Volume 24, Number 46 — The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
Matt Jacobson
Saint Mary's was founded in 1868 to be the Episcopal parish church for the new residential neighborhood, then called Longacre Square, here in midtown Manhattan. Our doors have been open daily for welcome and worship since December 8, 1870. All are welcome. Our members and friends now live both near and far from Times Square. We invite you to join us.
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The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
FROM FATHER WOOD: TO WHOM THAT WATER CAME WERE HEALED

If you've been at Sunday Mass recently, no doubt you’ve noticed the return of the Asperges. This rite, which precedes the Mass, is the practice of sprinkling worshipers with holy water as a reminder of our baptisms, and the name comes from the Latin version of Psalm 51, “Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop.”

And if you’ve been around churches like Saint Mary’s long enough, you may know the text for the Asperges in Eastertide is the Vidi aquam egredientem, Latin for "I saw water." The words of this hauntingly beautiful (but notoriously hard-to-sing) antiphon are derived from Ezekiel 47, the prophet’s vision of the heavenly Jerusalem where he sees a river of living water flowing from the temple. “Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live,” Ezekiel said, and “everything will live where the river goes.” (Ezekiel 47:8-9)

Now — hold that thought.

If you’re curious, my favorite hour of the week is probably Wednesday between 11:00 AM and noon. Pretty much every Wednesday at that time you’ll find me in the Lady Chapel at Saint Mary's sitting before the Blessed Sacrament making a Holy Hour. Sort of like a mini-retreat, a Holy Hour is time to be still and be with God, to escape the hectic pace of New York City life, and to offer my heart to Jesus and receive his peace in return. Holy Hour is also where I pray for you and for our life together at Saint Mary’s. That’s where the Asperges comes in.

A while back, one Wednesday I was praying before the Sacrament like I do every week when the Asperges for Eastertide sprang into my head. I could almost hear the lyrics I first learned from the choir at my old field education parish in Washington, DC:

I saw water, proceeding out of the temple, on the right side thereof, alleluia:

and all they to whom that water came were healed every one; and they say, alleluia, alleluia.

And the picture I imagined accompanying the lyrics was our parish family as that water — a river streaming in from our homes to worship, then streaming back out into our neighborhoods. We’re like “guerrillas of charity,” on mission to bring healing to a hurting world. The great Anglican divine Jeremy Taylor said the church is to be a people that loves “God for himself, and our neighbors for God” — like a river of love flowing from Saint Mary’s, and “everything will live where the river goes.”

That image inspired our “Bless the Block” Sunday coming up this weekend. On Sunday, we’ll gather at 11:00 AM to worship, then we’ll stream out into Times Square, processing around the block “asperging” our neighbors and stopping at three stations to pray for their flourishing and their joy. The choir will serenade our neighbors from the church steps before we all stream back into Saint Joseph's Hall for a reception featuring food from local eateries. Oh, and we’ll gather again at 4:00 PM to bless pets (we’re expecting a few very special guests for that event, by the way, so please come help us welcome them)!

The world is hurting in so many ways, and we all could use a healing stream. From where this interim rector stands, that’s what I see when I look out at you — a people doing “all such good works as Thou has prepared for us to walk in,” loving God and loving neighbor, flowing into the world bringing healing and life wherever you go.

Join us on Sunday as we stream out of Saint Mary's to pray for the flourishing of our neighbors — and bring some friends (furry or not)! — SW

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

We pray for those who are sick and for those in any need or trouble; we pray for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week; for those who are travelling; for those living with storm, flood, fire, and earthquake, and we pray especially for Nancy and her family, and for Sharon, Penny, Greg, Glee, Horacio, David, Richard, Nadira, Peter, Eric, Carlos, Christopher, Linette, Jordan, Larry, Luis, Stuart, David, Sterina, Barbara, Allen, Marjorie, Shalim, Greta, Liduvina, Quincy, José, James, Frank, Laverne, Abraham, Gypsy, Hardy, Margaret, Emil, Pat, Robert; James and Nicholas, religious, and Matthew, Scott, and Stephen, priests; and for the repose of the souls of Bob and Loretta.

