FROM FATHER WOOD: HOLY CROSS DAY & THE HOLY LAND

This past Wednesday was Holy Cross Day, a feast the Church keeps every September 14. In the East, it is called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is said that Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor, traveled to the Holy Land in search of lost holy sites and relics, and she ordered the excavation that uncovered the true cross of Christ. The Roman wars had laid waste to Jerusalem, and the places consecrated by Jesus’ Passion, Death, Burial and Resurrection had been deserted. But under Helena’s eye, the location of Calvary and Jesus’ tomb were identified, and Constantine erected a magnificent complex of buildings over them to “set forth as an object of attraction and veneration to all, the blessed place of our Savior’s resurrection.” Those buildings were consecrated on September 14, 335, and within just a few decades the faith community in Jerusalem was gathering in that church to venerate the wood of Christ’s cross every Good Friday. From as early as the 7th century, the Church has observed September 14 as the Feast of the Holy Cross. 

It may seem strange that Christians have universally taken to themselves this particular symbol. In The Faces of Jesus, Frederick Buechner, who just died, wrote of this adoption:

“‘God so loved the world,’ John writes, ‘that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’ That is to say that God so loved the world that He gave his only son even to this obscene horror; so loved the world that in some ultimately indescribable way and at some ultimately immeasurable cost, He gave the world himself. Out of this terrible death… came eternal life… This is the essence of the Christian message, and the heart of the Good News, and it is why the cross has become the chief Christian symbol. A cross of all things — a guillotine, a gallows — but the cross at the same time as the crossroads of eternity and time, as the place where such a mighty heart was broken that the healing power of God himself could flow through it into a sick and broken world.”

Thus, crosses sit atop our Times Square church and upon our altars; crosses adorn our necks and glimmer from England’s Crown Jewels; they tower in the Alps and decorate our prayer books. As my dear friend Tom Howard said, “Christians see themselves as a people under the sign of the cross — it is the sign of their salvation; it is their ensign, their banner, their cover, their plea, and their glory.”

Several years ago, my wife and I were fortunate to go on pilgrimage to those very buildings Constantine ordered erected so long ago. Immediately, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem became probably my favorite place. It’s been called “the most important place in the world,” and it can be a bewildering maze. It is beautiful, cacophonous, chaotic, and it is undeniably holy. Within that church, pilgrims can kiss the stone where Jesus’ body laid for anointing after it came down from the cross; you can spend a moment in the Edicule praying before the site of Christ’s tomb; and you can reach beneath glass panels and actually touch a portion of the rock of Calvary, the very place where the sign of our salvation — our ensign, banner, cover, plea, and glory — once stood.

For twelve days next March, Renee and I are again leading a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and many other sites in the Holy Land. For information, please see this brochure. And if you have questions, send me an email or speak with me in person on a Sunday. — SW

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

Prayers are asked for the sick, for those who mourn, and for those in any need or trouble; for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week; for those who are travelling; and especially for Josepha, Reha, Nadira, Peter, Eric, Carlos, Christopher, Linette, Jordan, Larry, Stuart, David, Sterina, Frank, Dickie, Renee, Noah, Addison, Katie, Maggie, Barbara, Allen, Marjorie, Shalim, Greta, Sylvia, Liduvina, Quincy, José, James, Frank, Laverne, Abraham, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, Emil, Pat, Robert; James and Nicholas, religious, Scott, priest; and for the repose of the soul of Elizabeth, queen.

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

For the people of Pakistan, and for all those living in the path of fire, storm, flood, and other natural disasters;
For peace in Ukraine; for peace, understanding, and reconciliation in the United States;
For those ill with COVID-19;
For those suffering from depression, anxiety, or addiction;
For all refugees and those seeking asylum in the United States;
For those without food, shelter, or work;
For all Anglican religious orders;
For the Search Committee of the parish;
For the safety and welfare of our city and our nation.

Prayer for the Search Committee of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the hearts and minds of those who shall choose a rector for Saint Mary’s, that we may receive a faithful priest and pastor who will boldly proclaim the gospel, faithfully administer your sacraments, and serve your people with love and compassion, equipping us for our ministries in the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

If you feel that you may be called to serve on the Search Committee for our next rector, please click here to fill out an application. You may also nominate others for consideration via this same webpage.

SAINT MARY’S BOOK GROUP: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 12:45 PM

“I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, because I’m old, and you said, I don’t think you’re old, and you put your hand in my hand and you said, You aren’t very old, as if that settled it.”

Thus begins Gilead, Marilynne Robinson’s novel in the form of a letter from a not-young Congregationalist pastor to his very young son, a letter meant to be read some years after the pastor’s perhaps imminent death. This deeply personal letter is all about family—at least four generations of a family—but it is also about the place of a couple of families who lived their lives within the framework of a troubled American history. And so, it is also a novel about violence, war, loyalty, faith, ministry, race, radicalism, pacifism, dissent, Calvinism, Puritanism, and what it means to say, “I am a follower of Jesus.” It is also at its heart a book about sin, forgiveness, and the difficulties with forgiving. For all that, the book is subtle and never didactic. And it is dominated by the distinctive voice of one of contemporary American literature’s most complex and interesting characters—who is a pastor no less!

