Growing

There’s a lot of research out about church life.  It is an industry.  Congregations have ‘life cycles.’  There are congregations who are organized to survive, to grow and, yes, even, to die.  Saint Mary’s was organized to be a place of liturgical worship.  It was organized as part of a movement that was sweeping through Christian communities in the nineteenth century.  In the wake of the academic and artist revolutions of the time, the Church was rediscovering liturgy and itself.

After Five Years: Looking Ahead

On Sunday, February 1, 2004 I will begin my sixth year of service as rector of Saint Mary’s.  I preached and celebrated the first time here at the Solemn Mass on Tuesday, February 2, 1999, the third rector in a row whose service at the altar began on the Feast of the Presentation.  I cannot begin to explain or really understand the mystery of God’s providence that brought me to serve him in this place.

New Sights

Last night I came up from the B train at Rockefeller Center at 49th, on the west side of the street.  There were some folks coming down the steps so I walked up the staircase looking up, instead of down - the way most of us walk around New York most of the time. 

Prayer Book Studies

In 1950 the Standing Liturgical Commission published the first issue of “Prayer Book Studies.”  This booklet, in a series that would continue through the development of the present Prayer Book, contained two studies: I. Baptism and Confirmation and II. The Liturgical Lectionary.  Revision of the 1892 Prayer Book had begun in 1913. 

Epiphany

An e-mail inquiry about Epiphany (“manifestation”) sent me to the books the other day.  I am always forgetting that Christmas is not just about the birth of Jesus, liturgically speaking, and Epiphany is not just about the coming of the Wise Men.  I’m pretty good at remembering that what we call “Palm Sunday” is the original “Good Friday” – hence, the Liturgy of the Palms is attached to the Mass of the Passion.  It’s just as complicated during this time of year, too.

Spontaneous

Something unusual happened on Christmas Eve: the assembly starting applauding as the final hymn, Hark! the herald angels sing, ended.  There was still a dismissal to do, still a postlude to be played.  I had the strong sense that the spontaneous applause that broke out throughout the filled church was not just for the hymn and the descant on the final verse, which was glorious, but for the whole Mass – and, I confess, especially for our parish musicians.  The music and the Mass were extraordinary.