FROM BROTHER FINNIAN SHANNON, SSF: PAX ET BONUM

For many that know me, they could tell you that genealogy is a passion of mine. How does this relate to a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, you may ask? Well as a Franciscan friar with the Society of Saint Francis I was excited to learn through genealogical research that some of my very distant relatives had close connections to Saint Francis and the Franciscan order. Matteo Rosso Orsini (1178-1246), a thirteenth-century Roman Senator, was a personal friend to Saint Francis of Assisi and a Third Order Franciscan. Matteo had a son named Giovanni Gaetano Orsini (abt. 1216-1280), who was a cardinal protector for the Franciscans and later became Pope Nicholas III. Matteo Rosso Orsini (abt. 1230-1305) was the grandson of Matteo Rosso Orsini (1178-1246) and was also a cardinal protector of the Franciscans.

As an Episcopal Franciscan friar following the way of Saint Francis and Saint Clare in Italy, I was not sure how I would feel given that the area that I would be traveling to was predominantly Catholic. Staying at Saint Anthony’s Guest House, run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, I learned the history of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, as any good genealogist would do, and discovered that the now Catholic order of sisters originated within the Episcopal Church. This put my mind and heart at ease, reminding me of the Franciscan charism of living out the gospel in the spirit of fraternity, poverty, and humility guided by the motto: Peace and all good / Pax et bonum / Pace e bene.

During my time at the Eremo delle Carceri I reflected on the interactions I had with everyone from our group. I had such a sense of peace and calmness come over me as I walked the wooded trails that I caught myself audibly saying, “I am home.” In that moment I truly felt the Franciscan motto: Peace and all good. Following in the way of Saint Francis and Saint Clare, I am truly blessed to have shared in this experience as an Episcopal Franciscan friar with the Society of Saint Francis and with such an amazing group of people who added so much to my prayer life and to my Franciscan story on a pilgrimage to Assisi!

Brother Finnian Shannon, SSF, along others from the Society of Saint Francis and the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin recently went on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy. The Eremo delle Carceri is a hermitage complex about four kilometers from Assisi in the forest of Mount Subasio, where Saint Francis and his companions would go to pray and discern where God was calling them. The pilgrims visited the site near the end of their week in Assisi and celebrated Mass at one of the altars in the complex. A parishioner from Saint Mary’s will be sharing some additional reflections from the pilgrimage to Assisi in an upcoming issue.

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for the people and clergy of our sister parish, the Church of All Saints, Margaret Street, London, and for the Church of Bangladesh, in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Rosemary, Holy, Becky, Bill, Becky, Caroline, Pavel, Sheila, Elliot, Grady, Chris, Dolores, Violet, Tod, Tim, Phoebe, Pat, Allen, Vanessa, Melvin, Vicki, Brendon, Nadia, Christian, Carol, Giovanna, Mary, Priya, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Sandy, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Nettie, Chrissy, Tony, Rick, Thomas, Jan, Carlos, Liduvina, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Victoria, Suzanne Elizabeth, and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and, Jay and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially James, Jeremy, Dan, and Amy, priest, and for those whose year’s mind is on December 7: Elizabeth Jane Weston (1876), Caroline Symonds (1902), George Geiss (1905), Frederick Berry (1906), Carol Elizabeth M. Irwin Hollister (1962), Eloise Cole Janke (1966), and Lily Lasham (1993).

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

We were sad to learn that Professor James Como, who taught a series on C.S. Lewis at Saint Mary’s Adult Formation just this fall, died unexpectedly on November 24, 2025, in Bucharest, Romania, while travelling for the “C.S. Lewis and Kindred Spirits” conference, where he was a plenary speaker. He was a professor, lecturer, scholar, author, and a founding member of The New York C.S. Lewis Society. Please pray for James, his wife Alejandra, and all who mourn. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

SAINT MARY’S 2026 PLEDGE CAMPAIGN: A WEEKLY REPORT FROM THE STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

The fourth week of our stewardship drive for 2026 coincided with Thanksgiving travel and family events, and our pledge total barely moved. We’re leaving our thermometer where it was and will report more next week. A reminder to our faithful, regular pledgers: if you have established a regular payment with your bank or credit card and you intend it to continue, until you renew that pledge with the church we can’t count your support as part of our 2026 total. Fill out a pledge card online or in the church and help us to recognize your support.

