FROM FATHER WOOD: REPORT TO THE ANNUAL MEETING

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Annual Parish Meeting on May Crowning Sunday. I start with gratitude, as in past Annual Meetings when I’ve thanked the staff, the clergy, and volunteers at length. I am indeed grateful to them all—Chris Howatt, our Parish Administrator; David Hurd, our Organist and Music Director; Father Matt Jacobson, our Associate, and Fathers Stephen Morris and John Shirley, assisting priests (I got to thank Fathers Jay Smith and Pete Powell when we celebrated their ministries among us). We are so dependent on this staff and Saint Mary’s couldn’t run without them. A central part of our mission is having “Open Doors,” so we also couldn’t run without sextons Jorge Trujillo, Marcos Orengo, and our newest staff member, Andrew Ottley. You have an excellent Board of Trustees and a capable Executive Committee comprising Charles Morgan, our Vice President; Grace Mudd, Treasurer; and Mary Robison, Secretary. I’m grateful for each member of this team, to be sure.

But this year I want to specifically thank all of you—the people who call this parish home, who come here week in and week out, some every Sunday, others maybe just on feast days. I’m grateful for your faithfulness to Jesus and to Saint Mary’s. We are a praying church, an evangelizing church, and a serving church, and each of you does that work in the world. A collect from Morning Prayer offers “supplications and prayers for all members of God’s holy church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and godly serve thee.” When I pray that prayer, I see your faces. Thank you for your faithfulness, for the trust you extend to me as your Priest-in-Charge, for all you do for God in and through Saint Mary’s.

Now some numbers:

• The holy sacrifice of the Mass was offered at Saint Mary’s 450 times last year.

• The Blessed Sacrament went out into homes and hospital rooms over 50 times thanks to your Eucharistic Visitors—Marie Rosseels, Jennifer Stevens, and Dorothy Rowan—who exercise this ministry to Saint Marians who can’t come in person.

• The Daily Office was prayed times 572 times.

• We celebrated 7 baptisms, 7 confirmations, 1 reception, and 1 Christian burial from the church.

Looking Back

The job of a Priest-in-Charge is to be the spokesperson for the vision identified by parish leadership, to “continually explain and expound how God has (in ages past), and is now currently, using his people for the work of the Gospel . . . to remind, remember, reflect, and rehash the direction of the congregation.” Our parish vision is on our website, in the bulletin, even on the back of my business cards!

Chasing that vision, we embarked on a three-year journey, and Year One (2023-24) was a “Year of Conversion” when we revamped our adult formation, re-launched children’s formation, began Foundations Courses, and hosted our first parish retreat weekend. In Bible studies and classes, on quiet days and retreats, we’ve looked inward and let God begin the work of renovating our own hearts.

Year Two (2024-25) has been a “Year of Invitation.” One Foundations Course was on the Episcopal Way of Evangelism, “the spiritual practice of seeking, naming, and celebrating Jesus’ loving presence in the stories of all people, and then inviting them to more.” We invited “Plus-Ones” to Holy Week and created opportunities to invite people into this space to meet Jesus, just like so many of us have done and continue to do.

And your invitations are proving effective. Accurate month-to-month comparisons are hard, but taking an average of the first four months of 2024 and the first four months of 2025, there’s an interesting trend:

• In 2024, we averaged 115 people praying in person every Sunday, and adding our online numbers, that increased to an average of 174 per Sunday.

• In 2025, we’re averaging 144 in person, and 221 in total.

• That’s a 25% increase. In one year! And our online attendance went up 34% in the same period, thanks to the work of Blair Burroughs and Jennifer Stevens, our Audio-Visual Team, demonstrating our community of Friends of Saint Mary’s is far-flung and growing.

You did that!

Saint Mary’s is growing. The “vibrancy” at the top of our parish vision necessarily entails growth because, to quote John Henry Cardinal Newman’s famous maxim: “Growth is the only evidence of life.” And this is from David Goodhue: “Churches that intend to grow tend to grow.” But remember—growth is a divine/human synergism, the result of our partnership with God. The Rev. Dr. Jordan Hylden said:

What makes a church grow is not any particular program, but the holy fire and passionate love that is behind all of the programs, initiatives, handshakes, and hand-written notes that God is using to renew his Church. If there is a great, all-consuming conviction that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the pearl of great price, worth selling all that we have; if there is a great passion for introducing people to Jesus and a great love that sends us out into the mission fields to see lives transformed, then God’s Church will grow.

I promise you—your focus on growth these past few years is bearing fruit. If you continue to take the gospel seriously and invite people to “come and see,” God will do his part, and people will come.

Looking Ahead

Year Three (2025-26) will be a “Year of Service,” marked by a turn to the Other. The work of conversion continues, of course. Like Russian nesting dolls, each contained within another larger doll, conversion continues, invitation continues, and now God is calling us to turn outward. Former Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple said, “the Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” God planted Saint Mary’s here at the crossroads of the world 155 years ago this December for them.

