FROM KATHERINE HOYT: SAINT MARY’S IS OUR CHURCH

Several weeks ago, I attended a program called the College for Congregational Development, along with Father Sammy Wood, fellow board member, Clark Mitchell, and Brother Thomas Steffensen, SSF. I had originally heard about this program from the Reverend Canon Alissa Newton earlier this year, who has been involved in developing it, and it certainly intrigued me. The Reverend Canon Victor Conrado, who is well known to us at Saint Mary’s, has been involved in the College as well and invited us to attend.

The program ran for six days, Sunday, July 28, through Friday, August 2, generally for a full day. Each day consisted of full-group lectures, small group activities, and individual/congregational team activities. We met both clergy and lay leaders from churches all over our diocese—from Staten Island to Putnam County. All were bright, warm, and passionate about their congregations, and I found it heartening to see so much vibrancy and enthusiasm. Through the people I met and encountered in this program, I was struck by how much more powerful we are when our actions are built upon the love of Christ, rather than on a sense of fear, guilt, or obligation.

The curriculum of the College focused largely on issues of organizational development, tailored to the unique needs of a religious congregation. We spent quite a lot of time, in both large and small groups, learning how to become better collaborators and facilitators of conversation. Without training in leadership, we can find it difficult to effect change and to allow everyone’s voice to be heard, even with the best of intentions.

Personally, the program provided me with a safe and comfortable place to explore my own position as a leader, speaking up and making my opinion heard, which is not something that comes naturally to me. It’s caused me to pause and think, and to realize that there are many other people like this, who have strong thoughts and exciting ideas, but who don’t think of themselves as leaders. I hope that we can create better ways of empowering these people to feel like they can speak out and have a real, tangible impact on our community and congregation.

This is our year of invitation at Saint Mary’s, and it has become clear to me that invitation is so much more than just getting people through the door. A large part is about making sure that those who do come here feel as if they are a part of our community, to give people agency and a personal investment in Saint Mary’s. This isn’t just the church we go to, it is our church. Not very long ago, I was a stranger here who walked through those big doors and sat down in a pew in the back of the nave.  I knew no one and had no plans to stay, but someone reached out a hand to me. That action has had a deeply transformative effect on my life, and I truly believe that we can, in some way, impact all those God brings to us, no matter how long or short our encounter with them.

The program is a two-year program, so we have only completed half of the course, however I do find myself already moved by the work we have done and look forward to exploring these ideas more deeply over the next year. — Katherine Hoyt

Katherine Hoyt grew up in New York City and currently lives in Queens. She studied geology at Stony Brook University and currently works in sales in the fine jewelry industry. She is a member of the Saint Raphael’s Guild of Ushers and was elected to the Board of Trustees in December 2023 for a three-year term.

PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH & FOR THE WORLD

We pray for an end to war, division, violence, and injustice, especially in the Middle East, Venezuela, Ukraine, and Russia. We pray for justice and for an end to violence, hatred, discord, and division in our neighborhood, city, and nation.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, especially Abe, Margaret, Patrick, Frank, Clark, Connie, Carmen, Julie, Cedric, Elena, Otis, David, Joseph, Mario, Vincenzo, Justin, Mary, Sheila, Steve, Leroy, Charles, Lynn, Dennis, Susan, Susanna, Rolf, Joyce, Christine, Donald, Richard, Josh, Tony, James, Dorian, Maddie, Hattie, Nettie, Chrissy, Jan, Pat, Marjorie, Carole, Luis, Sharon, Robert, Duncan, Quincy, June, José, Brian, Manuel, Suzanne, Hardy, Giovanna, Gypsy, and Liduvina; Laura Katharine, Keith, James, Curtis, Monica Clare, Barbara-Jean and Eleanor-Francis, religious; Lind, deacon; Julie, Robby, Matthew, and Stephen, priests; and Sean, bishop.

Saint Mary’s is located in “Little Brazil,” and so we pray this week for the people of Brazil and for the Brazilian community here in New York as they prepare to celebrate their Independence Day. The Independence Day of Brazil, commonly called Sete de Setembro, is a national holiday observed in Brazil every year on September 7. The date celebrates Brazil’s Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves on September 7, 1822.

We pray for Rosetta Ann Wright, who died of cholera on September 1, 1890. She was two months old. At the time of her death, she was living in Hell’s Kitchen at 406 West 49th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

PRAYING FOR PEACE

On Friday, September 1, 1939, the panzer tanks of the German army crossed the Polish border and World War II began. Between 50 and 85 million people, military personnel and civilians, died because of that war.

