FROM FATHER MATT JACOBSON: A GREAT AND HOLY SPECTACLE

During the Season after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit is often in focus for me, I try to reflect on and pray about what God might be calling me to do. At a session on Saint Augustine at the North American Patristics Conference, which I attended last month in Chicago, I was reminded of some ways to ask these sorts of questions. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, what am I now able to do that I otherwise couldn’t? Through the Spirit, what are we able to do together in community? What is the Holy Spirit making possible through us?

Brother Robert McFadden, CSC, from Holy Cross College, gave a talk that detailed Augustine’s understanding of Christian friendship in which the gift of the Holy Spirit in baptism is essential for true friendship.[1] By receiving grace through the Spirit’s love, we’re then able to truly love. It is essential for the love of God and neighbor and, according to Augustine, forms the basis of the bonds of friendship.

Augustine writes, “There is no true friendship unless you establish it as a bond between souls that cleave to each other through the love ‘poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.’”[2]

Mr. Zach Howard, who is finishing his Ph.D. at Durham University, followed by summarizing how Augustine sought to get his congregation away from the spectacle of the pagan arena, which draws one to worship demons, and instead encouraged them to focus on the far greater spectacle that the Church has to offer.[3]

While Saint Marians might initially think to the liturgy as our spectacle that replaces the arena—that’s where my mind first went—Augustine is, in fact, speaking of individual Christians as spectacles or exemplars or models for each other. He isn’t just focused on biblical heroes or saints and martyrs of the past, but on those in his congregation. His fellow Christians are far more remarkable than anything that can be found in the arena.

Augustine urges his congregation to find those around them who have made progress in Christ and then to imitate them. He writes that “there is in the Church this order, some go before, others follow; and those who go before make themselves an example to those who follow.”[4] Similar to his thoughts on friendship, it is only through the grace given to us by the Holy Spirit, that we can become examples for others to follow.

Augustine notes how “they fix their eyes on those who go before them, and follow and imitate them; but they do so, because they consider from Whom they have received the grace to go before them.”[5] Ultimately, he is telling us, when a fellow member of the Body of Christ is our exemplar, it is Christ who we are truly following. Even those who have made the most progress still have somebody to follow—Christ is their exemplar.

These talks in Chicago brought my thoughts back to New York and to Saint Mary’s and I found myself reflecting on all that the Holy Spirit has made possible in us and through us for our community.

The bonds of friendship that we have formed as a community are in fact signs of God’s grace. As I think about the Neighbors in Need program, the success of our AIDS Walk team, or many other aspects of our parish life together, it also seems clear to me that we put on quite a Christian spectacle even outside of the liturgy. Through the Holy Spirit, we are helping each other to draw closer and closer to Christ. At least for me, as I look around the parish, there are plenty of exemplars to imitate and learn from, fellow members of the Body of Christ who are showing me the way.

Take a moment to look around and find some exemplars. Join me and reflect on all that we are now able to do thanks to the Holy Spirit. And let’s pray about what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do together next. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be a great and holy spectacle. — MDJ

PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH & FOR THE WORLD

We pray for an end to war and violence, remembering especially the people of Gaza, Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, the Red Sea, Ukraine, Russia, Myanmar, Darfur, and Sudan. We pray for justice and for an end to violence and division in our neighborhood, city, and nation.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, especially Shan, Louis, Eleni, Frank, Susanna, Rolf, George, Richard, Josh, Joyce, Leroy, Kunitaka, Christine, Donald, Maddie, William, Rick, Thomas, John, Robert, Hattie, Tony, James, Dorian, Nettie, Chrissy, Jan, Mark, Pat, Marjorie, Carole, Luis, Sharon, Quincy, June, José, Manuel, Sherman, Lorilee, Chandler, Carlos, Chris, Abe, Suzanne, Hardy, Giovanna, Gypsy, Liduvina, Margaret, Rita, and Bob; James, Jack, Curtis, Barbara-Jean and Eleanor-Francis, religious; Lind, deacon; and Robby and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those whose year’s mind falls on June 30: Walter Doyle (1891); Henry Charles Roscoe Ross (1914); Graham Wallace (1935); Thomas J. Frans (1935).

