FROM FATHER JAY SMITH: LEARNING HOW TO COOK FOR EACH OTHER

In the Sunday morning Adult Formation class last autumn, we began a series called “Conversion, Transformation & Life in Christ.” We talked about conversion from several points of view: sociology, theology, spirituality, and personal testimony. We then went on to discuss the work and thought of Saint Augustine of Hippo, that most famous of Christian converts.

We will continue the series beginning on Sunday, January 21, at 9:45 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall. For three successive Sundays, we’ll be talking about the Rule of Saint Benedict and Benedictine spirituality. (On February 4, we will be joined and guided by Anglican Benedictine, Brother Ephrem Arcement, OHC.)

The literature on the Benedictine tradition and the influence of that tradition in the history of Western Christianity is vast, so I’ve decided to focus on the application of Benedictine spirituality to life outside of the monastery and, in particular, to our own lives at Saint Mary’s. We’ll begin by talking in the class this month about the Benedictine understanding of community.

Benedictine monasticism is coenobitic monasticism. “Coenobitic” is a word that is derived ultimately from two Greek words—koinos/common and bios/life. For Benedictines, the solitary life is very much the exception. Benedictines have committed themselves to a life “lived in common.” This is a brave move because relationships can, of course, be difficult. We all know this. Relationship is fundamental, in God and in creation. The Trinity is a relationship. We continue to discover that life on this planet consists of an intricate web of relationships. This is true. But it is also true that relationships, though essential, are also challenging. They are the locus of our hopes, our ideals, our joys, and of our confusion, struggles and failures.

Last Saturday evening, on the Feast of the Epiphany, José and I had a dinner party with friends, two other couples. The Epiphany—El Dia de los Tres Reyes—is important in Puerto Rican culture and José wanted to celebrate the day by preparing some Puerto Rican dishes for friends. There were three couples around the dinner table that night. We didn’t plan it this way, but the age range at dinner was striking. José and I are in our seventies. We’ve been together for forty-three years. A second couple—two gay men, both in their forties—have been together for five years and were married here at Saint Mary’s just a year ago. The third couple are heterosexual and are in their early thirties. They have been together for three years and are planning to marry this year. Another perhaps significant fact: each couple consisted of one Puerto Rican and one Anglo partner. One of those Anglos is British, Christian, but not religiously observant; another was raised in the Episcopal Church and practices an eclectic spirituality that includes Buddhism; and then there is me. All these similarities and differences made for lively conversation and, for me, a particularly enjoyable evening.

Those of you who have some familiarity with Puerto Rican culture will not be surprised that one of the things that we talked about that evening was food. Food is important to Puerto Ricans. For Puerto Ricans (and Dominicans and Cubans) rice is very nearly a sacrament. This means that we Anglos have all needed to confront our fears and learn how to cook rice for our spouses. This has not been easy, and the disasters have been many—but how great the day when a Puerto Rican praises your rice. It also means that we Anglos have all experienced our spouses’ puzzlement in the face of tuna noodle casserole and Cream of Mushroom soup.

One of the things that began to emerge during our conversations that evening was this: Despite our many differences, there was this basic truth: we’d all needed to learn how to cook with and for each other. We’d needed to come to some agreement about how our kitchens would be outfitted. We’d had to talk, discuss, negotiate, as we sought to create that earthy and sacred place which is the kitchen. Along the way, some of us had discovered that we loved cooking for each other but cooking with each other was not conducive to a harmonious relationship. And all of this is, of course, koinos bios, common life, living together, seeking God.

One of the great attractions of Benedictine life and spirituality is its earthiness, humility, frankness, and realism. Benedictines are not afraid to talk about who’s going to make the jam and the incense, feed the sheep and the goats, cook dinner for the community and mop the refectory floor. To be sure, they also talk about how the goal of this earthy and earthly life is “to seek God,” to be oriented always toward eternity. But they are particularly good, in my opinion, when it comes to talking about the journey as well as the goal. And the reason for this is that for them God is always at the center. God is the goal and God is present on the journey. God is present in the liturgy. God is in the kitchen. God is right there, in all of it, and, what’s more,  God has called the monk to seek God right there, in kitchen, barn, and church, and always in community.

