FROM THE STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE: MIDYEAR CHECK-IN

Why am I hearing from the Stewardship Committee in June?! This isn’t stewardship season! Well, I hate to break it to you, but it’s always stewardship season.

At the annual congregational meeting and in the May 18 issue of The Angelus, Father Sammy shared a lot of numbers with the parish. Almost all of them are headed in the right direction which is just thrilling.­

One statistic that is not going in the right direction, however, is our number of pledgers.  Yes, we have lots of people that give generously to the parish each year, but the number of people who commit to what they’re going to give—commit in the form of a pledge—is actually falling. Last fall’s pledge campaign received a response from 97 households, and we’re so grateful for the generous response. However, that number is down from recent years, and that is a concerning measure of our parish’s health and our ability to sustain our ministries.

Now that we’re halfway through the year—that is, 6 months from when our stewardship campaign kicked off—we ask that you take a second look. If you are someone who donates to Saint Mary’s but don’t “pledge,” the stewardship committee would like to ask you to consider what your giving for the rest of 2025 looks like and actually complete a pledge card online or let the finance office know at 1-212-869-5830. If you are a pledger and want to adjust your existing pledge up or down because of changed circumstances, we invite you to do that, too.

Maybe it sounds silly. “I’m going to give anyway; why do you need me to pledge?” But it’s not. Making an affirmative statement reflecting your giving intention is a big deal for the parish, and might be a big deal for you. As we move from our year of invitation to our year of service, I hope you’ll see that this invitation to commitment—no matter how small—is a way to move Saint Mary’s forward in its life in Christ.

Thank you all for your generosity and commitment to our witness in Times Square!

— The Stewardship Committee

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 Billy, Ken, Dennis, Sandy, Modesto, Giovanna, Mary, 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, 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 and for those whose year’s mind is on June 1: Joseph Toxy Fearing (1881), Ebenezer Appleton (1925), Thomas Dawley (1930), Clara Disbrow Moore (1935), Gladys McAdams Finn (1938), Santiago Perez (1944), Henry Brettman (1949), Annie Hand (1949), and Kenneth William Cloughley (1993).

AROUND THE PARISH

The Visitation . . . This Saturday, May 31, is the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A Sung Mass at the High Altar, supported musically by a quartet from the parish choir, will be offered at 12:10 PM.

Evensong & Benediction . . . Evensong & Benediction will be offered this Sunday, June 1, at 4:00 PM. This will be the last offering of E&B until the fall. Click here to learn more about this liturgy.

Novena to the Holy Spirit . . . As a parish, we are praying a novena (nine days of prayer) to the Holy Spirit from Ascension to Pentecost. Please join us by clicking here for the prayers and to learn more about novenas.

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

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. Our next Drop-by Day will be June 20. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information.

Summer cookie donations needed . . . During the summer months, we plan to have lemonade and cookies at Coffee Hour and are looking for cookie donors. Please get in touch with Father Sammy Wood if you are able to help.

Would you like to donate the altar flowers? . . . We are currently looking for a flower donor for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Friday, August 15. Please call the Parish Office (212-869-5830) or email Chris Howatt for more information, additional available dates, and to reserve a date for a donation. The customary donation is $250.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Diocese of New York Safer Communities Survey . . . The Diocese of New York is committed to creating communities of safe belonging, where care for one another shapes our common life. As part of that commitment, we are conducting a confidential survey to better understand past experiences and strengthen our practices for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct. This survey is a key component of the independent audit we have commissioned to examine how sexual misconduct has been handled in our diocese. We invite all individuals connected to our congregations, chaplaincies and schools— past or present— to participate. Your voice matters as we work toward greater transparency, accountability, trust, and healing for survivors and all those affected. All responses are completely confidential and managed exclusively by Guidepost Solutions, not Diocesan staff. Once the information is analyzed, findings will be included in a final report that we will make public. Click here to take the survey, which will remain open until July 3, 2025.

Serve with your neighbors: Episcopal Charities Day of Service . . . On Saturday, June 7, join the Episcopal Charities Day of Service. Roll up your sleeves and serve through hands-on volunteer opportunities across our Diocese. Click here for details about the volunteer opportunities and to register.

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.

Vocations Day . . . On June 14th, the Diocese will host Vocations Day—an intentional gathering to help those who are beginning to discern a call to ordained leadership in the life of the church. Lay people who have not yet formally entered the ordination process are invited to attend and are strongly encouraged to invite their clergy as well. Commission on Ministry members and Bishop Heyd will talk about ministry for lay people and clergy, the expectations of the Commission on Ministry for those seeking ordination, and clear and practical next steps. The gathering will be held at the Cathedral from 9:00 AM through 2:00 PM. Sign up here.

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

The organ prelude is the first movement of L’Ascension by Olivier Messiaen (1902–1992). Born in Avignon, son of the poetess Cécile Sauvage, Olivier Messiaen was a student of Marcel Dupré and Paul Dukas at the Paris Conservatory where he became professor of musical analysis, philosophy, and aesthetics in 1942. His legendary tenure as titular organist of Trinité, Paris, began in 1931. The brilliant light and vivid colors of this magnificent church proved a defining stimulus to Messiaen’s musical imagination for sixty years. The majesty of Christ asking that the Father glorify him is the first of the four movements of L’Ascension.  This movement, like the fourth, was originally scored for orchestra in 1933 and transcribed by the composer for the organ later the same year. It carries the text from the Gospel according to John, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your son as your son has glorified you.”

The Mass setting on Sunday is Missa Brevis by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary the Virgin. Missa Brevis was composed for and first performed on Ascension Day 1991 while Dr. Hurd was Director of Music at All Saints Church, Manhattan. It is dedicated to The Reverend R. DeWitt Mallary, Jr., who was rector of All Saints Church at that time. The Kyrie, not sung this morning, is in Greek, and the remaining Mass parts are in Latin. The musical themes of each movement of this setting are derived from the rendering of the letters of Father Mallary’s name as musical pitches. These pitches are intentionally arranged to achieve upward melodic gestures suggestive of Ascension. Each movement of the Mass is compact and rhythmically straight-forward. The words are presented directly in angular melodic shapes and lean harmonic textures. The Mass is scored for four-part choir, although solo voices complement the choral parts in the Agnus Dei.

The motet sung during the administration of Communion is by William Byrd (c.1540–1623). Byrd, like the slightly older Thomas Tallis (c.1505–1585), enjoyed the favor of Queen Elizebeth I and composed effectively for both the English and Latin Rites of his time. His motet Non vos relinquam orphanos, often sung in English as I will not leave you comfortless, is a five-voice setting of a Magnificat antiphon for the first Vespers of Pentecost. It was published in the second book of his Gradaulia (1607). The text source for this motet is John 14:18 and 16:22.

The organ postlude is from the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), a collection of forty-six short and masterful pieces based on chorales for the liturgical year, mostly composed between 1708 and 1717 while Bach was court organist in Weimar. The text of the chorale Heut’ triumphiret Gottes Sohn, first published in 1591, has variously been credited to Kaspar Stolzhagen, Jakob Ebert, and Basilius Förtsch. It’s first line translates as “Today God’s Son arose from death and triumph won.” The melody used by Bach in BWV 630 is attributed to Bartholomäus Gesius in Gesius’ own hymn publication of 1601.

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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.