The novel was written by Marilynne Robinson (b. 1943), American novelist and essayist and professor emerita at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Robinson is the recipient of many awards. She was twice longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and once for the Man Booker Prize itself. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for Gilead. In 2012, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama. The award citation read, “Marilynne Robinson for her grace and intelligence in writing. With moral strength and lyrical clarity, Dr. Robinson’s novels and nonfiction have traced our ethical connections to people in our lives, explored the world we inhabit, and defined universal truths about what it means to be human.”

We invite you to join us on September 18 in Saint Benedict’s Study (not Saint Joseph’s Hall). Sandwiches and beverages provided. If you have a chance, let Father Jay Smith know you are coming.

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.

Schedule beginning on Sunday, October 2:

Sunday

The church will open at 9:00 AM and will close at 6:00 PM.
Adult Education will normally take place at 9:30 AM in Saint Benedict’s Study.
Solemn Mass is at 11:00 AM.
On the first Sunday of every month, there will be Evensong and Benediction in the church at 5 PM. On other Sundays, Evening Prayer will be said at 5PM.

Monday–Friday

The church will open at 7:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM.
Morning Prayer will be said in the church at 8:00 AM.
Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 PM, normally in the Lady Chapel.
Evening Prayer will be said in the church at 5:00 PM.
On Wednesdays, Holy Hour will be kept in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament at 11:00 AM. The Holy Hour will take place in the Lady Chapel.
The Mass on Thursdays will normally include Anointing and Prayers for Healing.

Saturday

The church will open at 10:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM.
Mass will be celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 12:10 PM.
Evening Prayer will be said in the church at 5:00 PM.

AROUND THE PARISH

The September Drop-by will take place today, Friday, September 16, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM.

At the Solemn Mass on Sunday morning, September 18, the service will be played by Clark Anderson, a talented musician and a faithful member of the parish. Read more below about the organ voluntaries Clark will play at the beginning and end of the service.

Morning Prayer in the church returns: It is our plan to resume Morning Prayer in the church, Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM, beginning on Monday, October 3. All are invited to join us in person to pray the Office. It is a fine way to begin the day.

If you think you might be called to serve as an officiant at Morning or Evening Prayer, please speak to Father Wood. We are resuming Morning Prayer in the church in October, Monday through Friday, and would love to have the help of others with this ministry.

Father Jay Smith will be away from the parish from Tuesday, September 20, until Monday, September 26.

CELEBRATING OUR 150TH ANNIVERSARY: IMAGES AND VESTMENTS

Curator José Vidal has been hard at work in Saint Joseph’s Hall this week, hanging a new exhibition to celebrate the parish’s 150th anniversary—1870–2020.

In the show, there are photographs and a portrait of Father Thomas McKee Brown, our first rector and the founder of the parish; a portrait of Father J.G.H. Barry, the third rector of Saint Mary’s; a fascinating photograph of the steel frame of the present church, historically significant because our building was one of the first of its kind in New York City to be constructed using such materials; lovely embroidered fragments of old and well-worn vestments; and other fascinating images from the parish’s past.

Please come to Saint Joseph’s after Mass on Sunday and explore our past, our traditions, and our forebears as we consider our present and prepare for the future.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Thursday, September 29, Saint Michael and All Angels, Sung Mass at 6:00 PM, followed by a reception in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

Sunday, October 2, The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, The Beginning of the Choir Season and Solemn Evensong & Benediction at 5:00 PM.

Sunday, October 9, 4:00 PM, Blessing of the Animals on 46th Street and in the church. Bring your beasts, one and all!

Sunday, October 30, Father Sammy Wood, interim rector, will preach the sermon at the Solemn Mass. During the Mass he will discuss the stewardship of time, talent, and treasure.

On Tuesday, November 1, All Saints’ Day, Solemn Mass will be celebrated at 6:00 PM in the church. The Bishop of New York, the Right Reverend Andrew M.L. Dietsche will celebrate and preach. Mass is preceded by an organ recital that begins at 5:30 PM.

On Tuesday, November 2, All Souls’ Day, Sung Mass and Blessing of the Vault at 6:00 PM.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is New Plainsong by David Hurd, organist and music director here at Saint Mary’s. This setting was composed in 1978 at the request of the Standing Commission on Church Music of the Episcopal Church as the revision of The Hymnal 1940 was gaining momentum. The Commission desired a setting which would be for the contemporary language Eucharistic texts what John Merbercke’s 1550 setting had been for the traditional English words. As such, New Plainsong is chant-like and almost entirely syllabic, that is, only one note is sung per syllable. Modest keyboard accompaniments are provided in this Mass setting, but its vocal lines alternatively may be sung unaccompanied. New Plainsong subsequently has been included in The Hymnal 1982 and in worship resources of other denominations. A revised edition of New Plainsong issued in 2018 accommodates newer Roman Catholic usage.