The Cistercian monk and spiritual teacher, Michael Casey, writes, “The essential function of the monastic community is to lead and support those who enter [upon a] journey to a closer union with the God who has called them to this way of life. The dynamism of the community is first directed inwards—to animate, energize, and guide its members in their spiritual pursuit and, by its effectiveness in so doing, to equip them to participate in communal activities, in and for the community and for those whom the community serves” (Casey, Coenobium, p 9).

The monastic life is distinctive, and that’s one of the reasons that the church needs it. Life “in the world,” the single life, the married life, life in the parish is not the same as the monastic life. But one of the great developments in the church catholic since Thomas Merton published The Seven Storey Mountain in 1948 is this: the monk is in relationship with us and we with him—and her. We are called to support our monasteries. And they have a very great deal to teach us, as individuals and as members of this parish community.

Please join us on Sunday, January 21, at 9:45 AM, as we allow this great spiritual tradition to speak to us, convert us, transform us, and lead us to God. — JRS

PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH & FOR THE WORLD

We pray for peace in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Mali, Iran, the Red Sea, and Myanmar. We pray for an end to violence and division in our neighborhood, city, and nation.

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 all victims of violence, assault, and crime; for all refugees and migrants, especially those sheltering in our neighborhood; for those struggling with depression, anxiety, or addiction; for those whom we serve in our outreach programs, for our neighbors in the Times Square neighborhood, for the theater community, and for those living with drought, storm, punishing heat, flood, fire, or earthquake.

We pray for those for whom prayers have been asked Bill, Brian, Justine, Tom, Ricardo, Dorothy, Charles, Avdi, Glen, Freia, Patrick, Elizabeth, Glen, Freia, Hemmi, Larry, Violet, Barbara, Robert, Frank, Mary, Eleanor, Eugene, Steven, Quincy, Claudia, June, Bruce, Robert, Sandy, Christopher, Carlos, Joyce, June, José, Susan, Carmen, Theodore, Brian, Antony, Manuel, Abe, Bob, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, and John Derek, Lind, deacon, Robby, Allan, and Stephen, priests; and Michael, bishop.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those whose year’s mind is on Sunday, January 14—Robert Dyer (1878); Daisy Mary Denny (1879); Mary Greuber Scolarie (1883); Mary Emma Hammond (1902); Celia Comstock Dexter (1919); Eugenie Simonson and Jeannette Carswell (1921); William V.B. Kip (1937); Frank Gailor Cortner (1983). May they rest in peace and rise in glory. 

COMING UP AT SAINT MARY’S

Monthly Requiem
Saturday, January 20
Said Mass in the Mercy Chapel 12:10 PM

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
January 18–25, 2024

The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle
Thursday, January 18, 2025

The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle
Thursday, January 25, 2024

The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple
Friday, February 2
Organ Recital 5:30 PM, Solemn Mass 6:00 PM
A reception in Saint Joseph’s Hall follows the Solemn Mass.

LIFE AT SAINT MARY’S

Our regular daily liturgical schedule: Monday through Friday, Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Mass 12:10 PM, and Evening Prayer at 5:30 PM. On Wednesdays, Holy Hour is also offered at 11:00 AM and an additional Mass is said at 6:00 PM. Thursday’s Mass includes anointing and prayers for healing. On Saturdays, Confessions are heard at 11:00 AM, 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 normally celebrated at 12:10 PM in the Mercy Chapel. On Sundays, a Low Mass (Rite One) is celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 9:00 AM. Solemn Mass is offered at 11:00 AM and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM. Evensong and Benediction (E&B) is normally offered on the first Sunday of every month and will next be offered on February 4 and March 3.

