FROM FATHER WOOD: ON UNITY

This week I’ve been thinking about unity. 

On Tuesday, more than 600 bishops from across the worldwide Anglican Communion gathered in Canterbury, England, for the Lambeth Conference to listen and learn from each other. Lambeth doesn’t legislate; it’s considered an “instrument of communion (unity)” for Anglicans everywhere. Still, as too often happens, the week started off with displays of disunity and bickering. So, I started the week praying for our bishops to find unity. When Psalm 133’s Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity! showed up in both the mass and Morning Prayer readings for the week, I prayed for unity again.

Then Wednesday rolled around. I got to preach at the daily mass on the life and work of William Reed Huntington, a name that may be familiar to you – he was rector of Grace Church here in New York City and a giant in the Episcopal Church from the 1870s until he died in 1909. Fr. Huntington moved the General Convention to revive the primitive order of “deaconesses,” and he led the process of prayer book reform that resulted in the 1892 version of the Book of Common Prayer. He composed a beautiful collect for Holy Week that we now use every Friday at Morning Prayer: 

“Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

But perhaps Huntington’s most lasting contribution was in the cause of Christian unity. When Huntington was rector of All Saints Church in Worcester, MA, he and the priest at the local Roman Catholic church co-founded an ecumenical clergy fellowship, and the story is he first articulated his ideas for Christian unity at meetings of that little group in the 1860s. He went on to pen an essay called The Church Idea (published by Dutton, 1870, and available to read online) to lay out a vision for Christian unity based upon a small set of “essentials.” These essentials found their way into a resolution before the House of Bishops at the 1886 General Convention in Chicago, and with some revision they were adopted by the Lambeth Conference in 1888. They are even in your prayer books today – in the Historical Documents section on pages 876-877. The statement, which came to be known as the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, gives voice to an earnest desire that Christians may “all be one,” Jesus’ own prayer in John 17. To that end, Huntington proposed, and the General Convention and Lambeth Conference adopted, four articles that are essential for restoration of unity between separated branches of Christianity: 

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the revealed Word of God.
2. The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
3. The two “dominical” Sacraments instituted by our Lord (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). 
4. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted.

Obviously, the Church is still divided as I type this. But I was part of similar ecumenical groups of Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and others during my time in Nashville, and I too dream about Christian unity. I dream that the Anglican Communion in general, and Saint Mary’s in particular, can be places where other Christians can find community just by believing those four essentials. I dream that the world will look at us and know we are Jesus’ disciples not because we bicker, but because we “have love for one another.” (John 13.35)  

In the meantime, here are some words for us to ponder and pray, words William Reed Huntington himself preached in 1865 in a homily at Trinity Church in Boston’s Copley Square. 

“Let us put away all malice, and be very careful how we sneer. Remember it is peace we want. Only by speaking the truth in love, patiently and honestly weighing the arguments of those who differ with us, gently smoothing away prejudice, and gracefully conceding, where it is possible to concede, can we hope for a shadow of success. May the God of Peace send us a new Pentecost that these things may come to pass.”

Will you pray that with me this week? Consider it an invitation. 

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

Prayers are asked for the sick, for those who are travelling, and for all those for whom prayers have been asked, especially Maggie, Reha, Mary, Peggy, Barbara, James, Claudia, Ben, Allen, Marjorie, Shalim, Greta, Liduvina, Quincy, Florette, José, James, Frank, Abraham, Gypsy, Margaret, Emil, Pat, Carlos, Loretta, Ken, and Robert; for Lain, religious, Christopher, deacon, Scott, priest, and for the Brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist

TIMES AND LOCATIONS OF DAILY AND SUNDAY LITURGIES:

Monday–Saturday: Daily Mass 12:10 PM, Lady Chapel

Monday–Sunday: Evening Prayer 5:00 PM, Choir and Church

The Solemn Mass on Sunday morning at 11:00 AM is celebrated in the Church

ABOUT THE MUSIC

English musicologist Denis Vaughan’s 1957 edition of the thirty keyboard voluntaries of John Stanley includes the following note: “John Stanley was born in London in 1713. He was blinded by accident at the age of two, and at eight years was studying music with Maurice Greene. His genius was such that he was appointed organist at All Hallows, Bread Street, at the age of eleven, and in 1726 organist of Saint Andrew’s, Holborn. He graduated as a Bachelor of Music at Oxford in 1729, and in 1734 was appointed one of the organists of the Temple Church in London. In 1779, he succeeded [William] Boyce as Master of the King’s Band of Music. His compositions include several oratorios, a masque, a cantata, and an opera. He also wrote many songs; solos for the flute, violin, or harpsichord; [and] concertos for strings.” Voluntary VIII in D minor is comparable to Italian Baroque concertos which such composers as J. S. Bach and his cousin, Johann Gottfried Walther, transcribed for keyboard.  Stanley similarly appropriated much of the character of Italian Baroque string writing to his keyboard voluntary. The first two movements of Voluntary VIII will be played for the prelude. The final movement, a fugue marked Allegro, will be played for the postlude.

