FROM BLAIR BURROUGHS: CENTERING PRAYER

Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing. This is the official definition of Centering Prayer from Contemplative Outreach, the organization that was founded to promote Centering Prayer. In essence, Centering Prayer is a Christian form of what we usually think of as meditation. The spiritual practices known in the east as meditation, in Christianity, is called contemplation. Centering Prayer is a Christian meditation method.

The method is simple. There are only four steps. A full introductory workshop is on the Saint Mary’s Centering Prayer webpage. While the method is simple, it takes practice. It is recommended that your prayer period should be twenty minutes twice a day. In the beginning, whatever you can do is fine. The most important thing about doing Centering Prayer is doing it.

Centering Prayer is a prayer of intent. That is, God is the initiator of the prayer, and we cooperate by sitting and doing the method. Whatever happens during the prayer period is precisely what is supposed to happen. We sit down to do the method and we leave the results to God. We are not trying to do anything other than the method. We rest in the arms of God.

For more than five years, a small group of Saint Marians have met on Friday evenings to practice this method as a group. We initially met in the atrium; we then moved to the morning room while repairs were being made to the rose window. Since March 13, 2020, we have met online.  When we sit and meditate, we affirm God’s presence and action within us. Our meetings start with the collect and the psalm for Evening Prayer. Next, we meditate for twenty minutes. At the end of the prayer period, we sit while a member slowly recites the Lord’s Prayer. While this is currently the way that we conduct our sessions, we are always open to changes according to whoever shows up. There is no requirement to join our prayer sessions. If you would like personal instruction, let us know. Our group is small, but together we are mighty.

My first experience with Centering Prayer came from an adult education session at Saint Mary’s given by Sister Debra Francis. Since that time, I have gone on numerous silent weekend retreats. I attended a ten-day silent retreat in Snowmass, Colorado. I completed a nine-month contemplative practice course and became a certified Centering Prayer presenter. I am available to assist in learning the method. I strongly recommend the Saint Mary’s Centering Prayer webpage for more information.

What I have received from my practice of Centering Prayer is first and foremost, that however I feel, or whatever I think, the presence of God is always with me despite everything going on around me. I have only to look within. There is something special about practicing Centering Prayer at Saint Mary’s. Here in the center of the largest city in America, God is present and can be found in the silence that lays under the city’s hustle and bustle. — BB

Mr. Blair Burroughs, and his wife Renée, are longtime active members of Saint Mary’s. Blair, along with Ms. Ingrid Sletten, lead our Centering Prayer Group. Blair has previously served on the parish’s Board of Trustees and can often be found on Sundays in the broadcast room near the sacristy, livestreaming the liturgy. Blair and Ingrid can be contacted at centeringprayersmv@gmail.com for more information or to join the group.

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

We pray for those who are sick and for those in any need or trouble. We pray for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week; for those living with drought, storm, flood, fire, and earthquake; and we pray especially for Julie, Carole, Helga, Gina, Maria, Pat, Opal, Charlotte, Lindsay, Greg, Penny, Nadira, Peter, Eric, Carlos, Christopher, Linette, Larry, Luis, David, Barbara, Shalim, Greta, Liduvina, Quincy, Laverne, Alexis, James, Patrick, Anna, José, Abraham, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, Emil, Robert; Lind, deacon; Nicholas, religious; Matthew, Scott and Rick, priests, and for the repose of the soul of Brother Christian Swayne, OHC.

You are invited to keep these intentions in your minds, hearts and prayers this week:

We pray that the citizens of our city, state, and nation will exercise their right to vote this week and will do so with a concern for the common good.

We pray that God will grant to all those in authority the wisdom and strength to do God’s will.

We pray also for peace and justice in Ukraine, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria, Iran, and Yemen; and we pray for the people of Somalia, who are experiencing a severe drought;

For those ill with COVID-19;

For those suffering from depression, anxiety, or addiction;

For victims of physical and sexual abuse;

For all refugees and for those seeking asylum in the United States, especially those now sheltering in the Times Square neighborhood;

For those without food, shelter, or work, and for those seeking work;

For the ministry of Neighbors in Need;

For the Search Committee of the parish;

For the Diocese of New York as it prepares to elect a Bishop Coadjutor.

THE SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR A NEW RECTOR

What a joy it is to have so many of our fellow parishioners interested in the search committee for the new Rector of Saint Mary’s! We regret that we could not include everyone who expressed interest, and for that we are truly sorry.