Lord of Peace, Divine Ruler, to whom peace belongs. Master of Peace, Creator of all things, may it be thy will to put an end to war and bloodshed on earth, and to spread a great and wonderful peace over the whole world, “so that nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).

You are invited also to read the poem, “September 1, 1939,” written by the Anglican poet, W.H. Auden (1907–1973). The poem is Auden’s very personal reflection on warfare and his times. It remains a much-read poem, though Auden himself eventually repudiated it.

A NEW HISTORY OF SAINT MARY’S

We are thrilled to share good news that the updated history of our parish—The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a History, by the Rev. Warren C. Platt—is hot off the press!

We will be selling copies this Sunday at Coffee Hour. For those who have pre-ordered a copy, we expect to begin shipping in September. Here’s how to get a copy:

1. Purchase a copy at Coffee Hour after Solemn Mass this coming Sunday, September 1

2. Order a copy by emailing Ms. Mary Robison at m.robison3@gmail.com

Each copy is $30, shipping and handling included. To pay, please use our online giving portal or send a check to Saint Mary's made payable to the “Society of the Free Church of St. Mary the Virgin.” Either on the portal or your check, please note in the memo line “Church History.”

When ordering a copy, please be sure to give Mary your street address for shipping. If you are local and you’d like to pick up your copy from the parish office or after Solemn Mass on Sunday, just let her know.

About the book . . . Until now, only one other book has been written on the history of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, The Story of St. Mary’s by Newbury Frost Read, a member of the Board of Trustees. But this work, published in 1931, is largely devoted to administrative and financial matters.

In this new volume, The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a History, the Rev. Warren C. Platt, author and church historian, provides an updated history of the parish, including biographies of the Rectors through Father Wells, plus an exploration of the parish’s liturgy and its social concerns in the 19th and 20th centuries.

About the author . . . The Rev. Warren C. Platt is a native New Yorker, his first forebears having arrived in Brooklyn in December, 1849. He holds degrees from Cornell University, Union Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Columbia University (MLS, Ph.D.). Father Platt served as a public librarian at Brooklyn Public Library and the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library, where he was responsible for collection development in the area of religion and cognate disciplines, and where he wrote and edited the research guides describing the Library's collections.

Father Platt serves as an assisting priest at the Church of the Transfiguration, where he celebrates Mass as well as giving sermons and lectures. He has been published in various academic journals, principally in the areas of church history and library science, and his current area of interest is the history of the rise of ritualism in nineteenth-century Episcopalianism.

COMING UP

Blessing the Backpacks:
At the end of Mass on Sunday, September 1, we will bless a large number of backpacks and some school supplies.

These will be delivered during the following week to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School across the street on Forty-Sixth Street. If you are a student, if there is a student in your family, or you are a teacher or professor, you are invited to participate by bringing up your “stuff”—backpack, school supplies, laptop, textbook, etc.—for a blessing.

This is the blessing:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who was a child at Nazareth: Bless, we pray you, the children and youth of this parish, and all those who study, teach, and learn, especially those who live and study in our neighborhood. May they love You above all things. Enlighten their minds with your Holy Spirit, purify their vision, and strengthen their wills; that they may grow in wisdom and stature following your example.

All Sundays in September at 9:45 AM—Bible Study in Saint Benedict’s Study
Talking about Jesus: Who He Is and Why it Matters

Labor Day
Monday, September 2, 2024
The church opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 12:00 PM.
Mass is celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 10:00 AM.
The Daily Office is not recited publicly in the church.
The parish offices are closed.
The Twelve-Step Meetings do not take place.

The Monthly Requiem Mass in September
Because of a couple of quirks in the liturgical calendar, the September parish requiem will be celebrated on

Saturday, September 7, at 12:10 PM in the Mercy Chapel.

Click to learn more about the Guild of All Souls at Saint Mary’s or speak with Father Sammy. All are welcome!

Sunday, October 6, Blessing of the Animals
Sunday afternoon. Forty-sixth Street, in front of the church. Time to be announced.

Sunday, October 6, Evensong & Benediction, 4:00 PM
Note the new time!

NEWS & NOTICES

At Coffee Hour this Week . . . Things for Sale, Things Given Away—After Mass on Sunday, look for tables in Saint Joseph’s Hall where:

• we’ll be selling some copies of Father Warren Platt’s The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a History (see above for more details).

• there will also be a give-away table with a wide variety of books on it, free for the taking. Please take one! Take more than one! Otherwise, we will need to recycle them. Give these books a home!

• there will also be a table where we’ll be selling religious and devotional objects that were donated to the parish by our departed brother and friend, Emil Bretzger. It was Emil’s hope that his collection—there are many angels!—would edify his fellow parishioners and help support the parish he loved so much.

