FROM FATHER POWELL: THE CHURCH IS IN CRISIS

I know that some people wonder if it’s really worth it, spending so much time reading the Bible. I find it endlessly fascinating doing just that, and I know many of you feel the same. And so I’d like to invite you—as well as those of you who still have your doubts—to join me for a Lenten Bible Study of two New Testament letters, Ephesians and the Second Letter to the Thessalonians. I doubt it’s ever occurred to you that knowing more about these two slender books in the Bible would enrich your life. My challenge will be to convince you that you will benefit from the experience.

Ephesians and 2 Thessalonians are letters written by those who followed Paul and wrote in his name after his martyrdom. Both letters are well worth reading. Ephesians is a particularly rich text that contains powerful and influential ideas about God, God’s Son, and the church. But both letters have been—and still are—interpreted in ways that stifle the church and especially women.

Ephesians has been used to justify slavery: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” (6:5, CEB) It has been used to support male dominance: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” (5:22, CEB)

It has been used to support heterosexual marriage and the restriction of ordination to heterosexual males: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (5:3, CEB)

These are landmines that can subvert faith. We will study Ephesians to show how we can be faithful disciples while rejecting slavery and patriarchy and refusing to surrender to any fears of accepting LGBTQ people as full members of the church who can marry and answer the call to ordination.

The church that existed in the second half of the first century was in crisis. Christ had not returned. Were the early believers wrong and was Christianity based on a mistaken belief that a man who was crucified by the Romans rose from the dead? Clearly the expectation of the Second Coming was disappointed. It didn’t happen and still hasn’t happened.

Today’s Church is also in crisis. Churches in every denomination are closing. Some people describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” and others now say that they believe in God but not religion. Unfortunately, faith as expressed by many of the faithful has alienated those who need it.

We owe the New Testament to that creative early period. Only the genuine letters of Paul predate it. The rest of the New Testament reached the form we have in these decades.

Obviously, faith survived the crisis of the late first century. Can faith survive today’s challenges and disappointments? The texts we’ll be studying in Lent give us a way to reinterpret faith in the face of our disappointments, strengthened by hope in God’s continued creative action in the world.

In preparation for our time together I’ve been reading a fascinating commentary on Ephesians by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. She recently retired from the faculty of Harvard Divinity School. If you studied Revelation with me a few years ago you may remember her name. Years ago when I first began reading her I was told that when she was preparing to write her doctoral dissertation in theology from the University of Münster, Germany, she was assigned Revelation as her dissertation topic. She was given that topic because she was a woman and; apparently, the interesting topics were reserved for men. The professors at Münster did not see any future for a woman as a professor. She made Revelation interesting and has been an influential biblical scholar in the decades since.

Schüssler Fiorenza uses Ephesians as a way for us to look anew at our faith and our church. Some members of the Anglican Communion are accusing the Episcopal Church, and to a lesser degree, the Church of England, of having abandoned the gospel because of our inclusion of LGBTQ people. They rely on the texts cited above. They are even horrified that the Church of England is talking about using non-gendered language when speaking of God. Many theologians in this country have been doing that for years. In her Ephesians commentary, Schüssler Fiorenza challenges us to imagine God without assuming male pronouns. She questions whether the word ekklēsia can be translated church since the modern understanding of the word church would have made little sense in the first century. She brings this ancient text alive, and I hope to do the same with you in Lent.

I invite you to join us in Saint Joseph’s Hall beginning on Sunday, February 26, at 9:30 AM and continuing on Sundays at that time through and including Palm Sunday. Come as often as you can. My hope is that it will prepare each of us for Easter and the joy the Risen Lord brings us. This joy includes lives without slavery (discrimination), patriarchy and rejection of anyone for whom our Savior died, especially those whom we falsely accuse of immorality. — Peter Powell

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, frigid weather, flood, fire, and earthquake.

We pray especially this week for the people of Türkiye and Syria.