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

Molly Murphey Donovan and her son, Michael Volpe, were struck and killed in a traffic accident in Mamaroneck, New York, on June 20, 2024. Molly was forty-three and Michael was six. They, and Michael’s father, Thomas C. Volpe, are close friends of parishioner, Charles Carson. Please keep Molly, Michael, Thomas, their family and friends, and all who mourn in your prayers.

From Night Prayer, in A New Zealand Prayer Book / He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa

Lord,
it is night.

The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.

It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.

The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.

The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR BIBLE STUDY ON SUNDAY MORNINGS IN JULY
9:45 AM IN SAINT BENEDICT’S STUDY

Our seminarian intern, Andrew Raines, has very kindly offered to lead a Sunday morning Bible Study for us during the month of July—July 7, 14, 21, and 28. He will be teaching the Letter to the Ephesians, which we’ll hear at Mass during July and early August as our second reading. Andrew “grew up in rural South Carolina on the farm where his family has been for generations. He was brought up on the Southern arts of storytelling and (vinegar!) barbecue. He came to faith at Bethel Baptist Church, a small country congregation that loved him well and taught him to love the Lord and his word. Andrew came to Anglicanism in high school after becoming enchanted by the liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer. At Duke, he studied history and classics, and he remains there for seminary.”

Andrew grew up hearing and reading the Bible, and his love for the biblical texts continues. He writes, “Starting in July, the Sunday lectionary will begin reading through Saint Paul’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus. I’ll be leading a Bible Study delving into this epistle—one of Paul’s most polished (and liturgical!).”

All are welcome to join us on these four Sundays in July. We will meet at 9:45 AM in air-conditioned Saint Benedict’s Study, as we read portions of this important part of the New Testament canon together. Refreshments are provided.  

WHO SAID THE SUMMER WAS QUIET AROUND HERE? MORE INVITATIONS:

THE SAINT MARY’S 20s & 30s GROUP
TUESDAY, JULY 9, AT 6:00 PM

Young Adults (20–39)—members and friends of Saint Mary’s and anyone interested in our parish—are invited to a meet-and-greet on the rooftop of the Mission House on July 9 at 6 PM! Join us for pizza, wine, and good vibes!
Directions to the Mission House Roof to come. RSVP with an email to info@stmvnyc.org   

A VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
SUNDAY, JULY 14, AFTER SOLEMN MASS

For months now we’ve been greeting “those who are with us online.” We’d love to meet and have a chance to talk with all of you who join us for worship on Sunday mornings, but who can’t join us in person either for Mass or for fellowship in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

More information and a Zoom link will be provided in the livestream of the Solemn Mass on Sunday, July 14.
We hope that you will be able to join us.

NEWS FROM LOUISVILLE: THE 81ST GENERAL CONVENTION 2024

From the Episcopal News Service, Wednesday, June 26: The Right Reverend Sean Rowe, bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and bishop provisional of Western New York, was elected and confirmed on June 26 at the 81st General Convention to serve as the 28th presiding bishop. His nine-year term as presiding bishop, the face and voice of The Episcopal Church and its chief pastor, begins November 1. The House of Bishops elected Rowe on their first ballot in a closed session at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Louisville. The result was announced publicly in the afternoon session of the House of Deputies, which greeted the news with cheers. The deputies proceeded to confirm him with a nearly unanimous majority, 95% in favor, and the standing-room-only crowd erupted in applause across the hall at the Kentucky International Convention Center.