Bible Study on Sundays in September: “Who is Jesus and Why Does It Matter?” . . . 9:45 AM in Saint Benedict’s Study, led by Father Jay Smith. Refreshments provided. Please join us as we look at Gospel passages that show us who Jesus is and invite us to consider how that experience might change our lives. We’ll use works of imagination—art and poetry—to help us interpret the Gospel text. All are welcome.

This coming Sunday, September 1, we’ll be studying the story of Jesus’ Baptism. If you have a few minutes before Sunday, you might take a look at Mark 1:9–11, Matthew 3:13–17, and Luke 3:21–22—John 1:29–34 as well.

CPR Training . . . We are planning a CPR training session for this fall, which is required for the recertification of our AED (automated external defibrillator). If you are interested, please send Father Matt an email at mjacobson@stmvnyc.org. Depending on the size of our group, we may be able to have our training session onsite at the parish. All are welcome. Ushers are particularly encouraged to learn (or refresh) these important skills.

Neighbors in Need . . . If you would like to volunteer or make a cash donation, please speak to MaryJane Boland. We are also eager to receive donations of new or lightly used sneakers and shoes, in all sizes, for both men and women. A Drop-by was held on August 16, and the next one will take place on Friday, September 20, 1:00–3:00 PM. We are looking for a few more good volunteers. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Father Jay about our work and how you might help.

From Father Sammy: Nine Days of Prayer for Guidance before Holy Cross Day (September 14) . . . In the Western Church, a novena (from the Latin novem, “nine”) is a period of nine days’ private or public devotion, by which it is hoped to obtain some special grace. The general observance of novenas is actually quite modern, dating only from the seventeenth century, but it is modeled on the nine days’ preparation of the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary for the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1.13ff). Some sources cite the Church Fathers for assigning special meaning to the number nine, seeing it as symbolic of imperfect man turning to God in prayer (due to its proximity with the number ten, symbolic of God’s perfection). Novenas may be performed in church, at home, or anywhere solemn prayers are appropriate. This year, Saint Mary’s is using the days before Holy Cross Day as an occasion to pray together as a community for God’s vision for our parish. Beginning September 6, and culminating on September 14, Holy Cross Day, I am asking our whole parish family to join me in adding to your daily devotions a particular prayer for Saint Mary’s.

A Novena for Saint Mary’s

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus, who because of your burning love for us willed to be crucified and to shed your most precious blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us and grant our petition:

Pour out your Spirit upon our parish family.

Give us your vision for our common life and bless the work we do in New York City in your name and for your glory.

We trust completely in your mercy. Cleanse us from sin by your grace, sanctify our work, give us and all those who are dear to us our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings, bless our parish, and grant to the nations your peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying your commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father . . .

Glory to the Father . . .

Would you like to donate the altar flowers? . . . The following Sundays are available: September 8 and 22, and October 13. The customary donation requested is $250. Please call the Parish Office for more information (212-869-5830).

SEMINARIANS ARRIVING THIS FALL

We are excited to announce that we will have two seminarian interns joining us this fall. Here’s a little bit about Chris and Alden:

Chris Edling is a first-year student at General Theological Seminary and a parishioner of Holy Trinity Inwood in uptown Manhattan. He's a former Peace Corps Volunteer, WWOOFer, UN consultant, and two-time Fulbrighter (Armenia, Kyrgyzstan). Chris moved to New York in 2012 to attend Columbia University and currently teaches at NYU.

Alden Fossett is a seminarian at Yale Divinity School/Berkeley Divinity School, where he is preparing for ordination to the priesthood. In his sending diocese of Massachusetts, he is focused on the work of racial justice, reconciliation, and reparations. Alden grew up in Los Angeles, California.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER?

Have you been coming to Saint Mary’s for a while, but have been unsure about how to get more involved? We’d love to talk to you about that.

During 2024–2025 we hope to recruit more volunteers for the following ministries:

Neighbors in Need, Acolytes, Readers, Ushers, Hospitality Teams, and Livestream Broadcasters.

In order to do what we do for this congregation and for our neighborhood, we need your help. We urge you to pray about this, asking God to help you discern how you are being called to serve here at the parish. We promise you that greater commitment produces great rewards.

