DID YOU KNOW?
SUPPORTING THE FREE CHURCH OF SAINT MARY’S

The actual legal name the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is “The Society of the Free Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in the City of New York.” The term “Free Church” was an important part of the name because, unlike other Episcopal churches in New York in the nineteenth century, Saint Mary’s did not charge pew rents. That is, you didn’t need to pay to have your family’s name on a little plaque in order to sit on that bench. This designation and practice established Saint Mary’s as a parish for all comers—something we may recognize as a sign that now appears on all Episcopal churches: “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!”

This free church only worked then and only works now because the people who worship at Saint Mary’s continue to commit their time, their talent, and their treasure to the work of Christ in Times Square. It is our shared responsibility to keep this vision and mission alive—a responsibility that the Stewardship Committee works each year to enable.

Over the years, the burden of financing the church has changed. Endowments from the originally very wealthy patrons of the parish have diminished, as is appropriate. After all, the point of the church—especially the Free Church of Saint Mary the Virgin—wasn’t to hoard money. It was and is to worship God, spread the Gospel, and serve the needy.  We are now inheritors of that mission and that burden which is our blessing.

While investments continue to furnish some of the funding for our operations, we mostly rely on the financial support of parishioners and friends. It might be useful to understand a little about who those supporters and friends are now and the facts around that giving.

The trustees of the parish continue to be the major contributors to its finances. This year, 42% of all pledged money will come from the members of the Board of Trustees and the members of the regular clergy of the parish. The average annual pledge from the parish community apart from the Trustees was around $2,600. The median pledge—that is, the middle of the pledging range—was $1,200, or $100 per month. The mode (for those of you who are statistical geeks) was $1,000.

The average pledge per household went up significantly this year by 20%, but the number of pledging units remained the same. That does not mean that we have a steady group of pledging units. In fact, we added 16 and lost 15 pledgers this year—a significant churn and a reflection of the transient nature of our Manhattan neighborhood, perhaps. A full 31% of the pledgers to Saint Mary’s do not live in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut.  Saint Mary’s is most grateful for its national and international constituents!

Stewardship of Saint Mary’s is the responsibility of the whole community. As you’ve seen from previous Angelus articles about the budget, the pledging base, while generous, is not keeping pace with the needs of the parish operations. We’re most grateful for the increases we’ve seen this year, and hope that those generous growth trends will continue! — The Board of Trustees

THE PARISH PRAYER LIST

We pray for the sick, for those in any need or trouble, and for all those who asked us for our prayers. We pray for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week; for those who are traveling; for the unemployed and for those seeking work; for the incarcerated; for those living with drought, storm, frigid weather, flood, fire, and earthquake.

We pray for reconciliation among the people of the Anglican Communion.

We pray for all LGBTQ+ people who are being persecuted, slandered, and threatened—in Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Russia, the United States, and in many other places around the world—that justice may be done, hatred may cease, and knowledge and understanding increase.

We pray for the members of the Board of Trustees of this parish and for the members of the Search Committee.

We pray for all who are in pain and trouble and all who suffer from injustice and oppression of any kind. We pray, too, that God may forgive us for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty.

We pray for peace throughout the world, and especially for the people of Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar.

We pray for Penny, Anthony, Mark, Liz, Keith, Brent, Carl, Phoebe, Thomas, Chuck, Alexandra, Trevor, Paris, James, Jennifer, Susan, Sylvia, Harka, Bethel, Gigi, Julie, Carole, Frank, Suzanne, Sharon, Pat, Trevor, Liduvina, José, Carmen, Lauren, Isla, Theo, Karl, Margaret, Carlos, Christopher, Greta, Quincy, Ava Grace, Willard, Phyllis, Jim, Charlotte, Bruce, Barbara, Robert, Abe, Gypsy, Hardy, Randy, Margaret, Allan, priest, and for the repose of the souls of Phyllis Coscia and Sister Mary Jean, CSM.

A Prayer for the Anglican Communion

Gracious God, we give thee thanks for the gift of the world-wide Anglican Communion of churches: for the experience of belonging to all the ages, for the gift of thoughtful prayer that thou hast taught us, and for the task of reverent study to which thou dost call us. We thank thee for the love of worship which thou hast stirred up in our hearts, and for the love of justice which thou hast implanted in our wills. Remind us that thou art with us in times of trouble as in times of joy; nurture in us thankful hearts when we stand together, and send thy holy wisdom into our disagreements. In dispute, may be we gentle and loving; in unity, may we be humble; in poverty, nourish us with hope; in wealth, help us become responsible and generous. Inflame us with prophetic vision so that our fellowship may bear the likeness of the incoming kingdom proclaimed for all by Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S

Our regular daily liturgical schedule, Monday through Friday, is Morning Prayer 8:00 AM, Mass 12:10 PM, and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM. Holy Hour is offered on Wednesday at 11:00 AM and Thursday’s Mass includes a Healing Service. On Saturdays, Mass is celebrated at 12:10 PM and Evening Prayer is prayed at 5:00 PM. On Sundays, Solemn Mass is offered at 11:00 AM and Evening Prayer at 5:00 PM.