Bishop Rowe is both bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and bishop provisional of Western New York because of collaborative work between those two dioceses which began some six years ago, while Bishop R. William Franklin was bishop of Western New York. (Before his ordination to the priesthood, Bishop Franklin was a professor at the General Theological Seminary and a member of Saint Mary’s.) Bishops Rowe and Franklin, along with the clergy and people of their two dioceses, began to discuss the possibility of a closer relationship, “In 2018, our dioceses pledged themselves to an unprecedented collaboration because we believe that God is calling us to embrace new ways of working on behalf of the Gospel here along the southeastern shores of Lake Erie. We are 90 congregations, spread across 20 counties, but we are one church, united by faith and dedicated to serving our communities and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Here in this part of the country that many have forgotten, we believe that we have the potential to lead the church into a new season of growth.” You may read more about Bishop Rowe here. (One notes that Bishop Michael Curry, 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church grew up in Buffalo, the see city of the Diocese of Western New York—and so, two PBs with links to Buffalo, New York State’s second-largest city.)

The Episcopal News Service is providing a frequently updated summary of the business of the General Convention. This summary includes detailed information about the evolution of legislation as it wends its way through Convention. Issues include the war in Gaza and Israel, liturgical reform, full communion with the United Methodist Church, conflict among church leaders, assessment payments by dioceses to the national church. These summaries may be read here: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/tag/general-convention-2024/

NEWS & NOTICES

We were pleased and honored to be able to offer hospitality this week to members of the youth group of Saint Timothy’s Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Eight boys of high-school age were accompanied by Father Steve Rice, the rector of Saint Timothy’s; Father Luke Klingstedt, the parish’s curate; and a lay youth leader. They used the chapels and the church each day for Mass and the Daily Office, and, on Wednesday evening, joined us for Mass at 6:00 PM in the Lady Chapel. They slept in the Mission House and, each day, explored the city or took part in a service project. On Wednesday, they spent the day volunteering at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. On Thursday, the group visited the Statue of Liberty. Saint Timothy’s is a vibrant Anglo-Catholic parish with an excellent website. We invite you to take a look at life there by visiting the site. It was a pleasure to have the group here at Saint Mary’s, and we hope that they will visit us whenever they are in New York City. Father Rice will be our guest preacher at the Solemn Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Monday, December 9, at 6:00 PM. (Since December 8 is a Sunday in 2024, the feast is transferred to the following day.)

On Sunday, June 30, Dr. David Hurd will be away from the parish attending the Convention of the Anglican Guild of Organists in San Francisco, California. Parishioner Clark Anderson will be playing the service that day.

The preacher at the Masses on Sunday, July 7, will be our seminarian intern, Andrew Loran Raines.

June is Pride Month . . . The New York City Pride March will take place on Sunday, June 30. Pre-March Reception: 1:00 PM at the Church of the Transfiguration, 1 East 29th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues . . . Parishioner Don Wright is available to discuss participation in some of the Pride events with those who are interested.

Father Matt Jacobson is away from the parish through Monday, July 8.

Father Sammy Wood will be away from the parish on vacation with his family from Friday, June 28, until Monday, July 8. He will be away from the parish, attending a Conference of the College for Congregational Development from the afternoon of Sunday, July 28, until the afternoon of Monday, August 2.

Father Jay Smith will be away from the parish on a work assignment from Monday, July 8, until Thursday, July 11. He will be on retreat from Friday, July 12, until Monday, July 15. He will be on vacation July 22–25.

FROM THE SAINT THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX FLOWER GUILD

Members of the Flower Guild will be available to arrange flowers for many Sundays this summer. The following Sundays are still available: July 28; August 11, 18, and 25. The customary donation requested is $250.00. This allows members of the Guild to create arrangements for the high altar and for the shrines.