Saturday Confessions at 11:00 AM . . . The priest-on-duty can be found in one of the confessionals at the back of the church, near the 46th Street entrance, at 11:00 AM on Saturdays to hear confessions. Once nobody is left waiting, if it is after 11:15 AM, the priest will return to his office. If you arrive later, the sexton will be able to call him if it is not too close to the midday Mass.

Saturday, January 13, Life, the Universe, and Everything—Finding Holiness through Anglican Prayer: A Weekend Event with Derek Olsen, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM. Click here to register.

Sunday, January 14, The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, (Richard Meux Benson, Priest and Religious, 1915, and Charles Gore, Bishop and Religious, 1932), Mass 9:00 AM (Rite One), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM, The Adult Formation Class will not meet this morning at 9:45 AM. Confirmation Preparation for Young People 13-18 will meet this morning at 9:45 AM.

Monday, January 15, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday Schedule 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Mass 10:00 AM. The Daily Office is not recited in the church. The parish offices are closed.

Wednesday, January 17, Antony, Abbot in Egypt, 356. Bible Study meets at 12:45 PM and the Catechumenate Class gathers at 6:30 PM.

Thursday, January 18, The Confession of Saint Peter the Apostle. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins today.

Friday, January 19, Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095, ✠ Special Devotion, Neighbors in Need: Drop-by Event, 1:30–3:00 PM

Saturday, January 20, Parish Requiem (Fabian, Bishop and Martyr of Rome, 250)

Sunday, January 21, The Third Sunday after the Epiphany: Religious Life Sunday (Agnes & Cecilia, Martyrs, 304 and c. 230), Mass 9:00 AM (Rite One), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM, Evening Prayer 5:00 PM. The Adult Formation Class and the Confirmation Class both meet at 9:45 AM.

NEWS & NOTICES

Parish Retreat: January 13, 2024, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. We will be hosting acclaimed scholar and author, Dr. Derek Olsen, for a free Saturday event called “Life, the Universe, and Everything: Finding Holiness through Anglican Prayer.” With Derek’s help, those of us looking for answers to life’s biggest questions will be asking ourselves what resources can the church offer that the secular marketplace does not? And what does this mean for faith communities in the modern world? The post-Covid American context offers a host of ways to make meaning and form communities. Join biblical and liturgical scholar Derek Olsen in exploring how classical Anglican spirituality speaks to our deepest desires and forms a framework for meaning-making and engaging questions about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. The day-long event is free, but registration is appreciated. Click here to register for this event or follow the link on the parish homepage.

Derek Olsen is a biblical scholar and engaged layman in the Episcopal Church. He earned an M.Div. from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, an S.T.M. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and served as pastoral vicar of a large Lutheran (ELCA) church in the Atlanta suburbs before beginning doctoral work (and being received into the Episcopal Church). He completed a Ph.D. in New Testament in 2011 from Emory University under the direction of Luke Timothy Johnson. His chief areas of interest are the intersection between Scripture and liturgy, the history of biblical interpretation—particularly in the Church Fathers and the Early Medieval West—and liturgical spirituality. He has served on the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. He is the author of Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life (Forward Movement, 2016). Derek will show us how the resources that are very close to home—as close as the Book of Common Prayer in the pew or on the bookshelf—can be used in the ongoing work of conversion and transformation.

Adult Formation Classes . . . The Sunday morning class will meet next Sunday, January 21, at 9:45 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

