FROM DR. HURD: THE CHOIR OF SAINT MARY’S RETURNS

Following the choir’s customary summer break, fully choral Sunday Solemn Masses will resume on 2 October. For the fourteen Sundays between Corpus Christi and the end of September, individual cantors, all members of the choir, have provided musical leader at Sunday Masses. In addition to singing the proper Gregorian chants at the entrance of the ministers, before the Gospel, at the Offertory, and at the Communion, cantors have supported congregational singing and, at times, sung unison mass settings. During the Communion, cantors have offered a wide variety of vocal solos including arias from cantatas and oratorios and other sacred songs of various provenance. Purcell, Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Dvořák, Ives, Barber, Bernstein, and others (including Hurd) are among the composers represented in the cantors’ solos.

The Choir of Saint Mary’s is a professional vocal octet composed of two sopranos, two altos, two tenors, and two basses. Typically, the choir sings choral settings of the Mass Ordinary and a motet or anthem during the Communion at Solemn Masses from the beginning of October until the Feast of Corpus Chrisi, observed two Sundays after Pentecost. The choir also sings the minor proper chants as set forth in the Gregorian Missal in addition to supporting the congregation’s singing of hymns and responses. The high quality of the musicians who comprise the choir makes possible the presentation of an extensive range of choral repertoire for as many as eight voices. Over the course of the past six years in which I have been privileged to direct this choir, changes of personnel have naturally occurred as singers’ careers have developed and life circumstances have changed. An extended family of choir ‘subs’ has provided continuity in times of transition. For the upcoming season, three long-time choir members are stepping back from regular weekly participation. We will miss Charlotte Mundy, Sharon Harms, and Mark Risinger as regular members of the choir, but we hope they will be with us as ‘subs’ from time to time in the season ahead. On the other hand, Joy Tamayo, Kirsten Ott, Daniel Castellanos, Christopher Howatt, and Muir Ingliss will be returning to the choir in October.

The choir’s season calendar includes several occasions when only a portion of the choir, usually a quartet, will sing. One of these occasions will be a Sung Mass on the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, 29 September. Also, as Evensong and Benediction are reintroduced into the liturgical pattern at Saint Mary’s, quartets will provide choral music at these services.

So, as the 2022-2023 choral season begins at Saint Mary’s in October, there will be voices, both familiar and new, and a diversity of choral music spanning from medieval time to the present. May the choir’s offerings continue to illuminate the liturgy at Saint Mary’s — DH

The Book of Common Prayer includes the following prayer for Church Musicians and Artists (p. 819):

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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, Luis, 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;

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

For the people of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Pakistan, and for all those living in the path of storm, fire, 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 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.

AN INVITATION TO HELP PUERTO RICO

The island of Puerto Rico has, once again, been hit by a devastating hurricane. As I write, the entire island is without electrical power. Puerto Ricans are citizens of the United States of America, but often feel that they are often regarded, and treated, as somehow less than fully American. Relief aid is often slow in coming to the island, as Puerto Ricans saw in 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The Public Broadcasting Service recently posted an informative and helpful article on their website. The article very usefully provided information about several organizations that are helping the people of the island. I found it helpful to read the article and think about the ways in which I feel called to help. The link to the PBS article is here.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, September 25, The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 21C), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. The readings are Amos 6:1–7; Psalm 146:4–9; 1 Timothy 6:11–19; and Luke 16:19–31. Father Wood will celebrate, and Father Peter Powell will preach. The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Christ Church Service by David Hurd, organist and music director here at Saint Mary’s. The vocal solo, sung by cantor Daniel Santiago Castellanos, will be Liebt, ihr Christen, in der Tat, the twelfth of fourteen movements of Cantata 76 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750).

On Thursday, September 29, the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, we will keep the feast with a Sung Mass at 6:00 PM. A quartet from the choir will sing. The preacher at the Mass will be the Reverend Dr. Lloyd Alexander Lewis, Jr., Molly Laird Downs Professor of New Testament Emeritus at the Virginia Theological Seminary. Dr. Lewis—known to many of his friends and colleagues as Tony—also served parishes in Brooklyn and on Long Island and taught at the General Theological Seminary. He was, for a time, Dean of the George Mercer, Jr. Memorial School of Theology and Bishop’s Deputy for Education in the Diocese of Long Island. He is a learned scholar, a kind and compassionate pastor, and a fine preacher and priest. We hope that many of our members and friends will be able to join us on Michaelmas to celebrate the feast and to hear Father Lewis preach. We plan to livestream this Mass.

Commemorations: Monday, September 26, Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester; Thursday, September 29, Saint Michael and All Angels; Friday, September 30, Jerome, Priest and Monk of Bethlehem; Saturday, October 1, Remigius, Bishop of Rheims.

COMING UP

Sunday, October 2, The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost:

• The Beginning of the Choir Season

• Solemn Mass with the Full Choir at 11:00 AM

• Solemn Evensong & Benediction with a Quartet at 5:00 PM

Sunday, October 9, The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

• Solemn Mass at 11:00 AM concluding with a block blessing and festive reception

• Blessing of Animals at 4:00 PM

• Evening Prayer (said) at 5:00 PM

AROUND THE PARISH

This will be the schedule of services 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 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.