On Sunday, June 23, the dedication in the bulletin read as follows: “The flowers are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Grace Ijose Aideyan and Emokpolo Aideyan.” Dr. Emokpolo Aideyan made a gift some years ago that produces sufficient income for a donation of flowers, in memory of her mother, for the Sunday closest to the Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist on June 24. Dr. Aideyan died on March 6, 2020, and we are now able to remember both her and her mother annually in this way. If you would like to make a similar gift, please contact the parish office.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON SUNDAY, JUNE 30, THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

René Vierne is less well known today than his older brother, Louis, in part because his life was tragically cut short in World War I, but he left us a handful of useful and charming organ compositions. Pushed by his parents to become a priest, René instead felt a calling to music, studying first with his brother and then at the Paris Conservatoire with Alexandre Guilmant. Awarded first prize for organ and improvisation in 1906, he had by that time already become organiste titulaire at Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris. (Interestingly, this church, completed in 1876, shares the same engineering structure as Saint Mary the Virgin: Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, designed an iron frame for the building, his first for a church, creating a prototype for Saint Mary’s and other later churches.) Sunday’s voluntaries come from the first suite of organ pieces Vierne wrote for church musicians, Dix pièces de différents styles (“Ten pieces in different styles”), published in 1915. Despite their relatively late date, these works are unabashedly Romantic and melodic in style. The prelude, “Prayer,” is a lovely meditation, while the postlude, “Recessional,” full of life, sends us out with a bounce in our step. — Clark Anderson

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is New Plainsong, by David Hurd. 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” Eucharistic texts what John Merbecke’s 1550 setting had been for the “Traditional” English words, that is, it would express the liturgical texts with simplicity and naturalness. As such, New Plainsong, like Merbecke’s setting, is chant-like and almost entirely syllabic, that is, only one pitch is sung per syllable. Although modest keyboard accompaniments are provided, New Plainsong’s movements may be sung unaccompanied when desired. Since its first publication in Congregational Music for Eucharist—Church Hymnal Series V in 1980, New Plainsong has been published in The Hymnal 1982 and in the worship resources of several other denominations. A revised edition of New Plainsong issued in 2018 also accommodates more recently revised Roman Catholic liturgical texts.

During the Communion of the people, Sunday’s cantor, tenor Christopher Howatt, will sing Arise, my love by Richard Hundley (1931–2018). Hundley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory from age eleven and, while yet a teenager, performed as piano soloist with both the Northern Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony. He moved to New York in 1950, briefly attending the Manhattan School of Music. He joined the Metropolitan Opera Chorus in 1960 and his experiences and personal associations there had a strong impact upon his development as a recognized and prize-winning composer of art songs. He wrote the following: “The words of Arise, My Love are taken from the impassioned verses of The Song of Solomon [2:13-14]. The song was first performed by baritone Joseph Penrod and pianist Morgo Garrett at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts, in the summer of 1981.” Hundley originally conceived Arise, My Love for low voice, but subsequently created an edition for sopranos and tenors. — David Hurd

More about our Cantor on Sunday: Christopher Howatt has been a regular member of the Choir at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin since 2008 and stepped into the role of Parish Administrator more recently. 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, and 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 their 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 SOON

Michael Petry’s artwork Apollo’s Mirror
will be exhibited in the Wedding Chapel at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
July 15–August 26, 2024

Opening Night Reception with the Artist Scheduled for Friday, July 19, 6:00–8:00 PM

Saint Mary’s continues it exhibitions of notable contemporary art with Michael Petry’s Apollo’s Mirror to be displayed in next month in the Wedding Chapel. An opening night reception with the artist is scheduled for Friday, July 19, 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The work can be viewed whenever the church is open. The exhibit is free, and no reservations or ticketing are required.

About Apollo’s Mirror: Petry’s bronze artefacts almost look like neolithic cult objects.  It is often hard to imagine how different our lives are from the ancients. Back then, few people really knew what they looked like, or how they looked to others. In ancient Greece bronze mirrors were available only to the wealthy few. These mirrors also needed daily polishing, which usually required enslaved peoples to continually buff them. The common person might have never seen what they looked like as was the case for Narcissus, who like the rest of the population had to make do with their reflection upon water.

