FROM BROTHER THOMAS STEFFENSEN, SSF: ON HIS LIFE PROFESSION

I never meant to become a friar. If you had asked me when I was younger, “What do you want to be when you grow up,” I assure you that friar was not on my list. Growing up in the evangelical church, friars were not exactly part of my childhood landscape.

So how did I end up becoming a life professed Franciscan Friar in the Episcopal Church? That is a great question. How I got here (a tale for another time) wasn’t anticipated clearly or planned thoroughly with a detailed map since childhood like other people’s stories. If there were early clues, I missed them. My path had twists and turns that eventually led me here. I firmly believe God has been calling me all along, the route just wasn’t always a well-defined one, from my perspective. Sometimes we don’t know where we are being led until we get there. Just ask Moses.

While in our community’s annual meeting last year, we were reading aloud Saint Francis’s Last Testament, which he dictated in 1226. In that little piece, Francis said, “And after the Lord gave me brothers, no one showed me what I had to do, but the Most High himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the holy Gospel.” I remember smiling and thinking, even Francis didn’t have this whole thing sorted out. All he wanted to do was live authentically according to how he believed God was calling him to live. Those eventual brothers were a surprise, Clare was a surprise, the growing community was a surprise, even the ministry unfolding with its constant flow of trial and error (and surviving!) was a surprise. I realized in that moment that I was in good company. Francis never meant to be a friar either. God’s call just led that way. And he, like I did nearly 800 years later, was crazy enough to say yes. And with his yes, he changed the world, as yeses have the tendency to do.

Nearly 10 years after my initial yes to joining my community, I made my Life Profession in the Society of Saint Francis in May of 2025. Throughout that time, I have had the opportunity to discern, pray, think, question, doubt, try, doubt some more, accept and willingly step into what God has around the corner for me. Being a vowed religious brother has been the hardest thing I have ever done and yet I don’t want to do anything else. As I continue to step further into this life, more of the unexpected emerges. I suppose that’s what saying yes to a vocation does. Living this kind of life doesn’t make me any more or less holy than the next person. Living this kind of life is just the particular kind of life God has invited me to live into. So I do what I can.

As I said, I never meant to be a friar. But I am. And I am truly grateful for that. — TS

Brother Thomas, SSF, is an active part of Saint Mary’s where he is both an altar server and a member of the flower guild. He is a licensed spiritual director, formator, and is currently training as a Jungian analyst. Click here to learn more about his community, the Society of Saint Francis.

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 the Province of Myanmar in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for Hazel Nicole who will be baptized on Sunday.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Norman, Melvin, Vicki, Bella, Loredana, Ely, MaryJane, Valdez, Helen, Fanny, Brendon, Nadia, Christian, Carol, Ken, Dennis, Sandy, Giovanna, Mary, Yuri, Jonathan, Penny, Priya, Christopher, Wally, Donald, Ronald, Jose, Behnam, Russell, Duncan, Robert, Sandy, Orham, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Claudia, 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 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 29: John Brown Coddington (1886) and Marilyn Anne Romano (1942).

AROUND THE PARISH

Summer Schedule . . . The parish is now on a summer schedule until the first Sunday after Michaelmas. The Sunday Mass times are unchanged, though we will be led musically by a cantor at 11:00 AM instead of the Choir and we will rotate through four congregational Mass settings. When only one priest is available (e.g., due to summer vacations), we will offer High Mass at 11:00 AM. The High Mass liturgy will be similar to Solemn Mass, but without the roles of deacon and subdeacon. Formation programs and Evensong & Benediction return in the fall.

Summer Reading . . . We are excited to announce that Dr. James Como will teach the first block of Adult Formation in the fall, a five-week class on C.S. Lewis. While we don’t begin until September 21, we thought that some might want to use the summer to work through the reading list. Please click here for the reading list and for more details about the course.

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.

PIPE TV interviews Ms. Angeline Butler . . . Parishioner and civil rights activist Ms. Angeline Butler was recently interviewed by PIPE TV and the videos are available online (click for Part I and Part II). Ms. Butler is also an accomplished singer and is currently on the faculty at John Jay College.

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.

Summer vacations . . . Father Matt Jacobson is away from the parish and returns on Thursday, July 10. Father Sammy Wood will be away starting Thursday, July 3, and will return to the parish on Tuesday, July 8. He plans to take additional vacation time in August. Father Jay Smith will celebrate the Masses on Sunday, July 6.

4th of July . . . The parish will follow our federal holiday schedule on Independence Day. The church will be open from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Daily Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM. The parish office will be closed.

Pride at Royal Family Productions . . . Come spend a joyous Pride at Royal Family Productions, mingling and belting out showtunes in the theater at Saint Mary’s (Parish House, third floor). Royal Family, best known for their innovative productions of new work, transforms into a West Village showtune sing-along piano bar from 1:00–5:00 PM on Saturday, June 28. Alex Barylski, pianist at Marie’s Crisis and The Townhouse, will be taking requests and playing all of your favorites. This event will have complimentary snacks as well as a waived cover charge for all members of Saint Mary the Virgin.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Sister Monica Clare, CSJB, on TODAY . . . Good friend of the parish, Sister Monica Clare, CSJB, was recently on TODAY to talk about her new book. Click here to watch the interview.