You are invited to keep these intentions in your minds, hearts and prayers this week:

For peace in Ukraine;

For those ill with COVID-19;

For those suffering from depression, anxiety, or addiction;

For all refugees and for those seeking asylum in the United States;

For those without food, shelter, or work;

For those seeking work;

For the work of Neighbors in Need;

For the Search Committee of the parish.

A Prayer for the Election of a Bishop

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for the Diocese of New York, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

REQUIEM MASS FOR BARBARA LARSEN KLETT

Barbara Klett was a longtime member of Saint Mary’s. She served on the Board of Trustees and volunteered countless hours over the years in the parish’s Finance Office. She died on January 28, 2021. Shortly after her death, her body was interred at the Trinity Church Cemetery in uptown Manhattan. Father Gerth officiated at the Service of Committal. We will celebrate a Requiem Mass for Barbara on Saturday, October 15, at 2:00 PM. Father Jay Smith will celebrate and preach. All of the parish’s members and friends are invited to attend the Mass.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Sunday, October 9, The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23C), Solemn Mass 11:00 AM. The readings are Ruth 1:8–19a; Psalm 113; 2 Timothy 2:8–15; Luke 17:11–21. Father Wood will celebrate and preach. The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Missa Dominicalis by Tomás Luís de Victoria (c. 1548–1611). The Communion motet is Almighty and everlasting God by Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625). A procession to “bless the block” will take place at the end of Mass. Following the procession, a festive reception will take place in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

The Blessing of the Animals will take place on the church steps at 4:00 PM this coming Sunday, October 9. Guests from the New York City Mounted Police Unit and the K9 Corps will join us for the Blessing.

Commemorations this Week: Monday, October 10, Columbus Day & Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Federal Holiday Schedule: the church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 2:00 PM. Mass is at 12:10 PM. Morning and Evening Prayer are not said in the church. The parish offices are closed; Tuesday, October 11, Philip; Friday, October 14, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky; Saturday, October 15, Teresa of Ávila.

AROUND THE PARISH

Saint Mary’s relationship with its sister parish in London, All Saints’, Margaret Street, goes back many years. All Saints’ former victor, Father Alan Moses, visited and preached here on several occasions. He and his wife, Theresa, were well known to many Saint Marians. In recent months, we have begun to explore ways for our two parishes to continue and deepen our relationship. All Saints’ current vicar, Father Peter Anthony, was a summer intern here some years ago while in seminary. He and I have been in contact and have decided that one way to nurture the mutual relationship of our “twinned” parishes would be to share formation offerings and opportunities. Father Anthony told me recently about one such offering, a lecture by an American priest, who is also a good friend of All Saints’.

On Tuesday, November 15, 7:00 PM London Time (2:00 PM EST), Father Steve Rice, rector of the Church of Saint Timothy, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which also has a relationship with All Saints’, Margaret Street, will be giving a lecture on an unusual and speculative theological topic, “Christ and the Aliens: what would be the theological consequence of discovering life exists beyond our world?” During his lecture, Father Rice will address the fascinating question of what difference it would make to Christian theology to discover we are not the only life forms in the universe. This is not a new topic and many ancient writers have pondered the question. Father Rice will draw on theologians such as Vorilong, Baronius, and Sinistrari to tease open the intriguing questions this poses for our account of what it means to be human in the light of the Gospel. Click here to learn more about this seminar series. Stay tuned for more info about the evolving relationship between our two well-known Anglo-Catholic parishes. — Sammy Wood

Father Matthew Jacobson has been ill this week and away from the parish. He is disappointed that he will be unable to join us for Mass or the festivities this coming Sunday and plans on returning to the office early next week. Please keep him in your prayers.

Thanks to Chris Howatt, new signs for the parish’s audio tour are now up! The project was organized by parish archivist Mary Robison and initially unveiled for the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Open House over the summer. The signs have QR codes that lead to audio files recorded by several parishioners who discuss various aspects of our church’s art, architecture, and history. We highly recommend the tour for anyone interested in learning more about Saint Mary’s.

