close at 12:30 PM. The preacher at Mass on Sunday morning is the Reverend Jay Smith. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Mr. Daniel Castellanos, tenor . . . Tuesday, March 16, Racism Discussion Groups, 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Please contact Brother Damien Joseph or Brother Thomas for more information . . . Wednesday, March 17, Saint Patrick, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Friday, March 19, Saint Joseph, Mass 12:10 PM.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Thursday, March 25, The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mass 12:10 PM . . . March 28, Palm Sunday, Mass 11:00 AM . . . April 1, Maundy Thursday, Liturgy 6:00 PM . . . April 2, Good Friday, Liturgy 12:30 PM . . . Saturday, April 3, Easter Eve, Great Vigil of Easter 6:00 PM . . . Sunday, April 4, Easter Day, Mass 11:00 AM.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . On Sunday, March 14, 9:30–10:30 AM, Father Peter Powell will continue his series on the Revelation to John, the Christian Bible’s final book. If you’d like to do some preparation, on Sunday Father Powell plans to discuss chapter 19 of Revelation, God’s Victory and Seven Visions of the End. However, no prior experience is necessary, and attendance at the autumn session is not a prerequisite to attend classes during the winter and spring. We invite you to join us in person or via Zoom . . . Coming Up . . . Father Powell’s final class in the Revelation series is Palm Sunday, March 28. The Adult Education class will then take a two-week Easter Break. There will be no class on Easter Day, April 4, or on the First Sunday of Easter, April 11. Beginning on April 18, and continuing, we hope, until the Sunday before Memorial Day, we will begin a new series, To Read and Mark: How We Interpret Scripture and Why It Matters. The classes will be led, mostly, by a new teacher each Sunday. We will not be focusing just on modern historical-critical methods of interpreting the Bible, but rather on the variety of ways in which Christians have used and interpreted the Bible over the centuries: to create art and music, shape liturgy, found religious orders, discuss morality, prepare baptismal candidates, and care for the newly baptized. Stay tuned for more details.

In the meantime, if you would like to attend Father Powell’s classes via Zoom, please send an e-mail to Grace Mudd or to Father Powell, who will send you a link. The class will meet in Saint Joseph’s Hall, with face coverings and social distancing required.

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 voluntaries on Sunday are two of the large chorale settings from the Clavierübung III of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) which was published in 1739. This extraordinary collection—Clavierübung means “keyboard practice” in English—contains Bach’s German Organ Mass and Catechism Chorales, plus four “Duetti” (two-voice keyboard pieces). These are surrounded by a grand Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major which are customarily performed together as the “Saint Ann” Prelude and Fugue. In the Clavierübung III Bach provided two settings of each chorale: a large one including the organ pedals and a smaller setting for hands alone. Today’s prelude is Bach’s large setting of the first section of Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit (“Kyrie, O Lord God the Father, for evermore”), the German form of the Latin Kyrie trope Fons bonitatis. This chorale is the sum of three continuous non-strophic stanzas, all in the Phrygian mode and each addressing a member of the Trinity. In this first section, the unadorned chorale theme is heard in long tones in the uppermost voice. The second section, Christe aller Welt Trost (“O Christ, Hope of the world”), will not be played today. However, Bach’s large setting of the third section, Kyrie, Gott Heiliger Geist (“Kyrie, O God, the Holy Ghost), is Sunday’s postlude. This grand motet for organ presents the chorale theme, sounding in the bass register in long tones below rich four-voice counterpoint. The intense final phrase of this setting contains some of most poignant chromaticism to be found in all the organ music of Bach.

The settings for Sunday’s Mass are from Christ Church Service by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s since 2016. Christ Church Service, a setting of the Rite I Mass ordinary, was commissioned in 1998 by Christ Episcopal Church, New Haven, Connecticut. It is scored for unison voices and organ and therefore is also suitable to be sung by a single cantor, as it will be offered at Mass on Sunday. The melodic shapes of the nine-fold Kyrie are inspired by modal chant although set with accompaniment in a more modern harmonic context. The vocal line of the triple-meter Sanctus is punctuated by a bold succession of major and minor chords, interrupted only by the rhythmic shifts of hemiola at two cadences. The melody of Agnus Dei is derived from the Kyrie but accompanied more simply than before.