And we also pray for Willard, Virginia, Gigi, Carole, Linda, Don, Michele, Bob, Penny, Steven, Sharon, Pat, Lina, Charlotte, Nora, Ginny, Roger, Catherine, Tony, Ilde Luz, Pat, Gloria, Gladys, Luis, Liduvina, José, Lauren, Theo, Eric, Carlos, Christopher, Shalim, Greta, Quincy, Ava Grace, Bruce, Barbara, Robert, Suzanne, Abe, Gypsy, Margaret, and Bob.

We also pray:

For Dianne and Carl, who are to be married on Saturday;
For the work of the Saint Mary’s Search Committee and the Board of Trustees;
For the Chemin Neuf Community and the Community at the Crossing;
For the people of Ukraine and for an end to the Russian invasion;
For coadjutor bishop-elect, Matthew Heyd;
For all those suffering from COVID-19 and for all those recovering from COVID-19;
For the nineteen people killed in mass shootings in the United States thus far in February 2023;
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 and our neighborhood this week;
For an end to gun violence;
For the safety and welfare of our nation, city, and neighborhood;
and for the repose of the soul of Ronald Francis, pastor.

A COLLECT FOR LENT

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

AN INVITATION TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF TÜRKIYE AND SYRIA

Episcopal Relief and Development (Website)

International Rescue Committee (Website)

Doctors Without Borders (Website)

LENT BEGINS THIS WEEK

This coming Sunday, February 19, you’ll find a booklet on the ushers’ table entitled “The Shape of Lent at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin.” The booklet was written by Father Wood and an electronic copy can be downloaded here. In it you’ll find suggestions for keeping a Holy Lent and an invitation to for us to observe Lent together, as a community.

One way we’ll do that is by reading appointed portions of the Bible day by day. On the three weekdays after Ash Wednesday, we invite you to set aside a time to read and pray the following: Psalm 103 (Thursday), Psalm 38 (Friday), and Psalm 78 (Saturday). This may be a good time for you to try praying Morning and Evening Prayer, adding the additional psalm. And as we do this, let us pray for each other as we begin this holy season.

Ash Wednesday, February 22: Mass 8:00 AM, Sung Mass 12:10 PM and Solemn Mass 6:00 PM. Ashes are imposed at all the Masses. Father Wood will celebrate and preach at 8:00 AM. Father Wood will celebrate, and Father Smith will preach at 12:10 and at 6:00 PM.

Friday, February 24, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM and Stations of the Cross 5:30 PM. Stations of the Cross will be offered after Evening Prayer on Fridays throughout Lent, except on March 24 (Eve of the Annunciation).

PARISH PROFILE AND SURVEY

The search committee for our next rector has been working, in collaboration with the Diocese, on a parish profile that will describe the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin to potential candidates. A central part of this document is to accurately summarize our parish as we currently see ourselves as well as our hopes for where our community is headed.

To incorporate the opinions of as many parishioners as possible, the committee has created a survey. The survey was mailed this week and should be appearing your mailboxes very soon, but the electronic version is available by clicking here. The more Saint Marians who fill out the survey, the better our profile will be. Please help the search committee with this important work!

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Our regular daily liturgical schedule, Monday through Friday, is Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Mass 12:10 PM, and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM. Holy Hour is offered on Wednesday at 11:00 AM and Thursday’s Mass includes a Healing Service. On Saturdays, Mass is celebrated at 12:10 PM and Evening Prayer is prayed at 5:00 PM. On Sundays, Solemn Mass is offered at 11:00 AM and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM.

Monday, February 20, Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day). Federal Holiday Schedule. The church opens at 9:00 AM. Mass is celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 10:00 AM. The church closes at 12:00 PM. The parish offices are closed. Morning and Evening Prayer are not said in the church.

Ash Wednesday, February 22: Mass 8:00 AM, Sung Mass 12:10 PM and Solemn Mass 6:00 PM. Ashes are imposed at all the Masses. Father Wood will celebrate and preach at 8:00 AM. Father Wood will celebrate and Father Smith will preach at 12:10 and 6:00 PM.

There are additional hours on Ash Wednesday when ashes will be offered in the Mercy Chapel for those who are unable to attend one of the Masses. Those times are 8:30–9:30 AM, 12:45–1:30 PM, 5:30–6:00 PM, and 7:00–7:30 PM.

