Lots of Things

Several months ago I began to tell folks that change was coming to Saint Mary’s in great waves, that a tsunami was on its way.  The outward and visible sign of this would be personnel transition.  The inward and spiritual reality would be the ongoing life of a growing Christian community.  I knew of some of the changes; but I also knew that change would come which was totally unexpected.

Congratulations, Mr. Dean!

On Monday, October 1, Princeton University announced that the Reverend Thomas E. Breidenthal has been appointed dean of religious life at Princeton.  He assumes his new position on January 1, 2002.  I could not be more happy and delighted for him and his family.  It was hard to lose Father Shin to Oxford and it is going to be hard to lose Father Breidenthal to Princeton, but in both cases these appointments continue an old tradition of the clergy of Saint Mary’s going on to be of greater service to the wider church.

Community Helpers

When I was in second grade, in 1961, second graders studied “community helpers.”  These were the people in our city whose work was to make our lives safe and better.  They were doctors, dentists and nurses.  They were policemen, firemen and school crossing guards.  They were postmen and even members of the clergy.  They wore uniforms.  In 1961 they were mostly men.  They were trustworthy. 

Faith, not Fear

The shadow of fear hangs over me and I see it in the eyes of others too.  A terrible death has been inflicted on over five thousand innocent people, most of them died a few miles south of where our parish sits.  It could have been a bomb in Times Square; it could have been anywhere.

The disciples had a great deal of fear, especially before they had faith.  Some were afraid when Jesus told them to leave their old lives behind.  Some were afraid when Jesus said to render to Caesar the things that were Caesar’s.  Judas was terribly afraid.  The others were afraid in the Garden.  They could only look at Calvary from afar.  They were even afraid when they saw the tomb empty, and even when Jesus himself came to them alive.

In the Midst of Life

As soon as the parish clergy and staff collected themselves on Tuesday morning, we covered the altar in purple.  We have been celebrating Masses for the Departed, at Noon and at 6:00 PM ever since.  We are praying for those who have died and for those who mourn.  There will be time to focus our prayers for our nation. 

Assumpta est Maria

It’s Thursday morning, August 16.  The church phones are ringing.  One call is about a cell phone left in church last night; another is about a misplaced package.  The rest are calls with people bubbling.  The Procession & Solemn Mass on the Feast of the Assumption 2001 was an evening that had more than a few moments which will be remembered.

Open

Lots of people just walk by the open doors of Saint Mary’s this time of year.  It’s New York.  Most people are going someplace, usually in a hurry.  But lots of folks stop too.  Some stop because the organ is being played.  Some climb the steps to look in.  Some actually come in.  It is unusual though for someone to come in and walk up the aisle.  Something keeps most folks in the back or on the sides.

Reverence and Thankfulness

At the end of the funeral for Father Kirk, as the clergy stood on the sidewalk waiting for the coffin to be put into the hearse, someone on a bicycle rode by and said so that we could hear him, “What is this *****?”  Appreciate the scene: the door of the hearse is open; altar servers bearing cross, candles and incense are standing in place, a bishop of the church and other clergy are in attendance. 

A Final Gift To Saint Mary’s

Father Rodney Kirk’s funeral filled Saint Mary’s on Wednesday, July 25.  Every seat was taken.  Lots of others stood.  I guessed there were six hundred here; the usher’s count was 845.  It was one of the hottest days of the year.  It was a full, beautiful Requiem Mass.  There was great music, wonderfully sung and played by one of the former musicians of the parish, Kyler Brown and his Virgin Consort.  Father Wells preached.  Bishop Walter Dennis presided at the Commendation.  And Father Kirk arranged it all.

Richard Rodney Kirk, priest, 1933-2001

The Reverend Richard Rodney Kirk died on Thursday, July 12, at his home in Saint Croix, Virgin Islands, where he had lived in retirement since 1997.  He was sixty-seven years old.