Petry’s small hand-held libation mirrors can be used to call upon Apollo in times of need. Taken outside and directed at Helios they brightly beam a call to the god of light. Looked at closely, the viewer can see their own reflection. Petry’s large Apollo’s Mirror sits in a special base that allows viewers to see both sides and is the basis for a digital version that is the height of a large human (six feet tall) which has been made for the Virtual Online Museum of Art (www.voma.space). It too can be walked around and seen from both sides, in a virtual environment.

Apollo’s Mirror was exhibited in the Wesley Oxnam Chapel at the at the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion, Washington DC as part of his 2023 exhibition, “In League with Devils.” Petry’s installation in the chapel was a dialogue between two different belief systems and the gods in those systems, both of whom represent light; Apollo the Greek god who represented light and enlightenment (and the arts) and Jesus, often called the Light of the World. The mirror reflected the colored light pouring onto the polished surface from the colored glass windows at the side of the altar and then reflected pure light up onto the wall at the base of the wooden crucifix.

About the Artist

Michael Petry (b. Texas, 1960) is an artist, author and Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) London. He studied at Rice University, Houston (BA), London Guildhall University (MA), and has a Doctor in Arts from Middlesex University. Petry co-founded the Museum of Installation, was Guest Curator at the Kunstakademiet, Oslo, and was Curator of the Royal Academy Schools Gallery. Petry co-authored Installation Art (1994), and Installation in the New Millennium (2003), and authored Abstract Eroticism (1996) and A Thing of Beauty is...(1997), The Trouble with Michael (a monograph of his practice, 2001). His book Hidden Histories: 20th century male same sex lovers in the visual arts (2004) was the first comprehensive survey of its kind, and accompanied the exhibition Hidden Histories he curated for The New Art Gallery Walsall.

FROM THE PARISH TREASURER: FULFILLING YOUR PLEDGE

The warm, often lazy days of summer have arrived in New York City. One thing we hope you won’t get lazy about is fulfilling your pledge! The summer months often see a dip in pledge-related donations as people go on vacation or take advantage of different summertime rhythms. This dip in income can cause some serious cash-flow problems for Saint Mary’s as insurance bills and utility bills and payroll don’t take the summer off!

Please remember to make plans this season to keep up on fulfilling your pledge. And remember, there are many ways to do that. Maybe you’d like to consider one of these ways to manage your pledge:

• Recurring bank withdrawal—Most accounts will allow you to set up an automatic payment, so you don’t have to remember to write a check.

• Recurring card charge—Similarly, you can set up your pledge like a subscription and have Saint Mary’s charge your credit or debit card each month.

• Gift of appreciated securities—By donating equities that have increased in value, you may be able to write off the full value and reduce your capital gains tax liability.

• Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)—If you have or were the beneficiary of a tax-deferred retirement account, you may be required to withdraw (and pay tax on) a certain amount each year. Donating the RMD as your pledge can have significant tax advantages depending on your situation.

The Finance Office at the Church can help you set up one of these methods. Give Chris Howatt a call at 212-869-5830 and we’ll help.

HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT FORM?

If you have not, we urge you to complete the form, which you may download here, and return it to the Parish Office. Since the clergy are often asked to help in a time of need, it is very helpful to have certain information available so we can provide that assistance.

We need your help to keep holding our services. Click below, where you can make one-time or recurring donations to support Saint Mary’s. We are very grateful to all those who make such donations and continue to support Saint Mary’s so generously.

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.

[1] Robert McFadden, “Monica’s Friendship: The Holy Spirit and the Church in St. Augustine’s Confessions” (presentation, Annual Meeting of the North American Patristics Society, Chicago, May 23-25, 2024).

[2] Augustine, Confessions, 4.4.7 (quoting Romans 5:5).

[3] Zach Howard, “‘Be a spectacle yourself’: Imitation for Moral Formation in Augustine’s en. Ps. 39” (presentation, Annual Meeting of the North American Patristics Society, Chicago, May 23-25, 2024).

[4] Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 40 (39), 6.

[5] Ibid.