Pride 2025 . . . Click here to learn about Pride events being offered at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine throughout the month of June . . . Join the Episcopal Diocese of New York at the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 29. Note that the meeting time and location has been changed. The meeting time is now 2:15-2:30 PM at the corner of Madison Avenue and 26th Street, with a lineup time of 2:45 PM. They are limited to 100 marchers, and registration will be on a first-come basis. Please click here to register.

#OneSingleAct . . . On July 1, the Episcopal Diocese of New York is launching #OneSingleAct, an online campaign, co-presented with the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Episcopal Charities, Episcopal Divinity School, and the Interfaith Center of New York. Every day, in the news and our neighborhoods, we encounter examples of cruelty, carelessness, and chaos. But there’s a better way. Our faith calls us to something deeper: a culture shaped by care, connection, and courage. We can bring our values to collaborations with partners of diverse faiths and backgrounds. We all have a chance to shape the culture around us. The #OneSingleAct campaign invites every person to do a single act of care, courage, or connection—big or small—share it online—and invite one other person to do the same. If you’re in New York City, join us on the Cathedral steps at 11:00 AM for the kickoff event, music, and community. Registration is optional, but encouraged. All are welcome. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to learn how you and your communities can be a part of this campaign. One act. One post. One ripple. Together, we’re building a culture of generosity and hope.

Presiding Bishop at the Cathedral on Sunday, July 13, at 4:00 PM . . . The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine will welcome the Most Reverend Sean W. Rowe, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, as preacher at a special service of Choral Evensong. Following Evensong, Bishop Rowe will also preside at a brief celebration of Holy Eucharist. Offered in partnership with the Diocesan Committee on LGBT Concerns, this service celebrates the shared commitment of the Presiding Bishop and the Diocese of New York to a Church where LGBTQ+ people are fully welcomed, valued, and included. All are warmly invited. This event will take place in person and via livestream. The video will be available on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.

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.

FROM DR. HURD: ABOUT THE MUSIC AT HIGH MASS ON THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The name of Healey Willan (1880–1968) is well known to Episcopalians because of his Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena, composed in 1928, which appeared in The Hymnal 1940 and was retained in The Hymnal 1982. This setting, which we will sing this Sunday, has been sung widely throughout the Episcopal Church, as well as in other denominations, for decades. Willan’s career and reputation, however, went far beyond composing this beloved Mass. He composed more than eight hundred works including operas, symphonies and other music for orchestra and band, chamber music, and music for piano and organ, in addition to a great quantity of choral music. His liturgical music includes fourteen choral Masses, occasional motets, canticles, and hymn settings. Willan was born in England and began his career as an organist in London parish churches. He joined the faculty at Toronto University in 1914, later becoming Professor of Music there. In 1921 he was named organist at Toronto’s Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, a position he retained until his death. Said to have described himself as “English by birth; Canadian by adoption; Irish by extraction; Scotch by absorption,” Willan was a champion of historic liturgical chant and the aesthetic of Renaissance church music. He incorporated these influences and mingled them with an appreciation of the rich harmonic palette of the late nineteenth-century masters. Through his compositions and choral direction, he significantly set the standard for North American Anglo-Catholic church music in his time. In 1956 Willan became the first non-English church musician to be awarded the Lambeth Doctorate, Mus.D. Cantuar.

The cantor on Sunday is soprano, Emma Daniels, a member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s. During the Communion she will sing Dominie Deus from the Gloria, RV589, of Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). The Italian virtuoso violinist, teacher, empresario and Roman Catholic priest Antonio Vivaldi was one of the most important and prolific composers of the Baroque era. His compositions include a wealth of music for strings, but also operas and significant sacred choral works. He is known to have set Gloria in excelsis at least three times, but only two of the settings are extant. That said, the singular piece universally known as “the Vivaldi Gloria” is his setting with the catalogue number 589. This is a large-scaled work in twelve movements for chorus, soloists, and orchestra. The soprano aria Domine Deus carries a small snippet of the Gloria in excelsis text and is the sixth movement. It is a graceful siciliano in C Major featuring obbligato oboe in dialogue with the soprano voice.

Emma Daniels is a conductor, composer, and soprano originally from Chicago. She is the Music Director of Philomusica Concert Choir and a founding member of Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective, an organization made up of singers, composers, and conductors who share artistic responsibility and perform new music. Today, she sings, conducts, and composes with C4: the Choral Composer/Conductor Collective in NYC, the choir after which Triad was modeled. Emma’s compositions have been performed by Triad: Boston’s Choral Collective, Westminster Chapel Choir, Tufts Chamber Singers, and other college, synagogue, and church choirs from Boston to Los Angeles. As a vocalist, she has performed both solo and ensemble work in the Midwest and on the East Coast, including with Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Wilton, CT, Saint James Cathedral Choir of Chicago, Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs, and Hans Zimmer Live US Tour. Emma holds an MM in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College and a BA in Music from Tufts University. She has been a member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s since 2022. 

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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.