FROM CLARK MITCHELL: A CALL TO CARE FOR CREATION

While serving as thurifer recently at Solemn Mass, I began muttering something under my breath as I listened from the smoke room to the Old Testament reading. The lesson was the story of creation, the very first few words of the Bible and, for me, an allegory of how God created the world. The part that I couldn’t let go without commentary—even if just to myself—was the fact that plants producing fruit with seeds (angiosperms) seem to have arrived on Earth by day three: “Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’” (Genesis 1:11)

A few years ago, I completed a botany certificate at the New York Botanical Garden. One of the most fascinating classes I took was on paleobotany, the evolutionary history of plants. We learned that plant life began one billion years ago as green algae in the oceans. Not until 500 million years ago did the first land plants, bryophytes (which include modern-day mosses), make the leap from water to land. Following bryophytes on land were the pteridophytes (ferns and their allies), gymnosperms (cone-bearing plants) and finally, the angiosperms (those flowering plants with seeds in fruit), which didn’t come onto the scene until some 130 million years ago.

Of course, we Episcopalians don’t leave our brains at the doors of our churches. Faith and science need not be incompatible. Science teaches us that creation unfolded over a period of time that was not confined to seven literal days. Indeed, it is still unfolding.

I take seriously the words from the Prayers of the People in the Book of Common Prayer: “Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.” I work for the BAND Foundation, a grant-making nonprofit with a focus on conserving biodiversity. Some of the groups we support include the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, Friends of Hempstead Plains, Ozark Chinquapin Foundation, and Plant Extinction Prevention Program. I’m also a trustee of the Center for Plant Conservation, a network of botanic gardens and other conservation partners that saves the most imperiled plants of North America from extinction, mainly through collecting and storing seeds. I also serve on the board of the Natural Areas Conservancy, a nonprofit that restores and conserves the forests, wetlands, and grasslands on New York City Parks Department lands.

Efforts to prevent plant extinction are necessary because of humans. We have moved species around the world, creating invasives that threaten native biodiversity. We clear cut forests, plow ancient grasslands, and encroach on our remaining wild spaces with endless development. And, perhaps most devastating, we have dug up and burned fossil fuels and altered the very atmosphere in which life on Earth as we know it—including our own—evolved. We have done all of this within a tiny fraction of evolutionary time.

To go back to the creation story from Genesis, I do not think all of this is what God meant by “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” (1:28) We share this planet with other living things. Causing species that have evolved over millions of years to go extinct is incompatible with my belief that they—like us—are part of God’s creation.

So, what do we do? There are any number of ways to get involved, whether through advocacy, outreach, education or getting our hands dirty. We can support the two world-class botanical institutions right here in New York, the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, both of which have plant conservation programs. On the advocacy side, I recommend the grassroots, multifaith movement for climate justice, GreenFaith, also based in New York. Finally, the Natural Areas Conservancy has volunteer opportunities to assist with trail work, invasive species removal or planting native trees in New York City parks. These are just a few examples of folks doing positive work in our area to care for creation. There are many more.

Problems like extinction or the climate crisis can seem overwhelming and insurmountable. But that’s where our faith comes in: We are a people of hope! To despair or fail to act would be anything but Christian.

Clark Mitchell has been a member of Saint Mary’s since 2002. He is serving a third term on the Board of Trustees. He is active as a server, a volunteer for Neighbors in Need, and as co-captain of the AIDS Walk Team. He has served as the parish’s assistant treasurer and as its treasurer.

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

We pray for the sick, for those in any need or trouble, and for all those who have asked us for our prayers. We pray for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week; for those who are traveling; for the unemployed and for those seeking work; for the incarcerated and for those recently released from prison; for those struggling with depression, anxiety, or addiction; and for those living amid violence, or with drought, storm, inclement weather, flood, fire, or earthquake.

We pray for peace throughout the world, and especially for the people of Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar.

We pray for reconciliation among the churches and people of the Anglican Communion.

We pray for the people and clergy of the Diocese of Albany as they prepare to elect their new bishop on September 9, 2023.

