FROM FATHER WOOD: THE BLESSING OF CHALK AT EPIPHANY

Everybody knows that Christmas lasts twelve days and is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany, a celebration that puts the Magi front and center in our imagination. At Saint Mary’s, they are making their way around the church and will finally take their place with the Holy Family on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. But St. Matthew's gospel tells us that when the Magi arrived in Bethlehem to visit Jesus, they came to him with his mother in a house, not the stable where the family had first found temporary shelter. This is a clue—a hint that our Epiphany celebration should encompass our own houses, and a centuries-old custom is to bless houses on Epiphany. In the East, in particular, it is the custom for the local priest to go through the parish blessing houses—not the elaborate blessing of a new home, but a special blessing also often given at Easter, a renewal of the homes in which the people of God dwell and live out the mystery of faith day by day. In recent years, this custom has been revived in the West, and The Book of Occasional Services of the Episcopal Church provides forms for a house blessing. 

However, there is another way of blessing homes at Epiphany that begins in church and does not require the priest to go from house to house—something that would be quite impractical in many gathered parishes in the modern world. This custom involves chalk that is blessed by the priest and taken home by individuals and families to mark the doors of their own homes. Chalking the door has biblical roots in the Old Testament where the Israelites marked their doors with the blood of a sacrificed lamb—the Passover offering—so the angel of death would “pass over” and they would be saved. (Exodus 12:13–28) The Christian Epiphanytide practice asks God’s protection of our homes until the next Epiphany, when the custom is repeated. This tradition not only places God symbolically at the entrance of our homes, but it also places us all under God’s protection. 

The simple ritual is to write with blessed chalk on our lintel above the front door of the house the pattern 20 + G + M + B + 23— the numbers referring to the calendar year 2023 and the crosses to Christ. The letters G (or C), M, and B stand for the legendary names of the Magi— G(C)aspar, Melchior, and Balthasar—or alternatively for the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat (“May Christ bless this house”). After making the inscription, a short prayer is offered:

Leader:  The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Let us pray. 

O Lord, holy Father, Almighty, everlasting God, we beseech you to hear us and vouchsafe to send your holy Angel from heaven to guard and cherish, protect and visit, and evermore defend all who dwell in this home. I call upon your Saints Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, to protect my family, friends and all who enter here from every harm and danger, and I place this mark over my door to remain as a reminder to us that my home is truly the house of the Lord. O God, make the door of my house the gateway to your eternal Kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“Sacramentals” like holy water and chalk can be “sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments [and] signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them [we] are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1667) Join us this year on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, when we will bless chalk during the 6:00 PM Solemn Mass to be used to hallow all our homes throughout our parish and our city. The chalk will be available at the back of the Church, so please take some home with you. May God make all our homes oases of hospitality and peace where Christ is made present to our neighbors and friends! — SW 

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 Mary, who is gravely ill, and Thomas, Allison, Peter, Nadira, Gloria, Rachel, Mavis, Marilyn, Ginny, Roger, Catherine, Tony, Clark, David, Pat, Eloise, Penny, Steven, Gloria, Samantha, Larry, Lourdes, Luis, Liduvina, Nora, Joyce, Mary Hope, Marjorie, José, Linette, Gigi, Julie, Carol, Helga, Gina, Maria, Charlotte, Greg, Eric, Carlos, Christopher, Shalim, Greta, Quincy, Laverne, Ava Grace, Bruce, Barbara, Robert, Abe, Ethelyn, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, Hardy, Rick, priest, and for the repose of the souls of Jerelene Fitzgerald, Rose Matilda Flemister Erwin, and Roberta.

For the Chemin Neuf Community and the Community at the Crossing;
For the people of Buffalo and Western New York;
For all refugees and those seeking asylum;
For the work of Neighbors in Need and for its guests;
For those without food, shelter, or work; and for those seeking work;
For those troubled by depression, anxiety, or addiction;
For all those visiting Saint Mary’s this week;
For the safety and welfare of our neighborhood and city.
For those attending the New Year’s celebrations in Times Square on Saturday night. 