On Sunday, January 21 Father Jay Smith will resume the series, “Conversion, Transformation & Life in Christ” in the Adult Formation Class on Sunday mornings at 9:45 AM. On two Sundays—January 21 and 28, 9:45 AM to 10:40 AM—the class will be discussing the Rule of Saint Benedict and Benedictine spirituality as a resource for developing a “rule of life,” and for living that rule, with the help of the grace of God, who is ever merciful and compassionate. On Sunday, February 4, Father Jay will welcome Brother Ephrem Arcement, OHC, to Saint Mary’s. Brother Ephrem will lead the class at 9:45 AM that morning, and he will preach at the Solemn Mass at 11:00 AM. Brother Ephrem entered monastic life in 2010. He was for a time a monk of Saint Joseph’s Abbey in Louisiana. He earned his Ph.D. in spirituality from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, and has taught courses in Scripture and spirituality at Saint Joseph Seminary College in Saint Benedict, Louisiana. He came to the Order of the Holy Cross, and to the Episcopal Church, several years ago and is now the Guest Brother at the monastery in West Park. He was recently received as a priest of the Episcopal Church by the Bishop of New York. His first book, Intimacy in Prayer: Wisdom from Bernard of Clairvaux, appeared in 2013. A second book, In the School of Prophets: The Formation of Thomas Merton's Prophetic Spirituality, was published in 2015. Then, on Sunday, February 11, Father Jay will lead the class in a summary discussion of this ancient way of life that has done so much to shape Western Christian spirituality, Anglican prayer and worship, and Western European culture.

Confirmation Preparation for Young People 13-18 . . . Beginning on Sunday, January 14, at 9:45 AM, Father Sammy will be leading a confirmation class for young people. The class will meet on Sunday mornings, January 14 to May 5, except on the Last Sunday after Epiphany (February 11), Palm Sunday (March 24), or Easter Day (March 31). If you are interested in the class, please speak to Father Sammy.

Brown Bag Bible Study will take place on Wednesday, January 17, at 12:45 PM following the noonday Mass. We will begin our reading at Mark 2:13, with the call of Levi, son of Alphaeus, and the passage in which Jesus “sits at table with many tax collectors and sinners.”

Catechumenate: Anglicanism 101 . . . The class continues on Wednesday, January 17, at 6:30 PM, following Evening Prayer at 5:30 PM and the evening Mass at 6:00 PM. If you are an adult and are interested in being confirmed this spring, you are most welcome to join the class as we begin the second semester. No prior preparation is required.

On Sunday, January 21, David Hurd, organist & music director, will be away from the parish. At 5:30 PM that day, David will be leading a Hymn Festival at Trinity Cathedral, Miami, Florida, as part of the cathedral’s centennial celebrations. After the hymn festival service, there will be a clergy and musicians forum with David in the cathedral nave.

Donating Flowers for Altar and Shrines . . . We are looking for donations for flowers for the following dates: January 21, Third Sunday after the Epiphany; January 28, Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany; Friday, February 2, The Presentation, and Sunday, February 4, The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (Same donation as February 2); Sunday, February 11, The Last Sunday after the Epiphany; Sunday, March 10, The Fourth Sunday in Lent (“Laetare” Sunday). In order to make a donation and reserve a date, please contact the parish office.

Neighbors in Need . . . Our next Drop-by will take place on Friday, January 19, 1:30 to 3:00 PM. Please speak to Father Jay Smith or MaryJane Boland, if you are interested in volunteering.

The Diocese has made a new permanent link for their online Morning Prayer, weekdays at 8:00 AM. Consider joining others from our Diocese online if you aren’t able to make it to Saint Mary’s: https://dioceseny.org/online-morning-prayer

Father Matt Jacobson will be away from the parish until January 25. Father Jay Smith will be away on retreat, Tuesday, February 6, until Friday, February 9.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 11:00 AM

The setting of the Mass on Sunday is Missa Petre ego pro te rogavi by Alonzo Lobo (c. 1555–1617). Lobo, a slightly younger contemporary and friend of Tomás Luís da Victoria (c. 1548–1611), was one of the most highly regarded Spanish composers of polyphony in his time. He was named a canon in the collegiate church of his hometown of Osuna, and then, in 1591, appointed assistant to Francisco Guerrero (1528–1599) in Seville. Two years later, Lobo was elected Chapelmaster at Toledo Cathedral. In 1604, he returned to Seville as Chapelmaster, where he served until his death. His surviving works, published in 1602 in Madrid, include six Masses and seven motets. Missa Petre ego pro te rogavi, dated 1595, is based on Guerrero’s motet with the same incipit of Luke 22:32. It is scored for four voices until the final Agnus Dei where the addition of a second soprano part expands the texture to five voices. This setting was composed for the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, observed in our calendar on June 29. Later this week, however, on January 18, the Confession of Saint Peter is observed. This observance marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a week which concludes on January 25 with the observance of the Conversion of Saint Paul. Therefore, it is fitting for Lobo’s Mass to be sung at this time.