The musical setting of the Mass today is Mass III as found in the Liber Usualis (“Usual Book”), a comprehensive anthology of medieval Roman plainsong compiled in the nineteenth century by the monks of Solesmes, France. Like the several other numbered Masses of the Gregorian Missal, Mass III is a collection of chants for the Ordinary of the Mass which likely were originally independent pieces brought together and associated with one another by later custom. This combination was traditionally sung on solemn feasts. The Gloria of Mass III dates from the eleventh century and is in Mode 8. Sanctus and Agnus Dei of this Mass are both in Mode 4 and are probably of twelfth-century origin. 

The cantor at Mass today is Christopher Howatt, parish administrator at Saint Mary’s and tenor in the choir. During the ministration of Communion, he will sing A Simple Song from Mass (1971) by Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990). Bernstein, a giant of American twentieth-century musical life, called the piece “Hymn and Psalm: A Simple Song.” The text consists of verses taken from several psalms, which have been adapted and woven together by the composer in collaboration with Stephen Schwartz (b. 1948).

More about Sunday’s Cantor: Christopher Howatt has been a regular member of the Choir at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin since 2008 and stepped into the role of parish administrator more recently. An actively performing singer in the realms of musical theatre and cabaret, he was a member of the Associate Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera for two seasons. He has been heard on recordings as diverse as Jessye Norman’s Christmas CD, In the Spirit, to singing backup for The Pet Shop Boys on their cover of the Village People’s “Go West.” As an accompanist and music director he has worked with such talents as David Hyde Pierce, Howard McGillin, Tyne Daly, Rita Moreno, Brad Oscar, and Cady Huffman, among others. He has served as musical supervisor for productions of Sylvia, Lend Me a Tenor and Inspecting Carol at the George Street Playhouse as well as musical director for their world premiere production of Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, written and directed by the late theatrical legend Arthur Laurents. For several years he displayed both pianistic and vocal talents as music director/arranger and performer with the two-time MAC Award nominated vocal group Boulevard East, producing and recording their CD, Timeless, as well as performing with them in various cabaret venues.

AROUND THE PARISH

Take a self-guided tour of Saint Mary’s by scanning the QR codes found throughout the church that remain up following the Sacred Sites Open House last weekend. They link to recordings by our sisters and brothers in Christ describing the architecture, sacred objects, and much more about our parish and its history. Thanks again to Mary Robison for all her hard work on this project!

If you have been thinking about baptism, confirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church, please speak to Father Wood or Father Jacobson. They would be happy to talk to you about preparing for these sacramental rites of initiation.

In recent weeks, several parishioners and members of the staff have received emails that claim to be coming from Father Wood. These emails, sent from an account that is different from Father Wood’s email address at Saint Mary’s, ask for assistance, financial help, or credit card information. These emails are not from Father Sammy, and he will never ask for such assistance over email. Do not respond to any of these messages.

A “cooling station” will be available on Sunday morning during the Solemn Mass. The door to Saint Benedict’s Study will be unlocked and the air-conditioning will be on in the classroom. Speak to an usher, if you are finding the heat difficult in the church, and he or she can escort you to Saint Benedict’s.

Saint Mary’s Book Club: Our first book, which we will read this summer, is Marilynne Robinson’s novel, Gilead (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004). We’ll meet in September, either in-person or over Zoom, depending on what works best for the group. If you would like to join us, please send Father Jay an e-mail.

Livestream: Due to summer vacations and being a little shorthanded, we will be unable to livestream the Solemn Mass on Sunday August 7. We continue to look for additional volunteers who are interested in learning how to broadcast our liturgies. It isn’t hard to learn, and we would be happy to train you. Send Father Matt an e-mail if you are interested or stop by the broadcast booth, next to the sacristy, on a Sunday and speak with Blair Burroughs. We’ll be back online the following Sunday, August 14, and also plan to livestream Solemn Mass on Monday, August 15, at 6PM for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Father Jay Smith is on vacation. He returns to the parish on Monday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Father Peter Powell returns to the parish and will preach at the Solemn Mass on Sunday, August 7, and Sunday, August 14. Father Sammy Wood will be away from the parish on vacation, August 6–9 and 12–14. He will preach at the Solemn Mass on Monday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, at 6:00 PM.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, July 31, The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 13C), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. The readings are Ecclesiastes 1:12–14; 2:18–23; Psalm 49:1–7; Colossians 3:5–17; Luke 12:13–21. Father Wood is the celebrant. Father Jacobson will preach the sermon.