We pray for John, Humberto, and Joan, who are gravely ill; and for Lydia, Janet, George, Claudia, José, Barry, Anthony, Joyce, June, Cooki, Steven, Sharon, Barbara, Bruce, Robert, Carlos, Christopher, Liduvina, Richard, Chuck, Frank, Brendan, Carmen, Susan, Paris, Charlotte, Chelsey, Keith, Jennifer, Harka, Ingrid, Gigi, Julie, Carole, Suzanne, Greta, Quincy, Ava Grace, Phyllis, Jim, Abe, Bob, Gypsy, Hardy, Randy, and Margaret; and for Keith, David and Thomas, religious, Lind, deacon, and Dave, Allan, and Stephen, priests; We pray for the repose of the souls of those whose year’s mind falls on July 23: Sarah Ann Breck (1877) and William Arthur (1877).

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 anointing and prayers for healing. On Saturdays, Mass is celebrated at 12:10 PM and Evening Prayer is prayed at 5:00 PM. On the third Saturday of each month, a Requiem Mass is celebrated at 12:10 PM in the Mercy Chapel. On Sundays, Solemn Mass is offered at 11:00 AM and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM.

Friday, July 21, The Neighbors in Need Drop-by Distribution, took place in the church and in the Lady Chapel between 1:30–3:00 PM.

Friday, July 21, 5:30–6:45 PM, The Centering Prayer Group meets in Saint Benedict’s Study.

Sunday, July 23, The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year A, Proper 11. Summer schedule. Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. A cantor will assist the congregation’s worship at the Solemn Mass. The readings are Wisdom 12:13, 16–19; Psalm 86:11–17; Romans8:18–25; Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43.

Monday, July 24, Thomas à Kempis, Priest, 1471

Tuesday, July 25, Saint James the Apostle

Wednesday, July 26, The Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thursday, July 27, William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909

Saturday, July 29, Mary and Martha of Bethany

Sunday, July 30, The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year A, Proper 12 (William Wilberforce, Abolitionist, 1833). The readings will be 1 Kings 3:5–12; Psalm 119:129–136; Romans 8:26–34; Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52.

LIFE AT SAINT MARY’S: NEWS & NOTICES (AND REQUESTS FOR HELP)

Our senior sexton, Mr. Harka Gurung, has stepped down from his position after working at Saint Mary’s for nearly ten years. His reliable dedication to his work—and the church—is greatly appreciated, and we would like to acknowledge Harka and his many contributions to our common life here. We will be honoring him at the coffee hour following Solemn Mass on Sunday, August 6, so please plan on attending if you are able. For further information on this special celebration and fond farewell, please contact the Parish Office. — Chris Howatt

Donations for altar flowers. If you would like to make a donation to cover the cost of flowers to be placed on the high altar and at the shrines on an upcoming Sunday or holy day, there are many available dates coming up: Sunday, July 30, and, in August, the following Sundays are available: August 13, 20, and 27, and several dates in September and October. The suggested donation is $250. To reserve a date and make your donation for the altar flowers, please contact Chris Howatt. If you’d like to explore other dates or have questions about the flowers or the Flower Guild, please contact Brendon Hunter.

For those looking to assist with the response to the recent floods in the Northeast, it is possible to donate to Episcopal Relief & Development’s U.S. Disaster Response via this link, which “enables local partners to prepare for and quickly respond to emergencies throughout the U.S.”

The members of The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop invite Episcopalians to join them in prayer as they continue their discernment work leading to the election of the 28th presiding bishop in June 2024. The Committee has been using the following prayer, “Almighty God, source of all wisdom and understanding: Look graciously on your church, and so guide the hearts and minds of those who will choose our next presiding bishop, that we may receive a faithful pastor who will care for all of your people, equip us for our ministries, and proclaim your word to us and to the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

“A crane hoisted massive oak trusses from a barge and onto [Paris’s] Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday, [July 11], in a spectacular operation to rebuild the fire-ravaged monument and bring it back to life by December 2024. With trusses weighing 7 to 7.5 tons, the delicate operation drew crowds along a bridge over the Seine River and on its banks. ‘I think it’s a magical moment for a lot of Parisians this morning,’ said Transport Minister Clement Beaune, noting that the Seine will be at the center of the Paris Olympics in 2024.” — Associated Press, July 12, 2023.

You are invited to visit the website of The Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris to find out more about this project and about ways to help with the restoration.

Father Jay Smith returns from vacation and will be back in the office on Wednesday, August 2. He will celebrate the 12:10 PM Mass the next day and will also be the celebrant at Solemn Mass on the following Sunday, the Transfiguration.