So let me ask a question: Do you really believe what we have in here is something our friends out there need? I do. I believe people need God as they always have. But right now people may actually be feeling that need more than they have in a long time.

Here’s why: There’s a lot of chaos out there. I heard an author use the word “Polycrisis,” a term coined by French philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin in 1993. Morin works incomplexity science and systems theory, and he said our modern challenges (economic, ecological, social, and cultural) interweave and amplify each other. So it’s reasonable to ask:

What can one person, one church, do in a culture in polycrisis?

The answer, I think, is what Saint Teresa of Calcutta said: “Do small things with great love.” In this year of service, let’s become “guerrillas of charity.” A “guerrilla” is a member of a small independent group taking part in irregular fighting, typically against larger forces. And maybe that that’s exactly what a world in polycrisis actually needs. In a post-truth culture, it’s what we do that validates what we say.

C. S. Lewis died in 1963. The year he died, he said in a letter to his friend J. R. R. Tolkien that “all my philosophy of history hangs upon a sentence of your own.” The sentence is from The Lord of the Rings, where the great wizard Gandalf said to the Hobbit Frodo, when they were facing an existential polycrisis of their own:

That is a chapter of ancient history which it might be good to recall; for there was sorrow then too, and gathering dark, but great valor, and great deeds that were not wholly in vain.

This does feel like a time of gathering dark. But there is valor, too. And deeds we can do—small ones, maybe almost unnoticed—that will not be wholly in vain. Let’s commit ourselves to that work in our upcoming Year of Service.

State of the Parish

Friends, the state of our parish is stronger today than the last time we gathered. Our challenges are real, but our gifts are great. Your Board is working incredibly hard to make that first word of our vision—vibrant—a reality, to make Saint Mary’s financially secure so it can be vibrant for another 155 years. That means managing our property, the size of our staff, our budget. But vibrancy won’t happen unless all of us are “all in”—faithful in attendance, in serving, in pledging, loving God and each other for the life of the world. If we do that, God will take care of the rest.

The future is bright. And I am honored to walk into it with you.

For God and Saint Mary’s —

Sammy+

This article was adapted for The Angelus from Father Sammy’s report to the Annual Parish Meeting on May 4, 2025.

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for the people and clergy of our sister parish, the Church of All Saints, Margaret Street, London.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Modesto, Giovanna, Gregory, Mary, Allison, Yuri, Jonathan, Liam, Penny, Priya, Christopher, Wally, Donald, Harris, Rick, Ronald, Jose, Karen, Kate, Behnam, Duke, Russell, Duncan, Robert, Sandy, Orham, Ruth Ann, Henry, Lexi, Vicki, Georgia, Desarae, David, Steve, Beverly, Claudia, Maddie, Nettie, Chrissy, Tony, Sharon, Rick, Adair, Jan, June, Carlos, Pat, Liduvina, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Suzanne Elizabeth and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and Robby, Jay, and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially, Jim, and for those whose year’s mind is on May 18: Hazel Whelplay (1937), Lois Rogers Hayden (1961), and Priscilla Garfield Bruns (1977).

AROUND THE PARISH

Congratulations to Ellie Wood! . . . Elizabeth Grace Wood graduates this weekend magna cum laude from Rhodes College with a B.A. in Educational Studies, with a focus on Policy & Social Change, and a minor in English Literature. Congratulations, Ellie! Father Sammy Wood will be away from the parish this weekend to attend his daughter’s graduation.

Guest Preacher . . . The Rev. Matthew S.C. Olver, PhD, will be our preacher this Sunday. He is the Executive Director and Publisher of The Living Church Foundation and Senior Lecturer in Liturgics at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. An expert in early Christian liturgy and the development of the Book of Common Prayer, his monograph The Origin of the Roman Canon Missae will be published this year by Brepols. He is married to Kristen, a licensed professional counselor (LPC), and they have two children. After Solemn Mass, Father Olver will speak to us during Coffee Hour about The Living Church.

AIDS Walk is this Sunday! . . . Our team will be walking this Sunday and thanks to your generous support, we look to be heading into the AIDS Walk in second place, having raised $51,847 so far. Fundraising continues, and it isn’t too late to support our 18-member team! To contribute, please visit our team page. If you have any questions, please speak to one of the team captains: MaryJane Boland, Clark Mitchell, and Father Matt.

Adult Formation . . . Adult Formation continues this Sunday with Father Matt Jacobson’s series on the Acts of the Apostles. Adult Formation meets on Sundays at 9:45 AM in Saint Joseph’s Hall. The final class before summer break will be on June 1. All are welcome.