The Neighbors in Need program is Saint Mary’s principal outreach ministry. It was founded by members of the parish, along with resident sisters and friars and members of the parish’s clergy staff. We “own” it and run it. We provide clothing and basic, but essential, hygiene items to our neighbors in Times Square. Your cash donations and gifts of new and lightly used clothing make this ministry possible.

An emergency Drop-by Day is planned for Tuesday, October 11. The usual October Drop-by will take place on Friday, October 21, 1:00–3:00 PM.

If you would like to volunteer for Neighbors in Need, please send us a message at neighbors@stmvnyc.org. Our goal is to continue to distribute clothing and hygiene items to those in need in the Times Square neighborhood. We are grateful to all those who continue to support this ministry.

MAKING DONATIONS FOR FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS

Dates for altar flower donations are available for the following Sundays: October 23 and 30; November 6 and 13. Opportunities to donate for Sundays and feast days in 2023 will be announced soon. Flowers on the high altar, at the shrines, and other areas of the church, are part of our offering to the glory of God and add to the beauty and solemnity of our worship. Often, the flowers are given in the memory, celebration, or honor of someone, a life event, or other occasions, which is printed in the bulletin.

We also welcome donations for flowers and other decorations at Christmas and Easter. Please contact Chris Howatt if you would like to make a donation for one of the available dates or for the holy days.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS

Tomás Luís de Victoria (c. 1548–1611) is considered the most important Spanish composers of Renaissance polyphony. Victoria knew and may have been instructed by Palestrina (1525–1594), who was maestro di cappella of the Seminario Romano in Rome at the time Victoria was studying at the nearby Jesuit Collegio Germanico. During his years in Rome, Victoria held several positions as singer, organist, and choral master, and published many of his own compositions. He was ordained priest in 1575 after a three-day diaconate. There are twenty authenticated Mass settings of Victoria in addition to two Requiems. Although the Missa Dominicalis, sung as the Mass setting on Sunday morning, has long been attributed to Victoria, it is now considered spurious by some scholars who have detected elements in the music which appear uncharacteristic of Victoria’s style. No alternative authorship has been determined. The Missa Dominicalis is an alternatim setting, that is, phrases of text are sung in segments which alternate chant with four-voice polyphony. In addition, the polyphonic segments are rigorous in their use of chant phrases as cantus firmus. The cantus firmus for the Kyrie (not sung this morning) and the Gloria is Mass XI, Orbis Factor, the plainsong designated for Sundays throughout the year. The cantus firmus for the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei is Mass XVIII, the plainsong designated for Weekdays in Advent and Lent, and at Masses of the Dead.

Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625) was baptized on Christmas Day 1583 in Oxford, where his father, William Gibbons, was employed as a town musician. He was a chorister at King’s College, Cambridge, between 1596 and 1598, while his elder brother, Edward (1568–1650), was master of the choristers. King James I appointed Orlando Gibbons a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, where he served as an organist for the last ten years of his life. He was active as a court musician and served as organist at Westminster Abbey. During his relatively short life, Gibbons composed generously for keyboard, for viols, and for voices in both sacred and secular realms. His sacred works include two service settings, several verse anthems, and several full anthems including Sunday’s Communion motet, Almighty and everlasting God, a setting of the collect formerly attached to the Third Sunday after Epiphany. Although one of the more modest of Gibbons’ compositions for the English service, it is an important early example of the English full anthem and served as a model for the close-following generations of distinguished church music composers that included John Blow and Henry Purcell.

ADULT EDUCATION: THE 2022–2023 PROGRAM BEGINS

This coming Sunday, October 9, at 9:30 AM, in Saint Benedict’s Study, we will continue our study of the Holy Eucharist in the Adult-Education program. On all but one of the Sundays in October, Brother Thomas Bushnell, BSG, will be teaching the class, talking not so much about abstract sacramental theology, but about what the Eucharist is and what it does. Father Jay Smith will teach the class on October 16.