The group that was selected will prayerfully discern, with assistance from the Canon for Transition Ministry, Nora Smith, how to build our parish profile and who the Holy Spirit is calling to be our next Rector.

Co-chaired by Mark Risinger and Mary Robison, the committee members are MaryJane Boland, Charles Carson, Clark Mitchell, Grace Mudd, and Elizabeth Nisbet.

Please add this team to your regular prayers as they begin their work in the coming days. And watch your inboxes for opportunities to share your own thoughts as together we discern the mind of the parish about the sort of Rector we seek to come alongside us to do the work God has given Saint Mary’s to do.
— Mary Robison and Mark Risinger, Co-Chairs

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2022–2023

The annual stewardship letter and pledge cards were recently mailed and should have arrived in your mailboxes by now (pledge cards may also be found on the ushers’ table in the church and in Saint Joseph’s Hall). The 2023 pledge cards include ways to pledge your time and talent as well as your treasure. In an insert accompanying the letter, the Stewardship Committee highlighted some of the many ways to contribute to the mission of Saint Mary’s. We hope that all the members of our community will read the insert and prayerfully consider new ways of service and involvement in the coming year. It is possible to submit 2023 pledges of treasure, time and talent electronically, via our website. Please click here for the online pledge card. If you aren’t on our mailing list and would like to be, please contact Chris Howatt in the parish office or fill out a welcome card here on our livestream page. Thank you in advance for your generosity in 2023! And all to the greater glory of God.

FOR ALL MEMBERS: SOMETHING FREE IN YOUR MAILBOX

Saint Mary’s is a sponsor of The Living Church, and members of the parish are eligible for a complimentary one-year digital subscription to The Living Church magazine. Click here to sign up, making sure to select “The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, New York, NY” from the dropdown list of parishes.

According to their website, “The Living Church keeps you informed about what’s happening in the Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion, and beyond. Published twenty times a year, every issue includes news and commentary on the issues of the day, plus reflections on ministry and theology."

Saint Mary’s was on the cover of the September 18 issue!

NEIGHBORS IN NEED, SAINT MARY’S OUTREACH MINISTRY

There will be two Drop-by distributions of clothing and hygiene items in November. The first, on Tuesday, November 15, 2:00 to 3:00 PM, will be primarily for families with children, especially for the asylum seekers now sheltering in our neighborhood. The second will take place on Friday, November 18, 2:00-3:00 PM, and will be primarily for the guests, mostly single adults, who we've served for some time now. This two-part distribution system will allow us to prepare somewhat different items for each group and also to provide Spanish-speaking interpreters for those who have come from South and Central America, many of whom have limited English.

If you would like to ask questions about volunteering for any of our Neighbors in Need activities or if you would like to volunteer, please send us a message at neighbors@stmvnyc.org.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, November 6, The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27C), Adult Education 9:30 AM in the Parish House; Solemn Mass & Holy Baptism 11:00 AM. The readings at Mass are Job 19:23–27a; Psalm 17:1–8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5; Luke 20:27–40. Father Wood will celebrate, and Father Conrado will preach. Barbara Frances Jones will be baptized at the Solemn Mass. The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is the Missa O quam glorisosum est regnum of Tomás Luís de Victoria (1548–1611). The Communion motet is O quam glorisosum est regnum, also by Victoria. At 5:00 PM, Evensong & Benediction will be offered.

Saturday, November 4 and Monday–Tuesday, November 7–8: the final Annual Requiem Masses will be celebrated at 12:10 PM on those days in the Lady Chapel.

Tuesday, November 8, is Election Day.

Wednesday, November 9, we commemorate the English Mystics: Richard Rolle (1349), Walter Hilton (1396), and Margery Kempe (c. 1440). On Thursday, November 10, we commemorate Leo, Bishop of Rome (461). Friday, November 11, is Veterans’ Day and we also commemorate Martin of Tours, Bishop (397). On Saturday, November 12, we commemorate Charles Simeon, Priest (1836).

Friday, November 11–Saturday, November 12, 246th Diocesan Convention, Westchester Marriott, Tarrytown, New York.

AROUND THE PARISH

On Wednesday, November 23, The Eve of Thanksgiving Day, Sung Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 PM in the church. On Thursday, November 24, Thanksgiving Day, Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM in the Lady Chapel. Please note earlier time. We will be experimenting with this earlier time on other Federal holidays. We hope to encourage increased attendance at Mass on those days.