Father Kirk was born and reared in North Carolina, was graduated from the University of the South and from the General Theological Seminary.  He returned to North Carolina and served there until 1967,

To Introduce a Curate

It was hot and humid last Sunday-- not unbearable-- but it was a summer Sunday in the city.  Father Shin was in California at a conference.  Father Breidenthal and I had the Masses.  The Solemn Mass was a lot of fun, solemn holy fun, for me as your rector.  Robert McCormick was on the bench for the first time as organist and music director. 

Transitions

Last Sunday I introduced to the congregations at the 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM Sunday Masses our new building superintendent, Mervin Garraway.  This coming Sunday I will have the privilege of introducing our new organist and music director, Robert McCormick.  Resumes for the position of curate continue to arrive, and the trustees and I have already begun meeting with candidates.  The Reverend James Ross Smith,

From Father Shin: The Joy of Being Wrong

Having just ended Processiontide (the informal name given to the season between Ascension Day and Corpus Christi) we are now about to go into a cruise-control liturgical mode until the Assumption.  The pressure the MC’s have had to deal with in these four weeks is just as bad as Holy Week.  From the nave most of the congregation probably does not experience the level of energy and pressure the servers feel in the choir chancel and in the sanctuary.  But sitting in the sanctuary I am aware of even the smallest detail that goes wrong, the details that escape the scrutiny of even the most discriminating liturgical connoisseurs

Saint Joseph’s Underway

The restoration of Saint Joseph’s Hall began on Wednesday, June 13.  The preparation and painting of the interior is being done by Otto Interiors, Inc., one of the best firms in the city.  In order to get the best possible price from them we have given them a great deal of leeway in terms of the schedule for their work.  The hall will be ready in time for the parish’s Assumption celebration.  It may be ready sooner, but as with any project in New York City the schedule of work will depend on a number of factors.

Hymns

The Hymnal 1940 was arranged beginning with the first season of the church year, Advent.  The first hymn in that hymnal was “Come, thou long expected Jesus born to set thy people free.”  It was a good way to begin a hymnal.  Last Sunday during the procession I noticed a person in the back sitting by the aisle, struggling with her hymnal, looking for the hymn and not finding it.  She was confused by the “S” numbers at the beginning.  I tried to be helpful even as I also tried to put

Raymond Lee Duncan, 1947 -2001

Raymond Duncan died unexpectedly on Thursday, May 24, 2001.  He was fifty-three years old and had officially joined the parish on July 10, 1984.  He was buried from Saint Mary’s at a Requiem Mass on Tuesday, May 29.  We were especially pleased that the Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold, Ray’s colleague at the

Calendar, Liturgy and Meaning

I didn’t know that Palm Sunday was the original Good Friday until I went to seminary.  If I had read this before going or heard it in a class it did not register.  Of course, once I learned this it made a lot of sense of what I had experienced on Palm Sunday – and it explained in some sense why the Prayer Book gives the day the title, “The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday.”

More than a Drill

The priest who sent me to seminary used to insist that I read Morning and Evening Prayer.  If I missed Morning Prayer in the morning I would read it later in the day, sometimes along with Evening Prayer.  This approach to the Daily Office was actually pretty standard practice for hundreds of years in the Western Church.  In retrospect, as preparation for seminary and my life as a member of the clergy it was excellent training.

From the Rector:  Father Shin to Oxford

I am honored to be able to tell you that the Reverend Allen Shin has been accepted as a doctoral student in patristic theology at Oxford University.  Father will be with us until early September when he and his wife, Clara Mun, will move to England.  I am happy and excited for them.  I know you will join me in being very sad that they will be leaving us.  He will be at Oxford for at least three years.

From the Rector: Clergy & Staff Notes & Other Things

Saint Mary’s has a long history of associations with members of the clergy for whom this particular community of faith has mattered a great deal.  The influence of the parish on the formation of priests and many future bishops is a matter of record and a powerful witness about the importance of mission of this parish church.  I know that most likely while I am rector of Saint Mary’s many priests will assist here.  I want