Commemorations during the Week of May 7, 2023: Said Mass at 12:10 PM in the Lady Chapel

Monday, May 8, Dame Julian of Norwich, c. 1417

Tuesday, May 9, Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, 389

READ THESE! NEWS, NOTICES AND REQUESTS FOR HELP

Friday, May 5, 5:30 PM, The Centering Prayer Group meets in Saint Benedict’s Study.

The Adult Education Forum continues this Sunday, May 7, at 9:30 AM in the parish hall. After a brief Easter break, adult education resumed two weeks ago, continuing our year-long series on the Holy Eucharist. During these last four weeks before summer break, Father Matt is looking at the Eucharist from the perspective of several fourth-century texts that record Easter Week addresses to the newly baptized. On May 7 and 14, he’ll examine some of the writings from Saint Ambrose of Milan on the Eucharist. All are welcome!

Sunday, May 7: May Crowning & Annual Meeting of the Parish: On the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Solemn Mass ends with devotions at the Shrine of Our Lady. Immediately following Mass that day, the parish’s Annual Meeting will convene in Saint Joseph’s Hall. Reports from guilds and members of staff will be received. Members of the parish will nominate two parishioners to serve as delegates to the 247th convention of the Diocese of New York, which will take place on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. The Annual Meeting report can be accessed here, and hard copies will be available at the meeting itself.

Sunday, May 7: Evensong and Benediction at 5:00 PM. The music will include works by David Hurd (b. 1950), Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848–1918), Thomas Hunt (c. 1580–1658), and Adrian Batten (1591–1637).

Friday, May 12, 5:30 PM, The Centering Prayer Group meets in Saint Benedict’s Study.

AIDS Walk 2023: Sunday, May 21: Thanks to your support, we raised another five thousand dollars this week and are up to $45,576. The team has continued to grow, and we now have 24 members! There are two more weeks until the Walk and our goal is $60,000. Please help us to have a strong finish! To join or to contribute to the Team, visit our page on the AIDS WALK website. Additional detail about our team’s history can also be found on the parish website. Our team captains—MaryJane Boland, Clark Mitchell, and Father Matt Jacobson—welcome your questions.

Visiting Organists at Saint Mary’s: While Dr. Hurd was away performing in Florida this week, it was my pleasure to host two visiting groups of organists at Saint Mary’s. The groups, on organ tours in New York City, consisted of graduate students and their professors from Germany and from North Carolina. They had heard about our famous Skinner organ from friends and colleagues and were eager to experience it. You will not be surprised to read that our organ worked its magic. Alexander Grün, leader of the German group and Basilikaorganist at St. Ursula in Cologne, told me afterward that for him it was worth making the trip to the United States just to hear and play the Saint Mary’s organ. The others were similarly awestruck—by the instrument’s beautiful tonal colors, range of expression, and magnificent power. It’s a good reminder to us of what a treasure our organ is. I very much enjoyed hearing the students play, and our musician guests departed all aglow from their experience. — Clark Anderson

A Visit with a Parishioner: Jennifer Stevens, one of the parish’s lay Eucharistic ministers visited parishioner, Margaret Malone, this week. She was accompanied by her fellow parishioner, Sharon Stewart. The three Saint Marians visited for a good long while and shared Communion together. Margaret is unable to get out as much as she used to and would, we think, enjoy hearing from those of you who know her. Please contact Father Jay Smith or the parish office for her mailing address.

Neighbors in Need: Our most recent Drop-by distribution event took place on Friday, April 21. As usual, numbers drop a bit as the warmer weather arrives. Still, we served over thirty people. Next month’s event will take place on Friday, May 19. Our biggest needs now are clothing, especially shoes (sneakers or athletic shoes and other sturdy shoes), men’s and women’s pants and tops, and coats for next winter as well as jackets, t-shirts, polo shirts, and women’s tops suitable for spring and summer. And, of course, donations help us to purchase toiletries and underwear. Please contact us at neighbors@stmvnyc.org for more information about volunteering, making a donation, or about the goals, work, and methods of Neighbors in Need.

Donations for altar flowers may be made for Sunday, May 18 and 21 (Ascension Day and Easter 7); Sunday, May 28, the Day of Pentecost; Sunday, June 4, Trinity Sunday; and Sunday, June 11, Corpus Christi. To inquire about available dates and to arrange a donation for the altar flowers for a Sunday or a particular feast day, please contact Chris Howatt. For questions about flowers or the Flower Guild, please speak with Brendon Hunter.

Coming Up: Thursday, May 18, Ascension Day. Organ Recital at 5:30 PM. Mickey Thomas Terry, Howard University, Washington, D.C., will be the recitalist. Procession and Solemn Mass follows the recital at 6:00 PM. Father Sammy Wood will preach at the Solemn Mass . . .  Saturday, May 20, 11:00 AM, Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, the Ordination and Consecration of the Reverend Matthew F. Heyd as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of New York . . . On Saturday, May 20, at 5:30 PM, the members of the AIDS Walk Team will gather in the Lady Chapel for a Vigil Mass. Father Matt Jacobson will celebrate. This will allow them to participate fully in the Walk the following day, Sunday, May 21 . . . Sunday, May 28, The Day of Pentecost, Procession and Solemn Mass at 11:00 AM . . . Monday, May 29, Memorial Day. Federal Holiday Schedule. 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 parish offices are closed. Morning and Evening Prayer are not said in the church . . . Wednesday, May 31, The Visitation, Mass in the Lady Chapel at 12:10 PM; Sung Mass in the Church at 6:00 PM . . . Sunday, June 4, Trinity Sunday, Solemn Mass and Te Deum 11:00 AM . . . Sunday, June 11, The Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Corpus Christi, Solemn Mass and Procession to Times Square with the Blessed Sacrament 11:00 AM.