Friday, February 24, Saint Matthias the Apostle, regular Friday schedule with the addition of Stations of the Cross at 5:30 PM, following Evening Prayer.

SAINT MARY’S WINS A PRESERVATION AWARD

The New York Landmarks Conservancy announced its Lucy G. Moses Preservation 2023 Awards this week and Saint Mary’s is one of the twelve honorees.

From the Conservancy’s press release: “From the smallest buildings to the most extraordinary landmarks, to our diverse neighborhoods, the New York Landmarks Conservancy preserves and protects the unique architectural heritage of the City we love. We are on the frontlines, giving New York’s preservation needs a voice, advocating for sensible development, providing financial assistance and technical expertise—all to ensure that the character of our city continues to enrich the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards are the Conservancy’s highest honors for excellence in preservation. The coveted awards are named for Lucy G. Moses, a dedicated New Yorker whose generosity has benefited the City for decades. The Awards recognize individuals, organizations, building owners, and preservation professionals for their extraordinary contributions to the City. The Conservancy is grateful for the generous support of the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, which makes the Awards possible.

Since its founding fifty years ago, the Conservancy has loaned and granted $60 million, which has leveraged more than $900 million in some 2,000 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs for architects, contractors, engineers, and preservations professionals. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.”

The 33rd Annual Awards Event will take place on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Avenue, Manhattan, Check-in 5:30, Ceremony starts 6:30. Reception to follow. Tickets may be purchased online.

AROUND THE PARISH

On Saturday, March 4, at 2:00 PM, a Requiem Mass for Emil Bretzger will be celebrated in the church. A reception will take place following Mass in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

On Sunday, March 19, Dr. David Hurd, organist and music director, will be away from the parish. He will be in Rochester, New York, playing a recital at Rochester’s Third Presbyterian Church. The following day, Monday, March 20, he will be speaking at the Eastman School of Music.

ANSWERING THE CALL TO SERVE: USHERING

The Saint Raphael’s Guild of Ushers is recruiting! If you are moved by your worship with us, we hope you will consider helping out once a month as an usher to greet and welcome our visitors and, we hope, enhance the experience of all those who come to worship at Saint Mary’s.

This means being a member of a dedicated team that not only welcomes visitors on Sundays and major feast days, but also takes on such tasks as handing out bulletins, answering questions, directing folks to Coffee Hour and the rest rooms, and taking up the collection and assisting at the Communion rail. No special skills are required, just a willingness to be helpful and friendly. And you will of course be partnered with experienced ushers who will be happy to guide you.

In addition, we are especially eager for your assistance on special worship days, such as Ash Wednesday (coming up!) and the Easter Triduum. The routines may be slightly different to accommodate the liturgy, but again, it is not too complicated!

Please contact head usher, Marie Rosseels, for more information about volunteering for this important ministry. She’d be happy to address any concerns and answer any questions. Give this some prayerful thought. This is a very satisfying ministry. You will meet people from around the country and around the world, and you will be able to assist your fellow parishioners. We invite you to join us in this very important ministry.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED

For the next several months, Neighbors in Need is blessed with help from five young people working with the Diocese of New York’s branch of Episcopal Service Corps, the New York Service & Justice Collaborative. We expect that they will help with sorting and hanging clothes as well as carrying them up from the basement to set up for our drop-by days. Even so, we would welcome your inquiry about volunteering.

Our biggest needs now are clothing, especially shoes (sneakers or athletic shoes and other sturdy shoes), men’s and women’s pants and tops, and coats—for winter and for warmer weather. And, of course, donations help us to purchase toiletries and underwear.

