FROM FATHER SMITH: “HOLY ONES RIDING THAT OCEAN OF AIR”

As I write on Friday morning, January 21, we are more than halfway through the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which ends next Tuesday, on the Feast of the Conversion of Paul the Apostle. I confess that this year, and for some years past, I have wondered if prayers for unity are simply fruitless. Divisions between and among the churches are as deep as they have ever been. Some Christians seem to revel in the differences, broadcasting them as a badge of their doctrinal purity. I sometimes wonder if God has simply given up on us, leaving us to our bickering.

Still, I’m not sure it’s ever a good idea to think that way. Does the One in whom “we live and move and have our being” ever just surrender to our stubbornness? Perhaps the Holy Spirit is working on us in ways we don’t yet recognize. In a time of bitterness, fear, and lost faith, perhaps those who believe in the good news need to stick together.

I find myself turning these days to that great cloud of witnesses, those brave, persistent men and women, those holy ones, who endured to the end, who insisted on repairing the world rather than condemning it. Here are a few of them. Who are your holy ones

Arthur Michael Ramsey, 100th Archbishop of Canterbury

And if the problems about schism and reunion mean dying and rising with Christ, they will not be solved through easy humanistic ideas of fellowship and brotherhood, but by the hard road of the Cross.

Thomas Merton, Trappist monk

By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.

Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, Russian Orthodox monk and bishop

Christ saw the beauty of the divine image in every person who came to him. Perhaps it was hidden or deformed, but it was beauty nevertheless. We must do the same. Each of us resembles a damaged icon. When anyone gives us a painted icon that has been damaged by age or circumstances or profaned by human sinfulness, we always treat it with tenderness, with reverence and with a broken heart. It is what remains of its former beauty, and not what has been lost, that is important. And that is how we should learn to treat ourselves and each other.

Dorothy Day, Roman Catholic laywoman, social activist, spiritual teacher, co-founder of the Catholic Worker

People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There is too much work to do.

André Trocmé, French Protestant pastor, resisted the Nazis, protected Jewish refugees, one of the Righteous among the Nations

Look hard for ways to make little moves against destructiveness.

Mahalia Jackson, Baptist, gospel singer

The Lord doesn’t like us to be dead. Be alive. Sometimes I dance to the glory of the Lord, because He said so.

Bayard Rustin, Member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), African American activist and advocate for civil rights, social justice, and the rights of LGBTQ people

God does not require us to achieve any of the good tasks that humanity must pursue. What God requires of us is that we not stop trying.

Denise Levertov, b. 1923, poet, of Jewish and Christian heritage, agnostic and then committed Christian after 1984