Father Jay Smith will be away on retreat between May 9 and May 14.

Father Matthew Jacobson will be away from the parish on vacation from Monday, June 12, until Thursday, July 6.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, MAY 7, 2023

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is Missa “In illo tempore” by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). Monteverdi, the great Italian madrigalist, was one of the most important composers to flourish at the juncture of European Renaissance music and the emergence of Baroque musical art. He is among those legendary musicians who directed music at San Marco, Venice. Later in his life he was ordained a priest. Considered a founder of opera as we know it today with his L’Orfeo (1609), his Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610 may well have provided both the model and the inspiration for the great Passions and oratorios of the later Baroque composers—notably Bach and Handel—which have come to stand as monumental pillars of sacred music even to our own day. Monteverdi’s Mass In illo tempore (“In that time”) is scored for four voices throughout. It is a parody Mass with themes drawn from the like-named motet of the Spanish-born composer, Cristóbal Morales (c. 1500–1553). Morales’ motet sets the text of John 16:16–19 in which Jesus speaks to his disciples about his going to the Father.

In the collect appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter we pray to “so perfectly know Jesus to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life.” The beloved English priest and poet George Herbert (1593–1633) offered his reflection and prayer to Jesus as the way, truth, and life (John 14:6) in “The Call,” one of a collection of poems published in 1633 and entitled The Temple. Herbert’s three-stanza poem points toward “love,” its final word, and Jesus’ new commandment which Saint John’s Gospel quotes at chapter 13, verse 34. Herbert’s prayer-poem has inspired many musical settings. One of the most well-known is from Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), which has been distilled into many modern hymnals. (See 487 in The Hymnal 1982.) The setting of Herbert’s “The Call,” sung on Sunday during Communion, is by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. This setting for four-part choir was commissioned in honor of the Reverend Dr. William Greenlaw and Mrs. Jane Greenlaw in 2008, shortly before Father Greenlaw’s retirement as rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles, Chelsea, Manhattan.

The organ prelude and postlude on Sunday are, respectively, the Prelude and the Fugue in D Major, BWV 532, of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). This is a youthful and exuberant piece, and sparkles with a joyful Easter spirit from the opening ascending pedal scale which launches the three-sectioned Prelude. The opening and closing sections of the Prelude are in a free fantasia style, while the center section features more ordered writing, and is marked Alla breve to indicate a feeling of two beats to the bar. The Fugue is built on a theme presented as a short figure repeated four times followed by a brief pause and the sequential repetition of a similar figure. From this simplicity of melodic material, Bach builds a bright and energetic piece, and not without a sense of humor. — David Hurd

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE CONFIRMED
OR RECEIVED INTO THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH?

On Saturday, June 10, at 10:30 AM at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, one of our diocese’s bishops will preside at a Mass during which he or she will confirm and receive candidates into the Episcopal Church.

These are important and moving sacramental rites that recall the gift of the Holy Spirit at Baptism and allow the adult candidate to make a public affirmation of his or her faith.

If you would like us to present you for confirmation or reception on June 10, please speak to Father Sammy or Father Jay so we can discuss preparing you to receive the sacrament and answer any questions you might have.

AT THE MET FIFTH AVENUE, 82nd Street. Gallery 955, Galleries 960-962. Until July 16, 2023. Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter. This exhibition offers an unprecedented look at the life and artistic achievements of seventeenth-century Afro-Hispanic painter Juan de Pareja (c. 1608–1670). Largely known today as the subject of The Met’s iconic portrait by Diego Velázquez, Pareja—who was born in Antequera, Spain—was enslaved in Velázquez’s studio for over two decades before becoming an artist in his own right. This presentation is the first to tell his story and examine the ways in which enslaved artisanal labor and a multiracial society are inextricably linked with the art and material culture of Spain’s “Golden Age.” Representations of Spain’s Black and Morisco populations in works by Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Velázquez join works that chart the ubiquity of enslaved labor across media, from sculpture to silver. The Met’s portrait, executed by Velázquez in Rome in 1650, is contextualized by his other portraits from this period and the original document whereby Pareja was freed upon return to Madrid. The exhibition culminates in the first gathering of Pareja’s rarely seen paintings, some of enormous scale, which engage with the canons of Western art while reverberating throughout the African diaspora. Harlem Renaissance collector and scholar Arturo Schomburg was vital to the recovery of Pareja’s work and serves as a thread connecting seventeenth-century Spain with twentieth-century New York, providing a lens through which to view the multiple histories that have been written about Pareja.

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.