FROM THE RECTOR: CHANGES AHEAD

On Friday night, June 18, the New York Yankees didn’t beat the Oakland Athletics, but the stadium was open for full capacity. Masks and safe-distancing were not required for the first time since the pandemic arrived. New York State is now following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

Father Matthew Mead, rector of Christ Church Pelham and former curate here at Saint Mary’s, has developed guidelines for his parish. He’s spent considerable time on reopening issues. He suggested that I look at the current guidance from the diocese of Southwest Florida. As you may know, the state of Florida has been open for some time. The Right Reverend Dabney T. Smith has been bishop of that diocese since 2007. He was a colleague of mine from Indiana days and is a fellow Nashotah graduate. Below is an excerpt from his most recent guidance for rectors, vicars, and priests-in-charge:

I am writing you today in regard to the new and revised CDC guidelines that have come into effect. These guidelines will grant a great deal of freedom to fully vaccinated people. I first and foremost advise you to primarily take into account the safety of your parishioners and church sanctuary buildings. Please follow the CDC guidelines as completely as possible. In addition, I advise the following:

• For fully vaccinated people, mask wearing and social distancing are optional

• For non-vaccinated individuals, mask wearing and social distancing are highly recommended

• For the time being, guidelines for Holy Communion will remain the same 

You may also consider designating an area for those who desire to continue social distancing.

I have spoken with Marie Rosseels, head of our Usher Guild, about changes we may want to make now that New York State has issued this new set of guidelines. Nothing will change this Sunday, June 20. On Sunday, June 27, some pews at the front of the epistle side of the church (by Father Brown’s memorial) will be set aside and marked for social distancing for those who wish to do so. We will maintain the present Communion pattern. If our singers are in the organ gallery and are fully vaccinated, they will no longer need to wear a mask if they do not wish to do so. The celebrant will still wear a mask, but not a face shield, for the ministration of Communion. (All the members of the clergy here at Saint Mary’s are fully vaccinated.)

I want to consult with my colleagues about resuming the anointing of the sick at the weekly Mass on Thursday—a practice pre-dating my arrival as rector in 1999. I will be seeking guidance about the ministration of the chalice in the coming weeks and months. Concerning the chalice, it seems to me that a question of central importance is this: What are the conditions that must take place before the chalice can again be offered to those members of the congregation who are prepared to receive it, and how will we handle requests for reception by intinction? Other important issues that require further discussion are congregational singing and the return of fellowship in Saint Joseph’s Hall after the 11:00 AM Eucharist.

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, falls on a Sunday this year. Between now and Assumption Sunday, I hope that we will recover our regular pattern for the principal Sunday Eucharist: Solemn Mass at 11:00 AM followed by fellowship in Saint Joseph’s Hall. Most important, I hope that the diminution of COVID-19—slower in some parts of the world than in others—will continue, blessing all of humankind.
—Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Maria, Marta, Frank, Roman, Ronald, Michael, Charles, Mario, Christopher, Liduvina, James, Jonathan, Emerson, Rita, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, John, Shalim, Peter, George, Abraham, Burton, Dennis, Ethelyn, Emil, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, and Robert; for Nicholas and Laura Katharine, religious, and James, Randall and Louis, priests; for all those who suffer from COVID-19; 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 . . . June 20: 1935 Peter William Weber; 2008 Brannon Hall Garcia.

WE NEED YOUR HELP . . . If you have made a pledge for 2021, please continue to make payments on your pledge, if possible. If you have not yet made a pledge for 2021, we urge you to do so. If you can make an additional donation to support the parish at this time, we would happily receive it. Donations may be made online via the Giving section of the parish website. You may also make arrangements for other forms of payment by contacting our parish administrator, Christopher Howatt, who would be happy to assist you. We are grateful to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously. —Stewardship Committee

AROUND THE PARISH . . . The flowers on Sunday, June 20, the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, are given by Luis Reyes in memory of Juan José Solla . . . On Friday, June 18, the volunteers of Neighbor in Need—MaryJane Boland, Deacon Lind Phillips, Marie Rosseels, Father Jay Smith, Sharon Stewart, and José Vidal—welcomed 33 clients, providing clothing and hygiene items. The Neighbors in Need team were joined by a new volunteer on Friday, parishioner, Penny Allen. It was good to have Penny with us, and we are grateful to her for her help.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, June 20, The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. No adult-education class. Classes have ended for the summer and will resume in the autumn. Mass 11:00 AM, Father Jay Smith, celebrant and preacher; Evening Prayer 5:00 PM . . . Monday–Saturday, June 21–26, Mass 12:10 PM and Evening Prayer 5:00 PM. The church is open from 11:00 AM until 5:30 PM . . . Tuesday, June 22, Racism Discussion Group Meeting, 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information about this ongoing weekly meeting, please call the parish office . . . Thursday, June 24, The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, Mass 12:10 PM . . . Next Sunday, June 27, The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Mass 11:00 AM, Father Stephen Gerth, celebrant and preacher; Evening Prayer 5:00 PM.

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 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.

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. Last Friday, May 21, we served 29 guests. Our next Drop-by Day is scheduled for Friday, July 16. 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.