Neighbors In Need, Saint Mary’s Outreach Ministry

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

We need 4 or 5 volunteers during the day on Monday, January 23,

to set up for the clothing distribution the following day. An ability to climb stairs and lift bags of clothing is essential. If you are not available, perhaps you have a friend or family members who is? This distribution is meant to serve the Spanish-speaking immigrants now living in our neighborhood.

We also need volunteers the previous week to prepare for the clothing distribution in January.

Please look at your calendars and see if you can give us a few hours next month. Your help will be much appreciated.

Our biggest clothing needs continue to be coats and sturdy shoes, especially for children. We also accept financial donations as we purchase toiletries, underwear, thermals and essentials that are not donated. You can drop off clothing at any time that the church is open.

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.

THE FLOWER GUILD IS ALSO LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

All good things do come to an end. This is true of the flower arrangements in and around the church during Christmastide. On Saturday, January 7, beginning at 10:00 AM, the members of the Flower Guild will be leading a “workday” (actually two or three hours) during which they and volunteers will dismantle the arrangements, return the decorations, vases, buckets, and other items to their home in the basement.

We invite you to come on Saturday, January 7, for the workday. It’s not as creative as decorating, but it’s fun to spend some time with fellow parishioners, to chat while working, and it’s a very helpful and useful ministry. For more information, please contact Grace Mudd.

FLOWER DONATIONS

Many Sundays and feast days in 2023 are available to donate the altar flowers, including Sunday January 15; Sundays, February 5, 12, and 19; and Sunday, March 19 (Laetare Sunday). Please contact Chris Howatt if you would like to make a donation for one of the available dates.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2023

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Missa Octavi Toni by Orlando di Lasso (1532–1594). Lassus, as he was also known, was one of the most prolific and admired European composers of his time. Born at Mons in the Franco-Flemish province of Hainaut, Lassus was well traveled particularly in northern Italy, but was centered in Munich much of his adult life.  His compositions include about sixty authenticated Mass settings, most of which are elaborate parody works based upon motets, often his own, as well as French chansons, and Italian madrigals from such composers as Gombert, Willaert, Resta, Arcadelt, Rore, and Palestrina.  Missa Octavi Toni is one of the more succinct of Lassus’ Masses. It is in four voices throughout. Much of the Gloria is declaimed syllabically, and the polyphony in other movements is relatively restrained. Lassus shone perhaps with greater compositional distinction in his motets, but his compact Mass settings such as Missa Octavi Toni have demonstrated their liturgical suitability over generations.

During the administration of Communion on Sunday morning, the choir will sing Revelation by Dennis Michno (1947–2018). Dennis Michno was an energetic and multi-gifted priest and musician.  Originally from Chicago, and a graduate of Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, Michno came to New York for advanced studies in harpsichord, organ, and piano at The Juilliard School. Prior to his ordination in 1977, he held music positions at Trinity Church, Wall Street, and at All Saints Church on East Sixtieth Street where he continued as both Curate and Director of Music until 1985.  Concurrently, he was an active synagogue musician and he coordinated major annual diocese-wide acolyte and choir festivals at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Slowed by a battle with multiple sclerosis, Michno retired from his New York activities, but merciful periods of remission allowed him to resume his musical and priestly life for periods of time in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. Notably, Michno was the author of A Priest’s Handbook (1983) which remains a vital resource for clergy and students of liturgy. During the years of Michno’s service at All Saints Church, the Reverend R. DeWitt Mallary was rector. In 1980, Michno composed his setting for four voices of Father Mallary’s poetic reflection on Hebrews 1:1-2, which is entitled Revelation. 

The organ prelude on the Feast of the Holy Name is a setting from the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Bach’s Orgelbüchlein is a collection of forty-six chorale preludes, mostly composed between 1708 and 1717 when he was organist at the ducal court in Weimar. Although he had originally planned to compose 164 organ chorales for his collection, the smaller realized collection still spans the year’s liturgical cycle very usefully. These Orgelbüchlein chorales are modest in length but are compact masterworks of construction and expression. Das alte Jahr vergangen ist (“The old year now has passed away”), BWV 614, is based on a New Year’s hymn by Johannes Steurlein and Jakob Tapp published in 1588. The hymn sings of thankfulness with supplication for grace and increase of faith. Bach’s meditative organ setting presents the chorale melody in poignantly ornamented form over a slow-moving accompaniment and gives a suggestion of longing remembrance of the old year now past. This chorale prelude will be introduced on Sunday by Bach’s own four-voice harmonization which is cataloged as BWV 288.