The French composer and organist Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986) was steeped in liturgical chant from his childhood as a chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School. He first entered the Paris Conservatory in 1920, becoming Professor of Harmony in 1943, a position he retained for nearly thirty years. He is remembered for his lifelong association with the stunningly beautiful church of St. Étienne-du-Mont, Paris, where he was named titular organist in 1929. The first of his Quatre motets sur des thèmes grégoriens (1960) is his setting of the Maundy Thursday antiphon Ubi caritas, sung on Sunday during the administration of Communion. This setting, elegant in its expressive simplicity, has become a virtual default choral setting of this text in our time.

Sunday’s organ voluntaries also are both compositions of Maurice Duruflé. Prélude sur l’introït de l’epiphanie quotes the plainsong introit chant for Epiphany and dates from 1961. The Fugue, Opus 12, dates from 1962. It is dedicated to Duruflé’s friend, Canon Henri Doyen, organist of the Grand Orgue at Soissons Cathedral. Like several of Duruflé’s other compositions which are built upon pre-existing melodies, the Fugue is based upon the eight-note melody played on the hour by the Cathedral’s bells. These two pieces, released later than the larger organ works for which Duruflé is best remembered, are both finely crafted works exhibiting the composer’s textural refinement and conservatively distinctive harmonic palette. — David Hurd

CONCERTS AT SAINT MARY’S

New York Repertory Orchestra (Saint Mary’s Resident Orchestra)
February 10, 2024

Michael Griffith, guest conductor
Radamés Gnattali: Sinfonia Popular
J.S. Bach/Stokowski: “Little” Fugue in G minor
César Franck: Symphony in D minor

Admission is free. A freewill offering of $15.00 is encouraged.

AT THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE – A LIVING MEMORIAL TO THE HOLOCAUST
Edmond J. Safra Plaza
36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280

From the museum website: Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark is the Museum’s first exhibition for visitors aged nine and up. The exhibition tells the remarkable story of the rescue of the Danish Jews during the Holocaust. Together, Jewish and non-Jewish neighbors of all ages mobilized to create one of the most effective—and exceptional—examples of mass resistance and escape in modern history. Despite the enormous risk, ordinary citizens united against Nazism to save nearly 95% of Denmark’s Jewish population. Using state-of-the-art technology and creative storytelling, Courage to Act will immerse visitors in this inspiring story. Age-appropriate themes of separation, bravery, and resilience will help young people make connections to their own lives and reflect on the dangers of prejudice—as well as their own potential for compassionate, moral, and courageous collective action and upstanding.

Also featured in the exhibition is the story of the Gerda III, one of many small vessels used in the Danish Rescue. The Gerda III alone saved an estimated 300 Jews in groups of 10 – 15 at a time on clandestine journeys across the Øresund Sound to Sweden. Twenty-two-year-old Henny Sinding Sundø, who led Gerda III’s rescue activities, will be among the exhibition’s narrators telling stories of their experiences during the Danish Rescue. Donated to the Museum by the Danish Parliament in 1989, the Gerda III is currently docked at The Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut.

In a climate of widespread antisemitism and Holocaust denial, Courage to Act will address a critical need by reaching younger children, whose Holocaust education in New York City public schools typically begins in the eighth grade. Please note that ticketing for Courage to Act is on a timed basis. You will receive an email confirmation with a prompt to sign up for a specific time. 

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Saint Mary’s is a vibrant Anglo-Catholic witness in the heart of NYC. With our identity in Christ and a preference for the poor, we are an inclusive, diverse community called to love God and each other for the life of the world.

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.