FROM FATHER JACOBSON: THE DREAM OF THE VIRGIN

On Thursday, August 15, we commemorate one of the principal Marian feasts of the Church year, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Assumption is typically referred to by an older title, the Dormition (falling asleep) of the Theotokos (God-bearer). The God-bearer’s falling asleep reminds me of a somewhat unusual fourteenth-century painting, Il sogno della Vergine (The Dream of the Virgin) by Simone dei Crocifissi of Bologna, that I was struck by recently when visiting the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Ferrara.

Mary is sleeping on a bed and springing out from her is a tree on which Christ is hanging. The tree is most likely the “tree of life” from Genesis 2:9, which since patristic times has been seen as prefiguring the Cross. The other tree mentioned in this verse from Genesis is the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” from which Adam and Eve ate in disobedience to God. Simone dei Crocifissi painted a second Dream of the Virgin, now at the National Gallery in London (click here), and this version has Adam and Eve placed below the bed with a hand reaching down, as an apparent extension from the tree of life, to pull them up from hell.

On top of the tree in the painting from Ferrara is an image of a pelican piercing herself to feed her young with her blood. The motif, based on ancient myths about pelicans, is commonly used in iconography to refer to Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross as well as how Our Lord continues to feed us with his blood in the Holy Eucharist.

As Mary has this vision of her role in salvation history as the New Eve, she sees the tree coming out of her abdomen where she carries Christ. It reminds us of her centrality in the incarnation as the radix sancta (holy root), an intimate relationship with the Son that can also point to how she intercedes for us. This is perhaps emphasized even more in the London painting where Adam and Eve are being pulled up in the harrowing of hell.

There is also a curious person seen reading next to the bed in the lower left corner. Art historians have speculated about who this might represent, such as the artist or perhaps Mary having a vision of herself, though there isn’t a consensus.[1] Given this ambiguity, I’m wondering what if instead we placed ourselves in this role?

If we allow the figure to represent us, then we are sitting with a book (perhaps the Bible or the Book of Common Prayer) as this scene opens up before our eyes. We’re being reminded of the importance of Our Lady who intercedes for us, but it can also encourage us to engage our Christian imagination to go beyond what we might find in books to scenes like this that allow the faith to come alive.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a celebration that is also well-suited to engage our imagination. If we put down our books for a moment and picture Mary being assumed into heaven, we can’t help but be struck by the implications of this for how close she must be to her Son. Simone dei Crocifissi appreciated this bond of love when he painted the tree springing forth from her. As I imagine Mary being assumed into heaven while writing this article, I see her looking down and praying for us all to join her. Let this be our dream as well. — MDJ

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated with a Sung Mass at 12:10 PM and a Procession & Solemn Mass at 6:00 PM on Thursday, August 15. The Solemn Mass on the Feast of the Assumption is the one liturgy during the summer months when the full Choir of Saint Mary’s returns. A festive reception follows Solemn Mass.

PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH & FOR THE WORLD

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

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, especially Sheila, Steve, Rick, Thomas, Leroy, Tom, Eleni, Lynn, Dennis, Susan, Darwin, Martin, Frank, Susanna, Rolf, Joyce, Christine, Donald, Richard, Josh, Robert, Tony, James, Dorian, Hattie, Nettie, Chrissy, Maddie, Jan, Pat, Marjorie, Carole, Luis, Sharon, Quincy, June, Carlos, Joyce, José, Brian, Manuel, Andrew, Abe, Suzanne, Hardy, Giovanna, Gypsy, Liduvina, Bob, Rita, and Margaret; Jack, James, Curtis, Monica Clare, Ben, Barbara-Jean and Eleanor-Francis, religious; Lind, deacon; Julie, Matthew, Robby, and Stephen, priests; and Sean, bishop.

We pray for the repose of the souls of Kunitaka Sato, and those whose year’s mind is on August 11: Maria Oliver (1894); Clinton DeWitt Van Dyck (1916); Mary Selena Arnold (1939); Mildred Annette Bruce (1955); Cecily O’Connor (1963).

A Prayer for Cities (Book of Common Prayer 1979, p. 825)

Heavenly Father, in your Word you have given us a vision of that holy City to which the nations of the world bring their glory: Behold and visit, we pray, this our city and all the cities of the earth. Renew the ties of mutual regard which form our civic life. Send us honest and able leaders. Enable us to eliminate poverty, prejudice, and oppression, that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with order, and that men and women from different cultures and with differing talents may find with one another the fulfillment of their humanity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

We received news recently that Mr. Kunitaka Sato died last week near his home in Japan. He is the father of Ms. Sahoko Sato, who was married here at Saint Mary’s in March 2014. Please keep Kunitaka, Sahoko, their friends and family, and all who mourn in your prayers.