October 2: The Eucharist as Meal

October 9: The Eucharist as Sacrifice

October 16: The Eucharist as Memory

October 23: The Eucharist as Prayer

October 30: The Eucharist as Presence

Participation by the members of the class is invited and encouraged.

To find Saint Benedict’s Study, please enter Saint Joseph’s Hall via the entrance at 145 West 46th Street, bear right and head down the long hallway which takes you past the rest rooms, the windows, and then heads toward the Sacristy. The classroom is located on your left, just short of the doors to the Smoke Room, the Control Room, and the Sacristy.

On Sundays in November, and on the first two Sundays in December, Father Peter Powell will teach a series of classes on Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians. Father Peter writes:

“We have the church that we have largely because of Paul of Tarsus. The New Testament includes many letters ascribed to Paul, and what those letters all have in common is the founding or nurturing of what we now call a church. Seven of the letters are accepted by all scholars as authentic, which is to say that they were almost surely written by Paul himself. Scholars disagree about the rest. Some scholars argue for Pauline authorship, some disagree, often vigorously.

What difference does this make? That’s the underlying question we will explore for six weeks each Sunday morning in November and early December, and then again during Lent. All of the letters are included in the biblical canon, and are, therefore, of equal value, at least theoretically. However, most of us, whether consciously or not, value some parts of the bible more than we do others. For instance, I prefer Mark over the other gospels and Romans and 1 Corinthians over the other epistles. I have my reasons for these preferences, but I recognize that preferring certain books can mean neglecting others.

Some people value Paul’s “authentic” letters more than they do the rest. This series of classes gives us an opportunity to discuss those canonical issues, but also to read some texts that it would be a shame to neglect. We will begin with Colossians, then study Ephesians, and finally turn to 2 Thessalonians. If we have time we’ll look at 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. I hope you will join us. I think we will enjoy reading these challenging texts together.”

FATHER SAMMY RECOMMENDS

Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It by David Zahl (Fortress Press, 2019).

From the Amazon website: “David Zahl’s popular and enlightening exploration of our unintended replacement religions—career, parenting, technology, food, politics, and romance—is new in paperback, now updated and expanded with a chapter on celebrity. In our striving, we are chasing a sense of ‘enoughness.’ But it remains ever out of reach, and the effort and anxiety are burning us out. Seculosity takes a thoughtful yet entertaining tour of American performancism and its cousins, highlighting both their ingenuity and mercilessness, all while challenging the conventional narrative of religious decline. Zahl unmasks the competing pieties around which so much of our lives revolve, and he does so in a way that's at points playful, personal, and incisive. Ultimately, he brings us to a fresh appreciation for the grace of God in all its countercultural wonder.” The book is available on amazon.com, bookshop.org, and other online retailers.

David Zahl’s latest book is Low Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself) (Brazos Press, September 2022). He discussed the book in a presentation at the parish of Calvary-Saint George on October 6.

CONCERTS AT SAINT MARY’S

Saturday, October 15, 2022, 8:00 PM, New York Repertory Orchestra, David Leibowitz, music director. Music by Beethoven, Debussy, and Vaughan Williams. Admission is free, a donation of $15.00 is suggested.

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES ON SUNDAYS AND WEEKDAYS

Sunday

The church will open at 9:00 AM and will close at 6:00 PM.

Adult Education will normally take place at 9:30 AM in Saint Benedict’s Study.

Solemn Mass is at 11:00 AM.

On the first Sunday of every month, there will normally be Evensong and Benediction in the church at 5:00 PM.

On other Sundays, Evening Prayer will be said at 5:00 PM.

Monday–Friday

The church will open at 7:00 AM and close at 7:00 PM.

Morning Prayer will be said in the church at 8:00 AM.

Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 PM, normally in the Lady Chapel.

Evening Prayer will be said in the church at 5:00 PM.

On Wednesdays, Holy Hour will be kept in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament at 11:00 AM in the Lady Chapel.

The Mass on Thursdays will normally include Anointing and Prayers for Healing.

Saturday

The church will open at 10:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM.

Mass will be celebrated in the Lady Chapel at 12:10 PM.

Evening Prayer will be said in the church at 5:00 PM.