Dr. David Hurd will be away from the parish on Sunday, November 6. He will be playing the Joy Huttar Memorial Recital that afternoon at Grace Church, Holland, Michigan. We are always honored that David is able to represent Saint Mary’s in this way. Please keep him in your prayers. Parishioner Clark Anderson will play the organ and conduct the choir at the Solemn Mass on November 6. Larry Long will play and conduct the choir at Evensong and Benediction that day.

SAINT MARY’S BOOK CLUB

The next book that we will read is Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. This nonfiction book is a brilliant, compelling, and moving reflection on grief, mortality, family, marriage, motherhood, illness, and death. It was much praised when it appeared in 2005 and it won the National Book Award that year. It is available in paper, hardcover, and as an e-book at the usual online retailers. The book will be a fitting continuation of our November meditations on life, death, and resurrection following All Souls’ Day. Please join us. The group will meet in Saint Benedict’s Study on Sunday, November 20, at 1:00 PM. Please contact Father Jay Smith, if you would like to attend.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6

Today’s organ voluntaries are smaller works from two Romantic-era composers known for their big compositions, Franz Liszt and Josef Rheinberger. Those compositions require great virtuosity as well as stamina. But both composers also wrote a number of smaller works in various genres. Liszt, a dominating figure of the Romantic era and one of the greatest of all pianists, shaped the evolution of classical music in a profound way. Many people don’t realize he composed for the organ, but his major works are considered important milestones in the Romantic organ repertoire. Today’s prelude is a mini-work, Liszt at his most contemplative. He composed the Adagio originally for piano as part of his series of “Consolations” (Tröstungen) but later arranged it for organ and also borrowed it for his B-minor piano sonata. A simple melody slowly weaves through luscious harmonies, all in a subdued palette of colors. Rheinberger, a native of Liechtenstein and of the generation after Liszt, is best known today for his elaborate and challenging organ works. But at the postlude we hear one of his smaller pieces, Ernste Feier (Solemn Festival), from a collection of twelve miscellaneous pieces (Miscellaneen) published in 1893. Despite the title, the work is more joyful than solemn. After an introduction, Rheinberger constructs a canon-fugue that builds to a satisfying climax. Listen for the extended pedal trill towards the end, which adds some fun panache. — Clark Anderson

The musical setting of the Mass today is Missa O quam glorisosum est regnum of Tomás Luís de Victoria (1548–1611). It was published in Victoria’s First Book of Masses (1583), and it carried a dedication to King Philip II of Spain. Victoria, considered the most important Spanish composer of Renaissance polyphony, was born in Ávila, the seventh of eleven children. He began his musical education as a choirboy at Ávila Cathedral, and 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 of which the Missa O quam glorisosum est regnum is one of several in the style of Missa parodia. In this case, Victoria parodies his own motet of the same title. The full text of the motet translates as “O how glorious is the Kingdom wherein all the saints rejoice with Christ; clothed in white robes they follow the Lamb wherever he goes, alleluia.” This is the Magnificat antiphon for the Feast of All Saints. Victoria’s manner of parody resists the usual practice of beginning each Mass movement with a clear reference to the motet from which its themes are derived. Rather, he skillfully selects his borrowed themes and applies them where they best serve their new texts. The setting, one of the best known of Victoria’s Masses, is for four voices.

During the Communion, the choir will sing Victoria’s motet, O quam glorisosum est regnum, upon which the Mass setting was based. This four-voice motet was first published as the first piece in Victoria’s Motecta I of 1572.

Our guest organist is parishioner Clark Anderson. Clark took his first job as church organist at the age of thirteen and went on to hold a variety of organist and music director positions over the following thirty years, until his day job as a banker forced him to retire from the organ bench. Since then, he has performed and accompanied periodically, and he is always happy to be at the Saint Mary’s console. Clark holds degrees from Princeton University (where he was University Organist and Assistant Conductor) and Pomona College. Clark is currently a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley here in the city, and he and his husband Zachary have been members of Saint Mary’s since 2014. — David Hurd

ORGAN RECITAL AT SAINT MARY’S, DECEMBER 8, 2022

Thursday, December 8, Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 5:30 PM
Michael Hey, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City

CONCERTS AT SAINT MARY’S

Saturday, November 19, 2022, 8:00 PM. The Miller Theatre Early Music Series at Saint Mary’s presents The Orlando Consort: Josquin’s World. From the Theatre’s website, “The brilliant Orlando Consort marks the end of an era with their final season together. For their farewell program, they reflect on Josquin Desprez, the greatest and most influential composer the Western world had yet seen at the time of his death, 500 years ago. Experience a magical sequence of music that reflects on the composer and his world. And don’t miss your last chance to hear one of the most joyous and legendary vocal ensembles of our time.”