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Thursday, August 15, 2024

Morning Prayer 8:00 AM
Sung Mass in the Lady Chapel 12:10 PM
Procession & Solemn Mass 6:00 PM
Festive Reception 7:30 PM

WE NEED YOUR HELP

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 (our primary outreach program) ● Acolytes & Readers ● Ushers
Hospitality Teams (to host Coffee Hour and Holy Day receptions) ● Livestream Broadcasters

To do what we do, 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.

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

COMING UP

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

Sunday, October 13, Virtual Coffee Hour
After Solemn Mass, via Zoom. Link to be provided.

Sunday, October 20, Newcomers Reception
After Solemn Mass and a bit of Coffee Hour, in the Rectory. Refreshments will be served.

NEWS & NOTICES

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 . . .

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. The next Drop-by will take place on Friday, August 16, 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.

Helping those in Need: We’re all in this together . . . When you encounter someone in need on the subway or on the street, do you wonder how you might help? One thing you might consider doing is printing out this Street Sheet and carrying a few copies with you (click for the file in English and Spanish). The Sheet lists resources for the hungry, the unsheltered, and those in need. Sometimes this is one thing you can do to help: direct a person in need to available resources. You can’t promise people that negotiating these services will be easy, but it is something concrete that you can do.

Blessing the Backpacks . . . At the end of Mass on Sunday, September 1, we will bless a large number of backpacks and some school supplies. They will be delivered the following day to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School across the street on Forty-Sixth Street. If you are a student or if there is a student in your family, you are invited to participate by bringing up your “stuff”—backpack, school supplies, laptop, textbook, etc.—for a blessing as well . . . Saint Paul provides us with a beautiful prayer for those who study, “[I pray continually] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power” (Ephesians 1:17–19).

The Members of the Board of Trustees of Saint Mary’s will gather for a retreat on Saturday, September 7. Please keep them, their work, and the life and ministry of Saint Mary’s in your prayers.

Would you like to donate the altar flowers? . . .  The following Sundays are available: August 18 and 25, and September 1, 8, 15, and 22 The customary donation requested is $250. Please call the Parish Office for more information (212-869-5830).

Our good friends at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York, founded and for a time ran, the Holy Cross School in Grahamstown, South Africa. Completed in 2011, the school now continues due to an intercontinental partnership between the brothers of the Order of the Holy Cross (OHC) in North America and their brothers in South Africa. As many Saint Marians will know, OHC is an Anglican Benedictine order for men founded in 1884 by Father James Otis Sargent Huntington, who once wrote, “Love must act as light must shine forth and fire must burn.” The work of the Holy Cross School is now supported by a foundation named, “Love Must Act.” From the foundation’s website: “Holy Cross School, a primary educational institution, emphasizes holistic education according to the highest international standards. It serves an overwhelmingly disadvantaged community: nearly all of its seventy-five students come from households making less than the national living wage, and nearly one-in-five come from households with at least one deceased parent. Through its utilization of a world-class educational model and its rooting in communities of love, however, it consistently performs to standards on par with, or even exceeding, schools in the developed world. For more information, please visit the website of Love Must Act. If you would like to make a donation, you may visit this portion of the foundation’s website.

Father Jay Smith will be on vacation August 8–24.

Listen to Dr. Hurd’s Music on BBC 3 . . . We recently heard from several friends of Saint Mary’s, including the Rev’d Prebendary Alan Moses, former vicar of All Saints, Margaret Street, London, that they’d been listening to Choral Evensong on BBC 3 recently and were surprised and delighted to hear a piece composed by Dr. David Hurd, organist and music director at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in New York City. You too can hear David’s piece, “Love bade me welcome,” by following this link. The composition was sung as the Introit during Choral Evensong at Holy Trinity Church, Prince Consort Road, London. You can listen to the entire service on BBC, but only for ten more days. Thank you, David, for being such a good ambassador for Saint Mary’s, and thank you, Alan, good friend that you are, for giving us the news from across the pond.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT THE SOLEMN MASS ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 11
THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Sunday’s organ voluntaries continue a series, begun last Sunday, of the eight “Little” Preludes and Fugues traditionally attributed to J. S. Bach (1685–1750). These pieces are now widely believed to have been composed by one of Bach’s pupils, very likely Johann Tobias Krebs (1690–1762), or his son Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713–1780). Of these eight relatively short preludes and fugues, four are in the major keys of C, F, G, and B-flat, and the remaining four are in their relative minors of A, D, E, and G. The standard ordering of these eight pieces begins with BWV 553 in C Major and progresses up the scale to BWV 560 in B-flat. This morning’s prelude is BWV 559 in A minor, and the postlude is BWV 553 in the relative Major key of C. BWV 559, for the prelude, is probably the most dramatic of the eight preludes and fugues, displaying elements of the stylus fantasticus (“fantastic style”) of north-German Baroque keyboard music. BWV 553, numbered first in the collection and played for the postlude, is a bright and innocently straightforward piece. Both preludes and fugues have stylistic similarities to the larger works BWV 543 and BWV 545, which are in the same respective keys and are more certainly authentic works of J.S. Bach.