The cantor on Sunday is tenor, Daniel Castellanos. During the administration of Communion, he will sing Panis angelicus by the Parisian composer Émile Pessard (1843–1917). Pessard’s cantata Dalila gained him the Grand Prix de Rome in 1866 and it was performed at the Paris Opera the following year. In 1881, Pessard became professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory where his students included Maurice Ravel and Jacques Ibert. He dedicated his solo motet Panis angelicus to a Monsieur Dardet, Maître de Chapelle at the Church of Saint-François-Xavier. The text is the sixth stanza of a hymn by Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) traditionally assigned to Matins on Corpus Christi. The genre of the “solo motet” may have originated in Italy with works by Lodovico Viadana (c. 1560–1627) that specified solo vocal performance. In France, this genre was distinguished from vernacular sacred songs (cantiques) by its adherence to Latin liturgical texts. Such solo motets and similar works for two, three, or four voices and organ became fashionable in later nineteenth-century France as a practical response to the short supply of trained church musicians.

More about our cantor: Daniel Santiago Castellanos is a composer, tenor, and pianist based in New Jersey. His piece for mezzo-soprano and piano, Death is nothing at all, won first prize at the 2019 NYC songSLAM competition. Ensembles that have performed his music include the Semiosis Quartet, The Orchestra Now (TŌN), Da Capo Ensemble, and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. After graduating from Bard College Conservatory of Music in 2018, he will attend Mannes School of Music at the New School to pursue graduate studies in composition in the fall of 2021. Daniel has been a member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s since the fall of 2018.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . We are grateful to Brother Thomas SSF for leading our Lenten Quiet Day via Zoom on Saturday, March 13. The event was well attended and was an important addition to our program schedule in this time of isolation and social-distancing . . . Looking for a COVID-19 Vaccine Site? Try these websites:

https://epicenter-nyc.com/

https://nycvaccinelist.com/;

https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/;

https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-vaccine.jsp.

WORSHIPPING SAFELY AT SAINT MARY’S: If you are at all unwell, please 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. That said, we are very happy to be able to welcome you to worship with us here at Saint Mary’s (11:00 AM on Sunday, 12:10 PM Monday–Saturday). When you arrive, please fill out the contact sheet at the ushers’ table. Please take a seat in one of the open pews, and feel free to ask an usher, one of the brothers, or a member of the clergy if you have questions about seating, Communion, or safe-distancing. Face masks are required while in the church building. We know all too well that many of these precautions are tedious, but we accept them as a way to keep ourselves and each other safe and healthy. We continue to pray for those who are sick and for a swift end to the epidemic.

AT THE MUSEUMS . . . Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West Fifty-third Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York, New York, until May 31. From the museum website: “How does race structure America’s cities? MoMA’s first exhibition to explore the relationship between architecture and the spaces of African American and African diaspora communities, Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America presents ten newly commissioned works by architects, designers, and artists that explore ways in which histories can be made visible and equity can be built.

Centuries of disenfranchisement and race-based violence have led to a built environment that is not only compromised but also, as the critic Ta-Nehisi Coates contends, “argues against the truth of who you are.” These injustices are embedded in nearly every aspect of America’s design—an inheritance of segregated neighborhoods, compromised infrastructures, environmental toxins, and unequal access to financial and educational institutions.

Each project in the exhibition proposes an intervention in one of ten cities: from the front porches of Miami and the bayous of New Orleans to the freeways of Oakland and Syracuse. Reconstructions examines the intersections of anti-Black racism and Blackness within urban spaces as sites of resistance and refusal, attempting to repair what it means to be American.

Reconstructions features works by Emanuel Admassu, Germane Barnes, Sekou Cooke, J. Yolande Daniels, Felecia Davis, Mario Gooden, Walter Hood, Olalekan Jeyifous, V. Mitch McEwen, and Amanda Williams, as well as new photographs by artist David Hartt. The Museum is also offering an online course, on Coursera, that is linked to the exhibition. Information about the course, Reimagining Blackness and Architecture, is available here.

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 and parish volunteer, Clint Best.