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.

If you are interested in being baptized or confirmed we would be glad to help. Please speak to Fathers Wood, Smith, or Jacobson.

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

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

ABOUT THE MUSIC

The organ voluntaries on Sunday morning are settings by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) of two different chorale paraphrases of the Nicene Creed. The prelude is Bach’s Wir glauben all an einen Gott, Vater, (“We all believe in one God, Father”), BWV 740, which is based on the melody for Tobias Clausnitzer’s German metrical creed of 1668. Bach’s setting is in five voices, two of which are played on the pedals. Bach presents the chorale melody, one phrase at a time, with the upper pedal voice always melodically anticipating its eventual appearance in the soprano register. This prelude has a gentle and lyric tone and reflects a confident reverence. By contrast, in other settings Bach expresses the creed in strong and angular music. Such is the case with Wir glauben all an einen Gott, Schöpfer (“We all believe in one God, Creator”), BWV 680, offered today as the postlude. This setting from Bach’s “German Organ Mass” is based upon the modal melody of Martin Luther’s creedal chorale. The theme of its three-voice fugue played by the hands derives from the first six pitches of the chorale melody’s opening phrase. This counterpoint for the hands is punctuated at regular intervals by recurrences of a striding pedal figure which is suggestive of climbing stairs, two at a time, and then hastening down to the bottom again. For this reason, this setting has been nicknamed the “Giant” fugue. At the very end of it, the remaining melody notes of the chorale’s first phrase are cleverly embedded in the midst of the counterpoint.

The settings for the Mass on Sunday, September 25, are from Christ Church Service by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. Christ Church Service, a setting of the traditional Rite I Ordinary, was commissioned in 1998 by Christ Episcopal Church, New Haven, Connecticut. It is scored for unison voices and organ and therefore is also suitable to be sung by a single cantor, as it will be offered at Mass on Sunday. The melodic shapes of the Kyrie (not sung this morning) and Gloria are inspired by modal chant style, although set with accompaniment in a more modern harmonic context. The vocal line of the triple-meter Sanctus is punctuated by a bold succession of major and minor chords, interrupted only by the rhythmic shifts of hemiola at two cadences. The melody of Agnus Dei is derived from the Kyrie but accompanied more simply than at Kyrie.

Sunday’s cantor is Daniel Santiago Castellanos. During the Communion he will sing Liebt, ihr Christen, in der Tat, the twelfth of fourteen movements of Cantata 76 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Bach’s Cantata 76, Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes (“The heavens are telling the glory of God”), draws texts from many places after beginning with a clear reference to Psalm 19. This cantata was composed in Leipzig for the second Sunday after Trinity and first performed on June 6, 1723. The cantata was designed in two symmetrical halves which were to be performed before and after the sermon. In the first half, Bach uses a trumpet to represent the glory of God. In the second half, where today’s alto aria is found, the subtler sounds of oboe d’amore and viola da gamba support a focus on brotherly devotion.

More about Sunday’s cantor: Daniel Santiago Castellanos is a composer, vocalist, and pianist based in New York City. His piece for mezzo-soprano and piano, Death is nothing at all, won first prize at the 2019 NYC songSLAM competition. Ensembles that have performed his music include the Semiosis Quartet, The Orchestra Now (TŌN), Da Capo Ensemble, and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. He is pursuing an MM in composition at Mannes School of Music, where he will graduate in May 2023. Daniel has been a member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s since the fall of 2018. 

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. 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.

FLOWER DONATIONS NEEDED

Dates for altar flower donations are available for the following Sundays: October 9, 23, and 30; November 6 and 13; and December 11. Opportunities to donate for Sundays and feast days in 2023 will be made available soon. Flowers on the high altar, at the shrines, and other areas of the church, are part of our offering to the glory of God and add to the beauty and solemnity of our worship. Often, the flowers are given in the memory, celebration, or honor of someone, a life event, or other occasions, which is printed in the bulletin. Please contact Chris Howatt if you would like to make a donation for one of the available dates.

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 FIFTH AVENUE

The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England
October 10, 2022–January 8, 2023, Gallery 899

From the museum website, “England under the volatile Tudor dynasty was a thriving home for the arts. An international community of artists and merchants, many of them religious refugees, navigated the high-stakes demands of royal patrons, including England’s first two reigning queens. Against the backdrop of shifting political relationships with mainland Europe, Tudor artistic patronage legitimized, promoted, and stabilized a series of tumultuous reigns, from Henry VII’s seizure of the throne in 1485 to the death of his granddaughter Elizabeth I in 1603. The Tudor courts were truly cosmopolitan, boasting the work of Florentine sculptors, German painters, Flemish weavers, and Europe’s best armorers, goldsmiths, and printers, while also contributing to the emergence of a distinctly English style. This exhibition will trace the transformation of the arts in Tudor England through more than 100 objects—including iconic portraits, spectacular tapestries, manuscripts, sculpture, and armor—from both The Met collection and international lenders.”

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.