Some vital facts:                                                      

$450,000 pledge budget goal for 2026

 By November 25 (third week of campaign):
     $349,782 pledged
     63 pledges, most from previous pledgers
       8 first-time pledges
       31 increased from 2025
     78% of 2026 pledge budget goal

AROUND THE PARISH

Adult Formation — Adult Formation resumes this Sunday, December 7, when Dr. Meredith Linn begins a two-part class on the history and archeology of Seneca Village, highlighting the role of All Angels’ Church in the community and as an example of mission in the nineteenth-century Episcopal Church. Adult Formation takes place on Sundays at 9:45 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall. All are welcome.

Evensong & Benediction — We will offer Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament this Sunday, December 7, at 4:00 PM. Click here to learn more about E&B, which we offer on the first Sunday of the month during the program year in lieu of Evening Prayer.

Patronal Feast: The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary — On Monday, December 8, we will celebrate our patronal feast, the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Morning Prayer is offered at 8:00 AM. At 12:10 PM, there will be a Sung Mass in the Lady Chapel. Mr. Robert McCormick will offer an organ recital at 5:30 PM. Solemn Mass follows at 6:00 PM with Fr. Kyle Babin as our guest preacher.

Advent Quiet Day — On Saturday, December 13, Sister Monica Clare, CSJB, will lead a parish Quiet Day. There will be a light breakfast at 9:30 AM, and the first reflection begins at 10:00 AM. Lunch is included, and the day will finish by 3:00 PM. Please let Fr. Sammy know if you plan on attending so that we can plan for the meals.

Parish Work Day this Sunday — Help us get ready for our patronal feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary at a parish workday this coming Sunday, December 7, after the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass and before Evensong & Benediction at 4:00 PM. We will be focused primarily on cleaning and polishing brass, which is easy to learn and surprisingly satisfying and lunch will be provided. Please contact Grace Mudd if you can help.

Volunteers needed for Christmas — The Flower Guild needs many hands for helping move supplies into place and more cleaning and polishing at another parish work day on Sunday, December 14, after Coffee Hour. We also need help with getting branches and flowers into water—no skills needed—on Thursday, December 18, and Friday, December 19. There are always other tasks we need help with if you’re available to assist between December 20 and December 24. We always have snacks, lots of coffee, and a great time together making the beauty of Christmas come to life. Please contact Brendon Hunter if you can volunteer.

Our Advent Wreath — The flower guild assembled the Advent wreath last Saturday and passed along some fun facts:

• Saint Mary’s Advent wreath is always 6 feet in diameter.

• The stand is just over 6 feet tall; with the candles and followers it’s over 8 feet tall.

This year, the wreath has:

• 30 dried and preserved oranges

• 5 pounds of cinnamons sticks

• 5 different types of greens totaling about 3 bales worth of material

2026 Saint Mary's Calendars are now available! — The suggested donation for each calendar is $20 in-person and $25 online (which includes shipping) and $40 for international shipping. Click here to order your calendar online and here for a sample of the 2026 calendar. Calendars are available in-person after Solemn Masses and Evensong & Benediction in Saint Joseph’s Hall during the month of December 2025 and beginning of January 2026. Saint Mary’s Flower and Altar Guilds have produced the calendar and all proceeds will help fund critical guild restoration needs. Please contact Brendon Hunter with any questions about the 2026 Saint Mary’s calendar.

Interested in being Confirmed? — Please speak with Fr. Sammy Wood if you are interested in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation or being received into the Episcopal Church (for those already confirmed in another Christian denomination). Confirmation class begins in early 2026 and will prepare candidates to be confirmed at Bp. Allen Shin’s visit on Pentecost.

Hosts Needed for Coffee Hours — Community is a vital part of life in our parish, and every Sunday we host a Coffee Hour after the 11:00 AM Mass to welcome newcomers, foster fellowship, and build relationships among Saint Marians. Next year marks the 75th anniversary of Coffee Hour at Saint Mary’s, and we are building teams of at least two people to host once a month or so. That's why we need you! If you’d like to be on a team, contact Fr. Sammy or give your name to Renee Wood on Sunday in the Parish Hall.

Thursday Bible Study — Thursday evening Bible study in 2025-2026 is based on the Sunday lectionary for the upcoming Sunday and generally will be led by the preacher for that day. We meet over Zoom at 6:00 PM. If interested, please email Fr. Wood for the link.

Grant Writer Needed — From time to time, Saint Mary’s becomes aware of grant opportunities, and we are seeking a volunteer to research these opportunities and write persuasive proposals. Key skills include strong research, writing, organizational, communication, and project management abilities, as well as a deep understanding of our parish mission. If you are able to help, please contact Chris Howatt in the parish office.