The Twenty-third Psalm is probably the best known and most quoted of all the psalms. It fits all occasions and speaks to our understanding of the nature of God and our relationship to God. It is regularly recited at baptisms, at marriages, and at funerals, and the lectionary prescribes its recitation more than once a year as the gradual psalm for Sunday Mass. During the administration of Communion on Sunday morning, the cantor, mezzo-soprano, Kirsten Ott, will sing a setting of Psalm 23 by Antonín Dvořák (1841–1901). In March 1894, while Dvořák was living here in New York City, he composed a cycle of ten Biblical Songs, Opus 99, of which God is my Shepherd is the fourth. These ten songs all derive their texts from the Psalter and were first published in Czech with English and German translations in 1895. Scored originally quite simply for piano and voice, Dvořák orchestrated only the first five of the songs in a manuscript which was published posthumously in 1914. These Biblical Songs are notable for their simplicity of means and effectiveness of expression. They are often performed as a cycle or in select groupings as well as offered liturgically. — David Hurd

Sunday’s organ voluntaries are the four movements of Baldassare Galuppi’s Sonata in D minor for organ. Galuppi (1706–1785) is little known or performed today but was considered one of the outstanding composers, conductors, and keyboard players of his time. A native of Venice, he eventually became maestro di cappella at Saint Mark’s. But he was famous primarily for his operas and keyboard performances. He hit the European circuit, as it were, and his fame became such that Catherine the Great invited him to Saint Petersburg, where he composed and performed operas and instrumental music for the Russian imperial court. After his death back in Venice, Galuppi’s music was largely forgotten, a victim of fashion, perhaps, as the sprightly Italian baroque style lost its attraction. Written for the small and usually pedal-less Italian organs of the time, the Sonata in D minor is for keyboard alone. Simple, accessible, and charming, the work is especially fun to hear in Saint Mary’s acoustic, with its echoes of the famous reverberation at Saint Mark’s.— Clark Anderson

More about Sunday’s cantor: Kirsten Ott, mezzo-soprano, has been a member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s since the fall of 2021. She sings frequently with Libero Canto, an organization which stages both opera and song programs, and she has also produced several of her own recital programs. She has previously sung with local groups such as Vox Vocal Ensemble and the Manhattan Chamber Choir. Before joining the choir at Saint Mary’s, she had sung for many seasons in the choirs of the Church of the Holy Apostles, Chelsea, and the Church of the Epiphany, Yorkville. Kirsten has extensive acting training and has coached both classical and musical theater performers. She studied oboe at Manhattan School of Music and is also a pianist.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, September 18, The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 20C), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. The readings are Amos 8:4–7; Psalm 138; 1 Timothy 2:1–8; and Luke 16:1–13. Father Wood will celebrate, and Canon Victor Conrado will preach. The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is New Plainsong by David Hurd, organist and music director here at Saint Mary’s. The vocal solo, sung by cantor Kirsten Ott, will be a a setting of Psalm 23 by Antonín Dvořák (1841–1901).

Upcoming Commemorations: Monday, September 19, Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 690); Tuesday, September 20, John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, (d. 1871); Wednesday, September 21, Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist.

The Holy Eucharist is celebrated Monday–Saturday at 12:10 PM in the Lady Chapel.

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.

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

We need pants! At our last Drop-by, our stock of pants mostly for men, but for women also, was seriously depleted. Please take a look in your closets and see if you have some pants or slacks for women and men that you are able to part with. Donations can be brought to church on Sunday morning. Leave the bag with the ushers, and thank you.

If you would like to volunteer for Neighbors in Need, please send us a message at neighbors@stmvnyc.org. 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.

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, p. 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.

AT THE MET MUSEUM FIFTH AVENUE

On Wednesday, September 21, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist. Saint Matthew will be commemorated at the 12:10 PM Mass in the Lady Chapel and at Evening Prayer, which is at 5 PM in the church. The Calling of Saint Matthew (c. 1625–30) by Giovanni Battista Caracciolo (1578-1635) is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and can be found in Gallery 601.

From the museum website, “One of the outstanding figures of Neapolitan painting, Caracciolo was deeply influenced by Caravaggio, who worked in Naples in 1606–7 and again in 1610. The artist shows the moment when Jesus asks Matthew, a…tax collector, to renounce his worldly possessions and follow him (Matthew 9:9). Jesus’ gaze and outward gesture present the viewer with the same quandary as Matthew’s: whether to embrace Christ’s invitation or the money bag at the edge of the canvas.”

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Jay Smith, except as noted. Father Matt Jacobson 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.