Please contact us at neighbors@stmvnyc.org for more information about volunteering or about the goals, work, and methods of Neighbors in Need.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: FEBRUARY 19, 2023

The organ prelude on Sunday is Introduction and Passacaglia on “Windham” by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue was commissioned by the 2022 Victoria (Texas) Bach Festival where it was premiered in recital by organist Reneé Anne Louprette. It is based upon Daniel Reed’s shape-note tune Windham (1785) as it appears in The Sacred Harp paired with Isaac Watts’s hymn “Broad is the road that leads to death.” The Introduction opens with Reed’s melody and harmonization, somewhat embellished, and includes a canonic variation upon it. The Passacaglia follows which is based upon an eight-measure melody, first stated in the bass register. This ground bass is derived from the first and last phrases of Reed’s hymn tune and undergirds thirteen progressively more complex variations. A brief coda, a variant form of the passage which ends the Introduction and in which the last phrase of Reed’s tune is embedded, is where Sunday’s prelude will end.

The setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is Missa Aeterna Christi Munera by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Palestrina was both a source and inspiration for many of the composers who followed him and a practitioner of already established musical practice. He stood on foundations largely laid by the Netherlandish composers Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397–1474) and Josquin des Prez (c. 1450–1521), and is credited with having set the canons for Renaissance polyphony and the enduring standards for Catholic liturgical music. Among his hundreds of compositions are 105 Masses, most of which were published in thirteen volumes between 1554 and 1601. The Missa Aeterna Christi Munera is based upon a plainsong melody for the hymn commemorating apostles and martyrs attributed to Saint Ambrose (340–397). A translation of this Ambrosian hymn appears at 233 and 234 in The Hymnal 1982, but with different music. At 132 in The Hymnal 1940 one finds both the translated Ambrosian hymn and the plainsong melody on which Palestrina based his four-voice Mass. As one often finds in Renaissance polyphonic Masses, an additional voice is added for a rich final Agnus Dei.

Calvin Hampton (1938–1984) was a vibrant member of the New York music scene his entire adult life. A brilliant organist and imaginative composer, Hampton was music director at Calvary Church, Gramercy Park, from the early 1960s until shortly before his death. His distinctive art-song styled hymn settings and liturgical service music brought a distinctive spark to congregational singing in the years after the Second Vatican Council and the ecumenical wave of liturgical renewal which followed. The motet at Communion at the Solemn Mass on Sunday is one of the yet unpublished choral pieces which Hampton shared with the Mississippi Liturgy and Music conference in 1983. The bookend events of the Epiphany season are the Baptism of Christ and the Transfiguration. In both of these events, according to the synoptic Gospels, a voice from heaven affirms Jesus as the Son of God (e.g., Matthew 3:17 and 17:5). In the motet to be sung on Sunday, Hampton gives musical illumination to a small segment of scripture which resonates with these two occasions. — David Hurd

ADULT EDUCATION 2023

The Eucharist: the Gifts of God for the People of God
February 19; April 23, 30; and May 7, 14, at 9:30–10:30 AM

This Sunday in Saint Joseph’s Hall: This coming Sunday, Father Jay Smith will conclude his three-part series on the Eucharist as Presence. He’s been discussing some medieval ideas about the “real presence,” focusing on Thomas Aquinas. On Sunday, he’ talk a bit about Aquinas as philosopher-theologian, but, as he did last week, he’ll also talk about Aquinas as poet and author of Eucharistic hymns that we still sing here at Saint Mary’s today.

Two weeks after Easter Sunday, and following Father Powell’s Bible Study during Lent, Father Matthew Jacobson will bring us back to the Holy Eucharist as he discusses the Mystagogical Catecheses of Ambrose of Milan and Cyril of Jerusalem, who wrote during a golden age of patristic thought in the fourth century.

Lent Comes and Bible Study Returns

On Sundays in Lent (February 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26, and April 2), Father Peter Powell will lead a Bible Study at 9:30 AM. This year he and the class are studying the Letter to the Ephesians and the Second Letter to the Thessalonians. See Father Pete’s article about the series at the beginning of this issue.

LIVING LENT, PREPARING FOR EASTER

Quiet Day led by Mother Deborah Lee at Saint Mary’s on Saturday, March 25, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Mother Deborah will lead reflections and will be available for spiritual direction. Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 PM and lunch in Saint Joseph’s Hall will follow. There will be opportunities for prayer, quiet, journaling, and reading in the church and chapels and in Saint Joseph’s Hall between conferences.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending the Quiet Day on March 25.