THE ORGAN RECITAL ON JANUARY 6, 5:30 PM:
AN ALL-UKRAINIAN PROGRAM

Dr. Gail Archer is director of the music program at Barnard College, Columbia University. She has long had an interest in Slavic music, especially the music of Ukraine.

On Thursday evening, January 6, at 5:30 PM, Dr. Archer will play a program of music by Ukrainian composers: Piece in Five Movements by Tadeusz Machl (1922–2003); Chacona by Svitlana Ostrova (b. 1961), Fantasia by Victor Goncharenko (b. 1959); and Passacaglia Mykola Kolessa (1903–2006).

We continue to pray for the people of Ukraine for and an end to the Russian invasion.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Saturday, December 31, New Year’s Eve, John Wyclif, Priest, 1384. Mass 10:00 AM. Note earlier time. The church closes after the 10:00 AM Mass because of the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square.

Sunday, January 1, New Year’s Day, The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Solemn Mass 11:00 AM (The church closes at 2:00 PM. Evening Prayer is not said in the church.)

Monday, January 2, Basil the Great, Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Mass 12:10 PM, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM.

Thursday, January 5, Desert Mothers: Syncletica of Alexandria, Theodora of the Desert, and Sarah of the Desert, Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Mass and Healing Service 12:10 PM, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM.

Friday, January 6, The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Mass 12:10 PM, Organ Recital 5:30 PM, Procession and Solemn Mass 6:00 PM.

AN ADDITION TO THE CALENDAR OF SAINTS

On January 5, we will commemorate three women saints— Syncletica of Alexandria, Theodora of the Desert, and Sarah of the Desert—who were part of that great Christian ascetical movement of the fourth and fifth centuries that began in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine and soon spread around the Mediterranean world and beyond. The lives of some of these desert monastics are extant. But the desert mothers and fathers are perhaps best known from their sayings which have been handed down to us in various collections. Here is an example or two:

Amma Theodora used to say that the person who teaches should be a stranger to the love of power, alien to vanity and self-delusion, far from haughtiness and pride; the person who teaches should not seek out flattery, be blinded by gifts, conquered by the belly, or be ruled by anger. Instead, the person who teaches should be patient and even-tempered, courteous and forbearing and, as far as possible, completely humble. The one who teaches should be approved for the position, accommodating, prudent, and a lover of souls.

The same Amma Theodora used to say that neither ascetic practice nor keeping vigils, nor all kinds of toil and suffering will save us without genuine humility. Here’s why: There was a certain anchorite who used to drive away demons, and he would question them:

Why do you come out here? In order to fast?

They would say, We neither eat nor drink.

In order to keep vigils? They would say, We don’t sleep.

In order to withdraw from the world? We live in deserted places.

Why, then, do you come out here? They would say, Nothing defeats us except humility. Do you see that humility means victory over demons?

AROUND THE PARISH

The organ recitalist on January 6, at 5:30 PM, will be Dr. Gail Archer. Dr. Archer is an international concert organist, recording artist, choral conductor, and lecturer who draws attention to composer anniversaries or musical themes with a number of annual recital series. She is college organist at Vassar College, director of the music program at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she conducts the Barnard-Columbia Chorus and Chamber Singers, and a faculty member of Harriman Institute, Columbia University. She is artistic director of the artist and young artist recital series at historic Central Synagogue, New York City.