Information about purchasing individual tickets or tickets for the entire Early Music series is available on the Miller Theatre website. Please do not call the Parish Office to purchase tickets.

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, The New York Repertory Orchestra (NYRO) will play an all-Wagner Concert:  Das Rheingold, Entry of the Gods into Valhalla and Die Walküre, Act I (complete). David Leibowitz, music director; Sarah Cambidge, soprano, and Kyle van Schoonhoven, tenor. Saint Mary’s parishioner Mark Risinger, bass, will also sing at this concert.

There is no charge for admission to NYRO concerts. However, a $15.00 donation will be much appreciated.

MAKING DONATIONS FOR FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS

There is one date left in 2022 for a donation of flowers for the altar and in the church: November 13.

However, many Sundays and feast days are now available for 2023, including the Epiphany and Baptism of Our Lord, January 6 and 8; Sundays January 15, 22, and 29; Candlemas, February 2; Sundays February 5, 12, and 19; and the Annunciation, March 25.

The flowers on the high altar and at the shrines are often given in memory, celebration, or honor of someone, a life event, or other occasion, which is printed in the bulletin.

We also welcome donations for flowers and other decorations at Christmas and Easter. Please contact Chris Howatt if you would like to make a donation for one of the available dates or for the holy days.

COMING UP

Wednesday, November 16, 7:00 PM: Evening Meet and Greet with Candidates for Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of New York at Saint Andrew’s, Harlem, 2067 Fifth Avenue, between 127th and 128th Streets. 2 or 3 Train to 125th Street.

Thursday, November 17 at 7:00 PM:  Evening Meet and Greet with Candidates for Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of New York at Trinity-Saint Paul, New Rochelle, Westchester County.

Friday, November 18 at 7:00 PM: Evening Meet and Greet with Candidates for Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of New York at Saint Margaret’s, Longwood, Bronx, New York.

Sunday, November 20, The Last Sunday after Pentecost.

Sunday, November 27, The First Sunday of Advent.

Saturday, December 3, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Advent Quiet Day, led by Father Sammy Wood.

Saturday, December 3, Special Convention to Elect a Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of New York, Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.

Sunday, December 11, Third Sunday of Advent, Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. A Service of Lessons and Carols will comprise the Liturgy of the Word at the Solemn Mass.

ADULT EDUCATION 2022–2023

This coming Sunday, November 6, at 9:30 AM, in Saint Benedict’s Study, Father Peter Powell will begin his series of classes on several of the so-called Deutero-Pauline Letters. Father Powell writes, “On Sunday, November 6, we begin an examination of the writings from the time the New Testament was formed. Imagine you’re a first-century Christian. Paul has died. The Second Coming has not occurred. If your faith pointless? The New Testament takes shape, and the church is formed in part to answer these questions. We know the Gospels reach their present form after 60 BCE. What about the Epistles? How do the followers of Paul understand their faith in light of Paul’s Death? How do the followers of Paul understand their faith after the Jewish Revolution and the destruction of the Temple? How do they make sense of worshiping a Jewish Savior when essentially no Jews are Christian? In other words, how do they remain faithful? We will be studying these questions when we look at Colossians, Ephesians, and 2 Thessalonians. It is interesting that seminary education in most Episcopal and Protestant seminaries neglects these seminal writings. We won’t. I hope you’ll join us in Saint Benedict’s at 9:30 am beginning November 6.”

Participation by the members of the class is invited and encouraged.

To find Saint Benedict’s Study, please enter Saint Joseph’s Hall via the entrance at 145 West 46th Street, bear right and head down the long hallway which takes you past the rest rooms, the windows, and then heads toward the Sacristy. The classroom is located on your left, just short of the doors to the Smoke Room, the Control Room, and the Sacristy.

January 15–February 20, 2023, Series on The Holy Eucharist, Part II.

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Jay Smith, except as noted. Father Matt Jacobson also edits the newsletter and is responsible for formatting and 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.