At Saint Mary’s on Sunday, March 12, at 12:45 PM. The Saint Mary’s Book Club invites you to join them for a discussion of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2023, Failure: What Jesus Said About Sin, Mistakes and Messing Stuff Up by Emma Ineson.

From the publisher’s website, “In 2019, Emma Ineson wrote about ambition and what it means for Christians to be successful. And then there was a global pandemic . . . Suddenly failure began to feel very much more familiar than success. But what is failure? What did Jesus think of it? What did he say about sin, mistakes and generally mucking things up? At the start of this wonderfully humorous and encouraging book—which will end at the cross—it’s suggested that our tendency to lump all kinds of failure together could be a bit unhelpful. A more nuanced understanding of what sort of failure we’re dealing with might just allow us to make friends with it and respond more appropriately. This idea leads us ‘Towards an (Imperfect) Theology of Failure,’ based on key Christian thinking, and Emma poses the question of whether sin is an individual or corporate thing. Looking at the church, we consider, what is God’s purpose for it? And in the light of key concerns such as safeguarding and racial justice, how might we re-examine concepts of success and recognize and measure failure? As the book draws to an end, we are reminded of our calling to live life to the full, to take risks despite our fears. We are bound sometimes to fail! Yet gazing at Jesus—who looked like the greatest failure of all—we may discern in the heartache, vulnerability and humility of failure, the glory of the cross.”

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 12, 2023. Clocks are set ahead one hour, and so we “lose” an hour.

Friday, March 24, The Eve of the Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Organ Recital 5:30 PM. Solemn Mass 6:00 PM. Timothy Pyper, music director at the Church of the Holy Apostles, will play the recital. Mother Anna Pearson, rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles, will preach.

April 2, Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, Blessing of Palms, Procession in the Church, and Solemn Mass 11:00 AM, Evening Prayer in the Church at 5:00 PM.

April 6, Maundy Thursday, Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Solemn Mass 6:00 PM, Watch before the Blessed Sacrament until Midnight.

April 7, Good Friday, Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Liturgy of the Day 12:30 PM.

CONCERTS AT SAINT MARY’S

Saint Mary’s resident orchestra, the New York Repertory Orchestra, will present concerts here at Saint Mary’s on March 25 and May 20. Admission is free. A $15.00 donation is most welcome. Click here for more details about the 2022–2023 season.

AWAY FROM SAINT MARY’S

At the Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 475 Hudson Street, Icon Writing Workshop, February 24-26. Cost: $275 (includes all materials). You may register online or contact the Parish Office. Start the season of Lent with icon-writer, author, and teacher Peter Pearson for an icon-writing workshop at Saint Luke’s. Byzantine iconography is a highly structured and disciplined art form which combines prayer and painting techniques to create serene Christian images, following centuries-old guidelines. This workshop will be capped at twenty individuals. No previous experience or natural talent is required. The group will write an icon of Saint. Joseph by following the simple step-by-step instructions and prayer in a contemplative environment. For more information, please contact Father Andrew Ancona.

At the Church of the Good Shepherd, 240 East 31st Street, Wednesday Evenings in Lent: “Who-What-When-Where-Why? The Old Testament Lessons of the Easter Vigil,” is the theme of the Lenten program on Wednesday evenings during Lent at the Church of the Good Shepherd, led by Father Stephen Morris. Good Shepherd is a member, along with Saint Mary’s, of the Midtown Manhattan Clericus. You are invited to join the people of Good Shepherd at 6:00 PM each Wednesday in Lent (beginning March 1) for Mass, vegetarian soup, and class/discussion led by Fr. Morris. Discover why we read what we read at the Easter Vigil and the impact these readings can still have in our lives today.

Father Stephen Morris has degrees in medieval history, theology, and special education from Yale, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, and CUNY (Hunter). He has written books about church history and theology, as well as novels; all his books are available on Amazon. He has lived in New York since 1980 and is the priest-in-charge at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Kips Bay (Manhattan).

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.