For more information, speak to Father Sammy or Father Matt.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2024, THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The Mass setting on Sunday is from Communion Service, Opus 71, composed in 1976 by the Welsh composer, William Mathias (1934–1992). From 1970 to 1988 Mathias was professor and head of the music department at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. Active as a conductor and pianist, he was also the artistic director of the North Wales Music Festival which was held annually at Saint Asaph’s Cathedral. Mathias composed liberally both for instrumental and choral forces, and his church music and organ music are widely performed. Having composed music for many royal occasions, his worldwide esteem surged as a result of his anthem Let the people praise Thee, O God, which he composed for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1985. His Communion Service was composed for unison congregational singing with optional choral features and was one of the early Series 3 settings (parallel to Episcopal Rite II) to gain broad usage among Anglicans. As such, its essential movements, minus their choral elements, were included in The Hymnal 1982. Mathias’ setting may be considered musically to be similar for Rite II to what Healey Willan’s Missa de Sancta Maria Magdelena was for the 1928 rite and continues to be for Rite I; that is: a modern, energetic, organ-accompanied setting for congregations and choirs to sing together.

During the Communion at the Solemn Mass, choir member Joy Tamayo will sing a setting of Ave Maria composed in 1922 by Filipino composer Francisco Buencamino, Sr. (1883–1952). Buencamino was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, and received early musical training from his father, Fortunato, who was a church organist and bandmaster. His mother, Luisa, also a musician, was a singer. His later formal studies were at the Liceo de Manila where he was mentored by noted conductor and composer, Marcelo Adonay. In the early 1900s, Buencamino taught in various schools and composed a number of Tagalog operettas. In 1930, he founded the Buencamino Music Academy and continued to compose for stage and film productions. Buencamino’s setting of Ave Maria, one of the most often prayed of all Christian devotions, is scored for soprano, violin, and piano. It begins in the key of G minor but, at the words “Sancta Maria, mater Dei,” shifts to the major mode for the duration of the piece.

As an artist, Joy Tamayo expresses herself as a performer, a writer, and an educator. She is a graduate of both the University of the Philippines and the Crane School of Music. Fates have determined that most of her life be within orbit of whatever representative of the Stage, whether a barangay singing competition at the foot of an active volcano or a medieval church in Europe. Her New York art life has continued this penchant for the all-venues approach to performance. Highlights include the premiere of Chaitanya Sangco’s Subway Atmos (for soprano, cello, piano, chorus, and electronics) at Opera America; the Calf in Kento Iwasaki's portable opera Beloved Prey at Flushing Town Hall; Barbarina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble; lead soprano for Pete Wyer’s opera Spring Street which premiered online at jeeni.com. For collaborative works, Joy Tamayo performed for Tino Seghal's This You, a 2016 Public Art Fund's exhibit called The Language of Things at City Hall Park; a recording with C4 Ensemble of Jonathan David's Blue Planet Blues/The Time Is Come, commissioned by Zsuzsanna Ardo for an art installation at Skopje, Northern Macedonia; and chorus for National Sawdust's project with composer Sxip Shirey’s The Gauntlet at Rockefeller Center. As one half of the duo an outskirt, she is pursuing the stage with the most eyes on it. She wrote, danced, and performed the opera Mga Stasyon as part of the 2021 Exponential Festival. She was composer and vocalist for Tanika I. Williams’ film Sanctuary which was featured at the BAMcinemaFest 2021 Shorts Program. Joy was born and raised in the Philippines. The organ prelude and postlude on Sunday will be improvised.

AWAY FROM SAINT MARY’S

Mexican Prints at the Vanguard
September 12, 2024–January 5, 2025
Upcoming at The Met Fifth Avenue in Galleries 691–693
Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street

From the museum website, “The rich tradition of printmaking in Mexico—from the eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century—is explored in this exhibition of works drawn mainly from The Met collection. Among the early works presented are those by Mexico’s best-known printmaker, José Guadalupe Posada, whose depictions of skeletons engaged in different activities helped establish a global identity for Mexican art. Following the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), printmaking proved to be the ideal medium for artists wanting to address social and political concerns and voice resistance to the rise of fascism around the world. Artists also turned to printmaking to reproduce Mexican murals from the 1920s and to create exhibition posters, prints for the popular press, and portfolios celebrating Mexican dress and customs.

Featuring over 130 works, including woodcuts, lithographs, and screen prints, by artists such as Posada, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and Leopoldo Méndez, the exhibition explores how prints were central to the artistic identity and practice in Mexico and highlights their effectiveness in addressing social and political issues, a role of the graphic arts that continues today. The bulk of The Met’s expansive collection came through the French-born artist Jean Charlot, whose association with the Museum began in the late 1920s. Charlot donated many of his own prints and works by other artists to The Met, and in the mid-1940s acted on behalf of the Museum to acquire prints in Mexico. The collection demonstrates The Met’s early interest in Mexican art and culture at a time when there was growing international interest in the subject.”

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.