Next Sunday, August 7, The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 14C), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. The readings are Genesis 15:1–6; Psalm 33:12–22; Hebrews 11:1–3, 8–16; Luke 12:32–40. Father Jacobson is the celebrant. Father Powell will preach the sermon.

Upcoming Commemorations: Monday, August 1, Joseph of Arimathea, Mass 12:10 PM; Saturday, August 6, The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mass 12:10 PM.

The Holy Eucharist is celebrated Monday–Saturday at 12:10 PM in the Lady Chapel. The chalice is now being administered at all the Eucharists here at Saint Mary’s. Please speak to one of the priests if you have questions.

Holy Hour. Wednesday mornings 11:00–11:50 AM, in the Lady Chapel. A time for silent prayer and contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Eucharist follows at 12:10 PM. We invite you to join us.

HEALING MASS ON THURSDAYS

The noonday Mass on Thursdays at 12:10 PM includes anointing, also known as unction, and prayers for healing immediately after the homily or, on holy days, after the Nicene Creed. “Unction is the rite of anointing the sick with oil, or the laying on of hands, by which God's grace is given for the healing of spirit, mind, and body” (Book of Common Prayer, page 861). Anointing is a much-respected rite here at Saint Mary’s, and all are invited, though none are compelled, to come to the rail for anointing during Mass should they wish.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED

The Neighbors in Need program is Saint Mary’s principal outreach ministry. It was founded by members of the parish, along with resident sisters and friars and members of the parish’s clergy staff. We “own” it and run it. We provide clothing and basic, but essential, hygiene items to our neighbors in Times Square. Your cash donations and gifts of new and lightly used clothing make this ministry possible.

The August Drop-by will take place on Friday, August 19.

The September Drop-by will take place on Friday, September 16.

The October Drop-by will take place on Friday, October 21

We welcome cash donations and donations of athletic shoes, jeans, socks, and underwear for both men and women.

Beginning in the autumn, we will gladly receive donations of cold-weather clothing such as coats, scarves, gloves, and thermal underwear.

If you would like to volunteer for Neighbors in Need, please contact Marie Rosseels.

Our goal is to continue to distribute clothing and hygiene items to those in need in the Times Square neighborhood. We are grateful to all those who continue to support this ministry.

AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, FIFTH AVENUE

The Good Life: Collecting Late Antique Art at The Met (through January 7, 2024, Gallery 302). From the museum’s website: “This exhibition showcases the Museum’s important and rare collection of third- to eighth-century art from Egypt and reevaluates it through the lens of late antique ideas about abundance, virtue, and shared classical taste. Writers and craftspeople translated these ideas into a concept celebrated as the “the good life.” Anchored by crucial gifts to The Met of late antique art, the exhibition explores themes connected to social status, wealth, and living well in Late Antiquity.

The core of The Met’s collection from late antique Egypt was formed through public subscriptions and generous gifts in the 1890s. The first decades after the Museum’s founding was a time when profound interest in the earliest Christian art inspired scholars, collectors, and the public alike. Today, The Met continues to collect late antique art that reveals the burgeoning of literary and visual representations of a life well lived. This exhibition highlights The Met’s holdings of late-antique textiles, decorative arts, jewelry, and sculpture—all highly prized by elite patrons of the Byzantine Empire’s southern provinces in Africa.

The works of art featured in the exhibition reflect the extraordinary wealth of Mediterranean Africa. In addition to marking status, these objects responded to such fundamental questions as, What does it mean to “live well”? During the period, ideas about “the good life” intersected with issues of religion, identity, and relationships with the past. As a result, these objects not only testify to The Met’s long-standing interest in late antique art of the region but also shed light on some of the aspirations, values, and lifestyles of its upper classes.”

Though this exhibition is unlikely to give us insight into the lives of those of lower status in Egypt, it may give us some mental images of what the world looked like to such Christian scholars, bishops, and theologians as Origen, Athanasius, Theodosius, and Cyril.

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Sammy Wood and Father Jay Smith. Father Matt Jacobson also helps to edit 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.