Book Presentation by Father Danny Bryant on May 23 . . . On Friday, May 23, at 6:00 PM in the parish hall, Father Danny Bryant will be reading from and signing copies of his book, Unless a Seed Falls to the Ground: Welcoming the Death of the Whiteness Gospel. He will be joined by special musical guest J Lind. Father Bryant serves as a priest at Saint Mary of Bethany Parish and a Spiritual Director at The Center for Hope and Healing in Nashville, Tennessee. He lives in Nashville with his wife and four kids. J Lind is a songwriter and touring artist from Phoenix, now based in New York City. Lind studied philosophy at Princeton and Oxford before touring full-time, performing everywhere from grunge venues and hospital chapels to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. His projects wrestle with unconventional themes—hospice, addiction, an evolving faith—and his pointed storytelling has captured live audiences across the US, UK, and Canada. All are welcome, admission is free, and wine and snacks will be served.

Book Presentation by Sister Monica Clare on May 25 . . . On Sunday, May 25, Sister Monica Clare, CSJB, will be at Coffee Hour after the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass to present her newly published book, A Change of Habit. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event ($25). There was a recent New York Times article about Sister Monica Clare and her book. Sister Monica Clare was in residence at Saint Mary’s for many years and is a good friend of the parish. Click here to learn more about her order, the Community of Saint John Baptist.  

Father Matt will be away May 22-24 . . . Father Matt Jacobson will be away from the parish from Thursday, May 22, through Saturday, May 24, attending the North American Patristics Society’s Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Neighbors in Need . . . Donations of casual pants, such as jeans or khakis, are needed, as are sweaters, tops, rain jackets, and other light jackets. Shoes are especially in demand (i.e., sneakers, sandals, and practical shoes, but not high heels). Large sizes, for both men and women, are also helpful. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information.

Hospitality at Saint Mary’s . . . Are you willing to serve on a team to plan Coffee Hours and receptions? We need you! Please get in touch with Father Sammy Wood if you are able to help.

Would you like to donate the altar flowers? . . . Coming up in June, we hope to find donors for Pentecost (June 8) and Trinity Sunday (June 15). Please call the Parish Office (212-869-5830) or email Chris Howatt for more information and to reserve a date for a donation. The customary donation is $250.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Pinkster celebration at the African Burial Ground . . . This year’s Pinkster celebration at the African Burial Ground National Monument will take place on Saturday, June 7, at 12:00 PM at 290 Broadway (just south of 26 Federal Plaza and north of City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan). Pinkster is the Dutch term for Pentecost and an African Pentecost celebration was brought over by the eleven Congolese/Angolans of the Catholic Empire of Congo in 1626 to New York, then called Nieuw Amsterdam. It is the oldest African American holiday in the United States. Click here for an Angelus article written by John Derek Norvell in 2023 about Pinkster to learn more.

Honoring Dean Malloy . . . Join us at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on June 11 for a joyous celebration of The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy’s nine years of faithful leadership as Dean. The evening will begin with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 6:00 PM, followed by a festive program at 7:00 PM. Please RSVP to Emma Reber at ereber@stjohndivine.org by May 28, 2025.

Listening Hearts Discernment Retreat . . . Join us for this year’s Listening Hearts Discernment Retreat at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 AM. This is an opportunity for vocational discernment, both for lay ministry and for those discerning a call to holy orders. There will be prayer, a plenary session, breakout groups and light bites. Wherever you are in your discernment journey, all are welcome. Click here to register.

FROM DR. HURD: ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Girolamo Frescobaldi was born in Ferrara, Italy. Contemporary accounts describe him as a child prodigy who gained prominence as a performer and patronage of important noblemen. Composers who visited Ferrara during his youth included numerous important masters such as Claudio Monteverdi, John Dowland, Orlande de Lassus, Claudio Merulo, and Carlo Gesualdo. Frescobaldi established himself in Rome as early as 1604 and, by 1608, had been named organist of Saint Peter's Basilica. He is recognized as the first of the great composers of the ancient Franco-Netherlandish-Italian tradition who chose to focus his creative energy on instrumental composition. Keyboard music occupies the most important position in Frescobaldi’s extant works, many of which were unusually virtuosic for their time and were noted for their stylistic daring. Frescobaldi’s work was known to, and influenced, numerous major composers in Italy as well as such persons as Johann Jakob Froberger, Henry Purcell, Johann Pachelbel, and Johann Sebastian Bach. His eleven posthumously published Canzoni alla francese are presumed to have been named as dedications to Italian families. Alessandro Vincenti, whose family is named at the eighth Canzon, was responsible for the 1645 publication. These late Canzoni demonstrate Frecobaldi’s development of that genre from its roots as transcriptions of French chansons to fully idiomatic keyboard works. Canzon prima and Canzon ottava are multi-sectional works, sharing the characteristics of later baroque preludien and toccaten.

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Messa a quattro voci da cappella by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). Claudio 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 the Baroque musical art. He was one of the legendary musicians to have directed music at San Marco, Venice, and later in his life 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 model and inspiration for the great Passions and oratorios of the later Baroque composers—notably Bach and Handel—which would also stand as monumental pillars of sacred music even to our own day. Monteverdi’s Mass for four voices was published posthumously in 1650 in a collection which also included psalms and a litany to the Blessed Virgin.

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” (The Temple, 1633). 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 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 Holy Apostles Church, Chelsea, Manhattan.

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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 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.