In Whom We Live and Move and Have Our Being

Birds afloat in air’s current,
sacred breath? No, not breath of God,
it seems, but God
the air enveloping the whole
globe of being.
It’s we who breathe, in, out, in, in the sacred,
leaves astir, our wings
rising, ruffled—but only the saints
take flight. We cower
in cliff-crevice or edge out gingerly
on branches close to the nest. The wind
marks the passage of holy ones riding
that ocean of air. Slowly their wake
reaches us, rocks us.
But storms or still,
numb or poised in attention,
we inhale, exhale, inhale,
encompassed, encompassed.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Barbara, Stephanie, Agnes, John, Tatiana, Jason, Ricardo, Emily, Philip, Sylvia, Pat, Karen, Shalim, Brian, Carmen, Greta, Liduvina, Marilouise, Quincy, Florette, Peter, George, Abraham, Dennis, Emil, Ethelyn, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, and Robert; for the Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist; for Lind, deacon; Anthony, Sammy, Randall and Louis, priests; for Andrew and Frank, bishops; for all victims of natural disaster; all who suffer from COVID-19; all refugees; all who work for the common good; and all the friends and members of this parish. Finally, your prayers are asked for the repose of the souls of John Heffernan and Patricia . . .  GRANT THEM PEACE . . . January 23: 1895 Philip Hone; 1906 Mabel Theresa Lewis; 1915 Mary Anne Adams; 1916 Harriet A. Smithley, Charles Perrett; 1931 Nelson Snow; 1964 Walter R. Noe, Jr.; 1990 Mary Grantham Adams.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE . . . We received news this week that a great friend of Saint Mary’s, John Heffernan, died in recent days. We still have not received details of how he died nor of any plans for a funeral or memorial service. John worshiped here at Saint Mary’s from time to time over the years. He often joined us for the noonday Mass after July 1, 2020, when we re-opened for public worship. He was kind, generous, and optimistic. He had a strong faith and was happy to talk about that faith and his hopeful view of the world to anyone who would listen. He supported the parish in several ways. In recent months, he volunteered for our Neighbors in Need Drop-by Days. We will miss him very much. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . David Hurd will be away from the parish this weekend. He will be playing a recital at the Cathedral of Saint John in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, January 23, at 4:00 PM. Details are available by following this link. The service on Sunday here at Saint Mary’s will be played by parishioner Clark Anderson . . . Parishioner Stephanie Felshin was struck by a car, fell, and sustained injuries to her head recently. She tells us that she is sore but on the mend . . . Stephanie’s son, parishioner Ricardo Miranda, came down with a COVID-19 infection some weeks ago. He has been recuperating at home and tells us that he hopes to be back in church soon . . . Deacon Lind Phillips tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, January 20. She is at home, quarantining. It appears that her symptoms are not serious . . . Father Smith received news this week that eleven members of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist at the monastery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have tested positive for COVID-19. Most are asymptomatic, three have shown symptoms, none have been hospitalized, all are at the monastery isolating. Please keep all of our brothers and sisters in your prayers.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The Holy Eucharist and the Daily Office: The Angelus is recited Monday through Saturday at 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM. The Holy Eucharist is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 12:10 PM. Evening Prayer is normally said in the church Monday through Saturday at 5:00 PM, except on Federal holidays and certain holy days. A Solemn Mass is celebrated on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. On Sunday, January 23, The Third Sunday after the Epiphany, the Adult Education class will meet from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM in the Arch Room, on the Second Floor of the Mission House. Evening Prayer is said at 5:00 PM in the church on Sunday afternoons . . . On Tuesday, January 25, we celebrate The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle, a commemoration that is also the final day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. . . Tuesday, January 25, Racism Discussion Group Meeting, 7:00 PM via Zoom. For more information about this ongoing weekly meeting, please call the parish office.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED . . . We hope to receive donations of new or lightly used winter coats during the winter months. The coats should be clean. Their pockets should be empty, and the coat’s zippers, if any, should be in good repair . . . At our monthly Drop-by Days, we distribute clothing 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, February 18. 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. The March Drop-by will take place on Friday, March 18.

HELP WANTED! . . . Get involved at Saint Mary’s. Whether you’re new to Saint Mary’s or a longtime friend of the parish, we welcome and invite you to get involved in one of the many parish guilds. No experience is required for any of these ministries. We will be happy to help train new volunteers, answer questions, and assist you in getting started. This week we focus on our guild of ushers:

• The Saint Raphael’s Guild of Ushers are the first line of contact and often a first impression of Saint Mary’s for so many people as they greet newcomers at the doors before and after services, ensure that any offerings and the elements for the Eucharist are collected and brought to the altar, and many things in between. Please contact Marie Rosseels to learn more.

As we look forward to Ash Wednesday and then Holy Week, we are very aware that we need more members and friends to join the guild of ushers if we are to do everything that we need to do:

• Maintain safety protocols so that all can feel comfortable worshiping at Saint Mary’s.

• Provide a warm welcome for our members, friends, and visitors.

• Restore the collection of money donations as part of the Offertory.

• Answer questions about Saint Mary’s for our many visitors.

• Provide an important point of contact among parishioners during this time when opportunities for fellowship are limited.

• Provide guidance during the more complex liturgies of Holy Week and on certain holy days.

If we were able to recruit enough volunteers, each usher might be asked to serve only once per month, or less. We invite you to consider trying this ministry. We think you might enjoy it. Please contact Marie Rosseels, if you have any questions.

PLEASE WELCOME OUR GUEST PREACHER . . . This coming Sunday, January 23, the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, the preacher at the Solemn Mass will be the Reverend Anthony Jones, who is well known to many members of the Saint Mary’s community. Upon moving to New York in early 2000, he became a very active member of the parish, serving at the altar as an acolyte. He is remembered for his kindness, his pastoral abilities, his intelligence, his good humor, and his calm temperament. He has stayed in touch with members of the community since he was ordained deacon and later priest. He assisted the Saint Mary’s community in a particularly important way in 2014, when he oversaw the pastoral care of a much-loved member of Saint Mary’s, Sharon Singh, who died in July 2014. It is a joy to be able to welcome Father Jones back to Saint Mary’s.

A little bit of biography might be in order: Father Jones grew up in Texas and graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and the South Texas College of Law in Houston. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. He practiced law in Houston for several years before moving to New York, locating an apartment in Bellerose in Eastern Queens, and continuing his career with the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Manhattan. After serving here at Saint Mary’s for more than ten years, he settled in a parish home closer to where he lived in Queens. Saint Thomas’s Church, Bellerose, sponsored him for ordination to the diaconate. As a deacon in the Diocese of Long Island, he served at Saint John’s, Huntington, while then Father Allen Shin was rector there. Under Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island, he was ordained priest on September 14, 2019. Father Jones serves as assistant priest at Saint Augustine’s Episcopal Church in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.