You may also support this ministry by making a cash donation (if using PayPal, please write “Neighbors in Need” in the memo line); or by making a donation of clothing or hygiene items. We welcome donations of gently used or new clothing and footwear; unopened toiletry items; backpacks, or small rolling suitcases. All these items should be clean and in good repair. Popular clothing items are: T-shirts, socks (e.g., white and black ankle socks), polo shirts, shirts, and blouses with collars; underwear for men and women in all sizes, including bras, slips, briefs; thermal underwear, sweaters, sweatshirts; slacks/blouses; caps, and scarves. We are happy to receive donations of clean towels, but not bedding or housewares such as dishes, glasses or silverware. Please speak to MaryJane Boland, Marie Rosseels, Sharon Stewart, or Father Jay Smith about scheduling a donation.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The organ prelude on Sunday, Rhosymedre, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), is the second of his Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes. Published in 1920, the three preludes were composed to be played either as a set or separately. They were dedicated to British organist and composer Alan Gray (1855–1935), who was organist at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1893 to 1930. The hymn tune Rhosymedre (“Lovely”), found at # 587 in The Hymnal 1982 with F. Bland Tucker’s text “Our Father, by whose name all fatherhood is known,” was composed by John Edwards (1806–1885). Vaughan Williams’s prelude on this tune, doubtless his most well-known organ work, exploits the tune’s inherent lyricism, harmonized in chords rich with added sevenths. Sunday’s postlude is also an organ setting of a Welsh tune. Paul Manz (1919–2009), distinguished American Lutheran organist, composer, and teacher, was especially known for his organ improvisations on hymns and chorales. Many of these improvisations occurred at his acclaimed hymn festivals and were later transcribed and published. His bright and assertive prelude on the hymn tune Cwm Rhonda, published in 1974, has become an American standard.

The settings for the Mass on Sunday are from Saint Paul’s Service by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. Saint Paul’s Service, a setting of the Rite I Mass Ordinary, was commissioned in 2000 by Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York, in honor of the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the parish. Since this setting is scored for unison voices and organ, it is suitable to be sung by a single cantor, as it will be offered at Mass on Sunday. The unifying stylistic feature of this Mass setting is the flavor of French impressionism which can be recognized in its harmonic and melodic elements throughout.

Sunday’s cantor is tenor, Christopher Howatt. During the Communion he will sing The Lord’s my Shepherd by Bob Chilcott (b. 1955). Bob Chilcott has had a long and deep involvement in choral music. He was a chorister and choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge. He also was a member of The King’s Singers for twelve years. Much of his work is for young singers, and he has conducted choral festivals worldwide. He is principal guest conductor of The BBC Singers and in 2019 he was appointed principal conductor of Birmingham University Singers. Chilcott’s setting of Psalm 23 uses the familiar paraphrase found in the Scottish Psalter of 1650. His musical setting features a fluid and natural vocal line with gently rocking accompanying harmony. Modulation to a different key sets off a contrasting middle section, and the original tonality and mood is re-established for the final stanza of the text. —David Hurd

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Would you like to donate altar flowers? We are looking those willing to donate altar flowers for all the Sundays in July and August, except for August 15. The suggested donation is $250. Donors often give flowers in memory, thanksgiving, or celebration of people or life events they would like to pay tribute to. Please contact Chris Howatt, if you would like to donate or speak to Brendon Hunter for more information . . . Please speak to the rector if you’d like to volunteer to take photographs on Sunday morning, during Mass or the adult-education classes. The photographs are used to illustrate the weekly newsletter.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR . . . Thursday, July 22, Saint Mary Magdalene . . . Friday, August 6, The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Sunday, August 15, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . Tuesday, August 24, Saint Bartholomew the Apostle . . . Monday, September 6, Labor Day . . . Wednesday, September 8, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . Saturday, September 11, Requiem Mass for Victims of Attacks on 9/11/2001 . . . Tuesday, September 14, Holy Cross Day . . . Tuesday, September 21, Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist . . . Wednesday, September 29, Saint Michael and All Angels.

AT THE MUSEUMS . . . At the Metropolitan Museum, Fifth Avenue and Eighty -second Street, Gallery 801, Christ Asleep during the Tempest, c. 1853, by Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863). This coming Sunday, June 20, the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the gospel passage at Mass is Mark 4:35–41, the evangelist’s account of Jesus’ Stilling of the Storm. The Met’s collection of European paintings includes an interpretation of that scene by Delacroix, the well-known, nineteenth-century French painter. It is a gospel scene that apparently intrigued that artist. From the museum’s website, “Delacroix painted at least six versions of this New Testament lesson in faith: when awakened by his terrified disciples, Christ scolded them for their lack of trust in Providence. In the earlier works, the seascape is more prominent; in the later ones, as here, Christ’s bark occupies a more significant place. After Vincent van Gogh saw this version in Paris in 1886, he wrote, ‘Christ’s boat—I’m talking about the blue and green sketch with touches of purple and red and a little lemon yellow for the halo, the aureole—speaks a symbolic language through color itself.’ ”

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.