Father Sammy Wood will be away from the parish August 14–18. He and his wife Renee will be with their son Patrick as he travels south to begin his first year at university.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON THE EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, JULY 23, 2023

The organ voluntaries before and after the Solemn Mass on Sunday are two of the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues, a set of concise organ pieces traditionally attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). More recent scholarship suggests that they might actually have been composed by a Bach pupil, very likely Johann Tobias Krebs (1690–1762), or his son, Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713–1780). The uncertainty of the origin of these works notwithstanding, these well-known eight Preludes and Fugues have figured largely in the instruction of generations of organists and are very suitable as voluntaries in liturgical settings. BWV 555 in E minor, played for the Prelude, is the third of the set of eight. It begins in a rather introspective mood. The fugue subject skillfully employs chromaticism. BWV 557 in the relative major key of G, played for the Postlude, is a more extroverted work and is the fifth of the set of eight. It begins grandly and then takes on the free spirit of the keyboard toccatas of its time. The fugue is stately and is a study in melodic suspensions. The remaining six of the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues will be offered as voluntaries on subsequent Sundays in pairings by relative major and minor keys.

The settings for the Mass this Sunday are from Music for the Lord’s Supper by McNeil Robinson (1943–2015). Robinson was an internationally celebrated organist, composer, improvisateur, and teacher. He headed the organ department at the Manhattan School of Music for many years in addition to serving several religious institutions. In 1965, while still a student at The Juilliard School he began long and well-remembered associations with the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin and with Park Avenue Synagogue. While he remained organist at Park Avenue Synagogue until retiring in 2012, he left Saint Mary’s in 1982 and subsequently served at Park Avenue Christian Church and at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church before failing health necessitated his retirement. Robinson’s reputation as a virtuoso organist, improviser, and composer became established during his years at Saint Mary’s. Music for the Lord’s Supper, a setting for Rite II Eucharist for unison voices and organ, was published in 1979. Its Kyrie and widely sung Lord’s Prayer are found in The Hymnal 1982. At Mass today the cantor will sing the Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei from this setting. These movements are composed in a conventional style with a fine economy of melodic grace and harmonic interest.

On Sunday, the cantor at the Solemn Mass will be tenor Christopher Howatt, parish administrator at Saint Mary’s, and long-time member of the parish choir. During the distribution 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 a number of psalms, which have been adapted and woven together by the composer in collaboration with Stephen Schwartz (b.1948).

More about the Cantor: Christopher Howatt is the parish administrator here at Saint Mary’s. He was also until recently a regular member of the Choir here at the parish. An actively performing singer in the realms of musical theater 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 George Street Playhouse as well as musical director for George Street’s 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.

COMING UP AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, August 6, The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Tuesday, August 15, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Monday, September 4, Labor Day, Federal Holiday Schedule

Friday, September 8, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thursday, September 14, Holy Cross Day

COMING UP AT THE FRICK MADISON, 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street

Bellini (1430–1516) and Giorgione (1477–1510) in the House of Taddeo Contarini
November 9, 2023, to February 4, 2024

From the museum’s website: “On rare loan this fall and winter from Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, Giorgione’s Three Philosophers joins the Frick’s beloved Bellini panel Saint Francis in the Desert, providing an unprecedented opportunity for audiences to see the pair of paintings in dialogue. The two works were owned by the same Venetian collector, Taddeo Contarini, perhaps as pendants, and were displayed for many decades in his palazzo before their separation four centuries ago. The presentation of these two icons together is curated by Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, who is authoring an accompanying book about the paintings and their original owner and his collection.”

AT SAINT JOHN’S IN THE VILLAGE

Currently showing at the Revelation Gallery at Saint John’s in the Village . . . Philip Levine: Biblical, Mythological and Historical Paintings. Phil Levine’s works are interpretations of classic paintings with Christian, pagan and Graeco-Roman mythological themes. He is a West Village-based artist and instructor who leads painting workshops around the world. He has also been the next-door neighbor of parishioner Clark Mitchell and his husband David Lapham for over twenty years. The exhibition runs through July 30th.  Gallery hours are usually 11 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday. The gallery entrance is at 224 Waverly Place in the West Village.

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.