ABOUT THE MUSIC . . . Sunday’s organ voluntaries, settings of Gregorian introits for the Epiphany season, were written at almost the same time by two of France’s great twentieth-century organists and composers. But they reflect two very different styles. Maurice Duruflé, composer of the prelude, studied with the greats of French music at the Conservatoire de Paris in the 1920s. Olivier Alain, composer of the postlude, also studied at the Conservatoire, but in the 1950s with a different generation of teachers that included Messiaen. This generational change is clearly reflected in today’s voluntaries. Duruflé’s work, composed in 1961, displays the composer’s conservative but distinctive harmonic palette in a flowing, gracious setting. Alain’s work, though written in 1959, two years before Duruflé’s, is in a decidedly more contemporary idiom. Alain sets the introit around a jagged, dramatic texture in the hands, with the pedal declaiming the chant. The result very effectively captures the text: “Let all the earth adore Thee, O God . . . Shout with joy to God, all the whole earth . . .” Alain’s expert use of modality, atonality and the organ’s more striking colors heightens the drama. One interesting note: Duruflé taught the famous organist Marie-Claire Alain, who was Olivier Alain’s sister. — Clark Anderson

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is the five-voice Missa Prima Sexti Toni by priest and musician Giovanni Croce (c. 1557–1609). Croce, though overshadowed in historic reflection by certain other Venice-centered composers of the late Renaissance, was well known in his time for his madrigals and secular compositions as well as his extensive output of church music. Croce sang as a boy chorister under Gioseffo Zarlino (1517–1590) at Saint Mark’s, Venice, eventually succeeding Zarlino as maestro di cappella there. He remained in that position until his death in 1609, four years before the position went to Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). Croce’s Missa Prima Sexti Toni dates from 1596. It is a bright and succinct setting, embodying the character of its period with economy and grace.

The Communion motet on Sunday is a four-voice setting of O sacrum convivium, also by Giovanni Croce. The text “O sacrum convivium,” often attributed to the Dominican theologian, Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), found a home in the Roman liturgical cycle as the antiphon for Magnificat at second Vespers of Corpus Christi, but is also very much at home in any Eucharistic celebration. It has been set in Latin, as well as in vernacular translations, by distinguished composers of every generation. Croce’s setting of “O sacrum convivium” is in a conservative style with graceful falling melodic lines and close imitation between the voices. — David Hurd

ADULT EDUCATION . . . The Adult Forum will meet this coming Sunday, January 23, at 9:30 AM in the Arch Room on the second floor of the Mission House. Father Matthew Jacobson will lead the class in a discussion of Luke 4:14–21, the gospel passage appointed for the day. Father Jones will preach on that text at the Solemn Mass later that morning. On Sunday, January 30, Father Jay Smith will lead the class in a discussion of Luke 4:21–32.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION FOR ALTAR FLOWERS? . . . Many dates for donating flowers are available, including the following Sundays: February 6, 13, 20, and 27; and Sunday, March 27, The Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday). A number of Sundays in Eastertide are also available. The suggested donation is $250.00 which provides flowers on the high altar; shrines of Christ the King, Blessed Virgin Mary, and Sacred Heart; and/or other locations depending on the calendar. The donation amount can be divided between more than one donor. Please contact Chris Howatt and Father Smith to donate the altar flowers. For questions about flowers and the Flower Guild, please speak with Brendon Hunter.

ORGAN RECITAL: JEREMY JELINEK . . . On Wednesday, February 9, at 2:00 PM, in the church, Jeremy Jelinek will play an organ recital in fulfilment of one of the requirements for the Master of Music (MM) degree in organ performance to be granted by The Juilliard School. Jeremy’s primary organ instructor is Paul Jacobs. Jeremy’s program will include works by Buxtehude, Duruflé, Cage, and Reger. All are invited and encouraged to attend! Jeremy is a good friend of Saint Mary’s, who often worships here along with his partner, Matthew Lobe, who was baptized here last Easter. Jeremy went out of his way to help us recently when he stepped in to play a Sunday service when David Hurd was ill. He is a very fine musician and scholar—he knows a great deal about Gregorian chant—and is a generous and kind person. I hope that many Saint Marians will be able to support Jeremy on February 9. Please keep him in your prayers. — JRS 

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Jay Smith. Father Matt Jacobson is responsible for helping to edit and proofread the newsletter and for posting it on the parish website and distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt, parish administrator, and parish volunteer, Clint Best.