Neighbors in Need — As it grows colder, the needs of our visitors change. Our first priority now is warm jackets and coats. We are also in serious need of men’s large winter tops and sweaters. Our additional priority needs are practical shoes (no dress shoes or high heels), jeans and cords, and sweaters and tops. Thanks to a generous gift at our October drop-by, we were able to provide new jeans for every visitor. Thanks to your donations we are also able to purchase toiletries and underwear, especially thermals. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information or send an email to neighbors@stmvnyc.org.

Rosary Guild — The Rosary Guild next meets on Sunday, December 28, after the 11:00 AM Mass, to pray the rosary. All are welcome.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

The Joy of Christmas: Magnificat! — The Cathedral’s annual Christmas concert will take place on Saturday, December 13, from 4:00 to 5:30 PM. The Cathedral’s annual Joy of Christmas concert features J.S. Bach’s Magnificat in D Major. This concert by the combined Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra also features the acclaimed Great Organ in Handel’s Organ Concerto in B Flat performed by Daniel Ficarri, Cathedral organist. Works by composers Alison Willis, Emily Hazrati, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor round out this sumptuous program. Click here for more details and to buy tickets.

Installation of Canon Victor Conrado — Canon Victor Conrado, who previously served as an assisting priest and was in residence at Saint Mary’s, will be installed as Canon for New York City on Saturday, December 20, at 10:00 AM at Saint Philip’s Church in Harlem. The Rev. Yejide Peters Pieterson will preach. All are welcome.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Sunday’s organ voluntaries, like those last week, are based upon the chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Come now, Savior of the Gentiles). The chorale (54 in The Hymnal 1982) is Martin Luther’s sixteenth-century adaptation of the fourth-century Latin hymn Veni Redemptor gentium attributed to Ambrose of Milan (55 in The Hymnal 1982).  The Prelude is a portion of the Partita on this chorale by Hugo Distler (1908–1942). Hugo Distler was born in Nuremberg. He attended Leipzig Conservatory first as a student of piano and conducting but later shifted his concentration to composition and organ. He became organist at Saint Jacobi in Lübeck in 1931. He also taught at the School for Church Music in Spandau and became a professor of church music in Stuttgart in 1940. Becoming increasingly depressed from the death of friends, aerial attacks, job pressures, and the constant threat of conscription into the German army, he committed suicide in Berlin tragically at the age of 34. His choral and organ compositions are often described as neo-classical because of their lean and carefully crafted polyphony and their employment of compositional devices associated with renaissance and baroque music. Distler had an enormous respect and affection for the baroque and pre-baroque organs and their tonal aesthetic. His access to the largely sixteenth-century organ at Saint Jacobi was a strong influence in shaping his compositions for organ. Distler’s Partita on Nun komm, is in four parts, the first and fourth of which are identical. Sunday’s prelude is the third section of Distler’s Partita. It is a series of seventeen continuous variations over a theme initially stated in the bass register. In this case, the theme is the first seven notes of the chorale melody. Beginning gently, the variations of this Chaconne grow in intensity and become quite animated before broadening into a grand conclusion. The Postlude is the third of the three settings of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland from the Great Eighteen Leipzig Chorales of J. S. Bach. (The first and second of this set of three were played as voluntaries last week on Advent I.) This third setting, BWV 661, is a vigorous fugue for the hands under which each of the four phrases of the chorale in turn is stated boldly in long tones played on the organ pedals.

The Mass setting is Hinsdale Communion Service by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. This Rite II setting of the Ordinary of the Mass for unison voices, choir, and organ was composed in the spring of 2025 for Grace Episcopal Church, Hinsdale, Illinois, in celebration of the parish’s sesquicentennial anniversary. It is sung in New York for the first time this Sunday. The meters used throughout this setting are almost exclusively based upon prime numbers of beats: 3, 5 and 7. This metrical organization supports the chant-inspired overall effect of the text setting. The Sanctus, in recognition of the Thrice Holy, is entirely in triple meter. The Agnus Dei, not requested in the original commission, is newly added for Sunday’s Mass.

The motet Canite tuba by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594) will be sung during the administration of Communion. This classic Advent motet “sounds the trumpet” thrillingly in five-voice chorus with two soprano parts. The motet begins with the three interior voices, to which the outer two are soon added. Palestrina alternates moments of full choir with trio passages featuring the upper three or lower three voices, almost giving the effect of a double choir. The text is the first antiphon at Lauds and Vespers for Advent IV and is derived from Joel 2:1 and Isaiah 40:4.

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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 Matt Jacobson, except as noted. Father Matt is also responsible for formatting 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. If you have an idea for an article that you would like to publish in an upcoming issue of The Angelus, Father Matt would be happy to discuss it with you.