On most Sundays, the music of the Ordinary of the Mass at Saint Mary’s is the work of a single composer or drawn from a single source. On Sunday, however, the setting will be a composite from three different places and times.

The Gloria is a metrical paraphrase translated into English from the German Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr as found in The Hymnal 1982 at #421. Both the German paraphrase and its chorale melody are credited to Nikolaus Decius (c. 1490–1541). The present English translation is credited to the Reverend F. Bland Tucker (1895–1984). Father Tucker served on the Commission which produced The Hymnal 1940 and is represented by twenty-six hymn texts in The Hymnal 1982. Like many chorale melodies, Allein Gott exists both in duple and triple rhythmic forms. The stately duple rhythm version was included in The Hymnal 1940 at #303 with a harmonization by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1849). However, the older and more dance-like triple rhythm form, with harmonization by Hieronymous Praetorius (c. 1560–1629), was chosen for the metrical Gloria in The Hymnal 1982.

The Sanctus on Sunday is from A Community Mass by Richard Proulx (1937–2010). Organist, composer, and conductor, Richard Proulx was one of the brightest lights in American Roman Catholic church music in the late twentieth century. He was also sought out internationally and ecumenically to compose, to consult, to teach, and to direct music programs. In addition to church music, his works include operas, orchestral music, and film scores. From 1980 to 1994 Richard Proulx directed a distinguished music program at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago during which time the Casavant choir organ and landmark four-manual Flentrop gallery organ were commissioned and installed. Proulx’s A Community Mass was composed in 1970 and quickly became a staple in Roman Catholic congregations. Its sturdy Sanctus, when sung by congregations, carries the text and its liturgical function powerfully.

The Agnus Dei is from John Merbecke’s Communion setting originally published in The booke of Common praier Noted of 1550. Merbecke (c. 1510–c. 1585) was known to have been a lay-clerk and organist at Saint George’s, Windsor in 1541. Apart from an obscure Latin Mass and two motets composed in his earlier years, Merbecke’s lasting musical contribution is his collected plainsong settings of the Prayer Book, published in 1550. This is probably the earliest musical setting of the English Ordinary. Merbecke’s settings for the Mass are scrupulously syllabic and free of melodic fancy but yet melodically graceful. Although his original notation and instruction clearly indicate notes of long and short duration, nineteenth- and early twentieth-century editions of his music made all but final syllables of phrases equally short. The Hymnal 1982 edition has restored the original rhythms to Merbecke’s chant. His Agnus Dei is found at S 157.

During the Communion, Sunday’s cantor, Muir Ingliss, will sing En prière, an art song for voice and piano by Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924). The lyricist for this song, which was composed and published in 1890, was the poet Stéphane Bordèse (1847–1919). The song is dedicated to Madame Leroux-Ribeyre to whom Fauré also dedicated at least one other song. Fauré was born in the south of France, the youngest of six children. He lived with a foster mother until, when he was four years old, his father was appointed director of the École Normale d’Instituteurs at Montgauzy, and he returned to live with his family. It was on a harmonium in the chapel there that Fauré’s musical inclinations became apparent. In 1854, he began eleven years of study at the École Niedermeyer in Paris, a school focused on training organists, choir directors, and church musicians. After Niedermeyer’s death in 1861, Fauré studied with Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), and the two composers remained life-long close friends. Fauré’s life was far too varied and complex to be easily described or summarized. He held a variety of positions in a turbulent time both in the church and the French musical academy. He was highly regarded as an organist yet wrote no music for organ solo. While his Requiem (1901) is widely beloved, few of the sacred works he is known to have composed are extant. Yet, his secular songs and piano music are standard repertoire. However, in En prière, secular and sacred overlap. Fauré’s lyric melody floats its prayer over a harp-like accompaniment.

AWAY FROM SAINT MARY’S

The New-York Historical Society, 77th Street and Central Park West
Lost New York, First Floor, The Robert H. and Clarice Smith South Gallery
Until September 29, 2024

From the Society’s website, “Behold a bygone New York! This exhibition invites you to explore the landmarks, vistas, pastimes, environments, monuments, communities, and modes of transportation that once defined this city. ‘Losses’ include river swimming, high-wheel bike riding, elevated railways, the original Penn Station, the old Croton Reservoir, the Chinese Theater, Seneca Village, the Central Park Hooverville, the fake window decals of the 1980s, and Bowling Green's monument to King George III. Throughout, community voices bring these lost sites to life. A woman recalls attending the Old Met Opera House in 1939. A Broadway carpenter thinks back to a photograph of his father in front of the Hippodrome Theatre. And a young choir singer imagines the demolished Harlem Renaissance monument Lift Every Voice and Sing. Showcasing treasures from the New-York Historical Society’s trove of historical objects, Lost New York speaks to both the dynamism of an ever-changing city and the importance of preserving pieces of our otherwise vanishing past.”

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.

[1] Marina Montesano, “Il sogno della vergine: fra iconografia e cultura folklorica,” Micrologus 17 (2009): 347-360.