Our guest preacher at the Solemn Mass at 6:00 PM on the Feast of the Epiphany is Brother Jim Woodrum, SSJE. Brother Jim is a native of Bristol VA/TN. He studied music and euphonium performance at the University of South Carolina and went on to teach and play music professionally. In 2004, he began a long discernment to the “consecrated life” and arrived at the Society of Saint John the Evangelist as a postulant in January of 2012. He was initially professed in 2014 and life professed in 2017. He has served the community as sacristan, choir brother, facilities brother, and vocations brother, where he helped create the Society’s vocations website https://catchthelife.org. He is currently Brother that guides Mission & Communications and is the editor of SSJE’s Cowley Magazine. He has authored essays for Cowley, the “Earth and Altar” blog, the Saint Mary Magdalen School of Theology blog, and Attention! Magazine (a publication of CHADD–Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). He is an active preacher, retreat leader, and spiritual director. When Brother Jim is away from his desk (and that “Office” in the monastery chapel), he enjoys photography as a means to contemplative prayer, cooking Southern cuisine, exploring different neighborhoods in Boston, and has a keen interest in craft beer. We look forward to welcoming Brother Jim to Saint Mary’s.

Father Matt Jacobson will be away from the parish from the evening of January 8 through Friday, January 27. He will be the celebrant at the Solemn Mass on Sunday, January 29, the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany.

AROUND THE CITY

El Museo del Barrio’s Forty-sixth Annual Three Kings Day Parade and Celebration
Friday, January 6, 2023
11:00am – 12:00pm | Parade on the streets of El Barrio
1:00pm – 2:00pm | Live Performance at El Museo. Free Admission.

El Museo del Barrio is delighted to present the Forty-sixth Annual Three Kings Day Parade and Celebration on Friday, January 6, 2023, titled Entre Familia: Mental Health & Wellness of our Communities. Returning once again to the streets of El Barrio (East Harlem), the upcoming in-person celebration gives space and focus on the importance of mental health and wellness, in light of national political and health occurrences these past few years. Join us on this joyous day in celebration of life and culture, featuring camels (live), colorful puppets, parrandas, music and dancing!

Visit El Museo’s website for more information and for the parade route.

ADULT EDUCATION 2023

The Eucharist: the Gifts of God for the People of God
Sunday, January 15, 22, 29; February 5, 12, 19; April 23, 30; and May 7, 14, at 9:30–10:30 AM
in Saint Benedict’s Study in the Parish House, 145 West 46th Street

After the Christmas break, we will continue our year-long series on the Eucharist. In the fall, we considered the sacrament as a kind of multi-faceted jewel, as meal, sacrifice, memory, prayer, and presence. On January 15, we resume this series with a set of three classes, led by Father Sammy Wood, on the fundamental link between Sacrament & Mission.

On the Sundays in February, Father Jay Smith will teach a series of three classes in which he will continue last fall’s conversation about Eucharist as Presence, contrasting Catholic and Protestant conceptions of the Eucharist, discussing theology and doctrine, as well as poetry and hymn.

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 head 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.

RELIGIOUS LIFE SUNDAY:
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, JANUARY 22, 2023

Saint Mary’s has had close relationships with the religious orders of women and men in the Episcopal Church from the parish’s earliest years. The Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, the Sisters of the Holy Nativity, the Brothers of the Society of Saint Francis, and the Sisters of the Community of Saint John Baptist have all lived and ministered here at the parish. Others have as well.

We were, therefore, pleased to learn that the General Convention of the Episcopal Church recently approved resolution 2022-B004, “Foundation of Religious Life Sunday,” calling for such an observance to take place each year on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany. This observance is designed in part to teach Episcopalians and Anglicans about the Communion’s religious orders and what they offer the church.

As a way of marking this first Religious Life Sunday, we have invited Brother Robert Leo Sevensky of the Order of the Holy Cross to be with us on January 22, 2023. He will preach at the Solemn Mass and then, after Coffee Hour, lead us in a discussion of the religious life in the Episcopal Church and his life as a monk of the Order of the Holy Cross.

You are invited to visit https://www.religiouslifesunday.org/ for more information about this observance and our church’s religious orders of women and men.

COMING UP: MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Sunday, January 8, The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord, Solemn Mass 11:00 AM, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM.

Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The church opens at 9:00 AM. Mass is celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 10:00 AM. The church closes at 11:30 AM. The parish offices are closed.

Evensong & Benediction will not be offered during the month of January, but will resume on the first Sunday of the following month, February 5, 2023, at 5:00 PM.

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.