FROM ALDEN FOSSETT: ALL THINGS CAN BE DONE FOR THE ONE WHO BELIEVES

I started my first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) about seven weeks ago at a hospital in Uptown New Orleans.[1] CPE is “interfaith professional education for ministry” that “brings theological students and ministers of all faiths (pastors, priests, rabbis, imams and others) into supervised encounter with persons in crisis.”[2]

In the moments before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). I spend most of my time in the hospital as a witness. In some sense, witnesses don’t “do” anything—they are simply present. Yet there is a profound and sure power in being where you are when you are there. To be a witness, I have to ask God to create and sustain a space within my own heart to attend to the needs of others with compassion and care. This is only possible through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, who breathes into me and helps me recognize that my weakness is my strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).

When I leave the office to make my rounds on the medical-surgical unit, I pack lightly. Just a paper census, a black pen, cards with the spiritual care department’s phone number, and my soul. All I have is prayer and scripture. All I need is scripture and prayer.

As a chaplain, I am a sojourner wandering in and out of the complex emotional and spiritual landscapes of patients. I cannot look away from the suffering that I encounter, whatever form it may take. My role is neither to diagnose the problem nor administer the solution. Instead, I hope to be a mirror that reflects the love of God in Christ Jesus everywhere I go.

Somehow, by God’s grace, the potential for genuine connection arises out of our common humanity even in a healthcare system that often makes patients feel like they are ultimately reducible to the medical record number printed on their hospital bracelet. Somehow, by God’s grace, there is an abundance in the desert: the truthfulness of tears, the gift of holding hands to pray, the privilege of hearing peoples’ stories. And at the same time: the creaking hinges of the hand sanitizer dispenser (we “foam in and foam out” before seeing every patient), pulling on a yellow gown and blue gloves to enter certain rooms, the half-eaten meal left on the lunch tray because the food the cafeteria serves doesn’t taste good. Can God set a table in the wilderness? (Ps 78:19) All things can be done for the one who believes (Mark 9:23). — AF

Mr. Alden Fossett has been serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Mary's since September 2024. He is a candidate for holy orders in the Diocese of Massachusetts and begins his senior year at Yale Divinity School/Berkeley Divinity School this fall.

PARISH PRAYERS

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

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Luis, Joseph, David, Phoebe, Peter, J.B., Pat, Jennifer, Allen, Claudia, Melvin, Vicki, Bella, Valdez, Helen, Fanny, Brendon, Nadia, Christian, Carol, Giovanna, Mary, Yuri, Priya, Wally, Donald, Ronald, Jose, Behnam, Russell, Duncan, Robert, Sandy, Orham, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Claudia, Nettie, Chrissy, Tony, Sharon, Rick, Jan, June, Carlos, 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, especially Norma and Waithera, and for those whose year’s mind is on July 27: Charles Stewart Bachman (1884), Eulalie Louisa Burke (1887), Randall Cooke Hall (1921), Edwin Robert Maslen (1944), Emily Hinkle (1947) and Edgar A. Shreenan (1965).

AROUND THE PARISH

Rosary Guild this Sunday . . . The Rosary Guild will meet after Solemn Mass this Sunday to pray the rosary. The guild meets on the fourth Sunday of each month. All are welcome.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . Mark your calendars for Friday, August 15, at 6:00 PM, when the full choir returns for our Solemn Mass on the Assumption. Father John Shirley will be the preacher.

Summer donations for Neighbors in Need . . . Thanks to generous cash donations, we are able to purchase toiletries and underwear for our guests. Our clothing room depends on your gifts of lightly-used clothing. Right now, our biggest needs are shoes (sneakers, sandals and other practical shoes, but not high heels), jeans and khakis. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information. Note that the August Drop-by day will be on August 22 and not on the third Friday (August 15).

Cookie donations needed for September . . . During the summer months, we have lemonade and cookies at Coffee Hour and are looking for cookie donors. All the Sundays in September are currently available for donation. Please get in touch with Father Sammy Wood if you are able to help with a Sunday in September.

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. We begin on September 21, though 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.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Book Signing and Conversation with Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin . . . On Saturday, August 2, at 5:00 PM, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine will host a discussion with Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin about her new book “The Girl From Montego Bay,” an autobiography of Britain’s first Black woman Bishop. Join the Cathedral for a lively conversation which will be followed by a reception and book signing. Click here for more details.

Companions of the Community at the Crossing . . . The Companions is a new initiative from the Community at the Crossing for over 35-year-olds to deepen spiritual formation and foster intergeneration exchange. Companions commit to the Community's Rule of Life and, with the guidance of leadership, adapt its five pillars to their daily rhythms. This practice draws inspiration from ancient monastic traditions, especially Benedictine life. The program is structured around the first-year members’ program, which is over a duration of 10 months. The dates for the 2025-26 year are September 21, 2025 to May 24, 2026. Click here to learn more or email Sister Hannah Spiers at companions.catc@stjohndivine.org. Father Matt Jacobson is on the advisory board for the Community at the Crossing and is one of the directors of the Companions program. He would also be happy to discuss it with those who are interested.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE SEVENTH 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 well-worn liturgical setting. 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.

During the Communion, Christopher Howatt, this Sunday’s cantor, will sing Every valley shall be exalted from the oratorio Messiah, by George Frederick Handel (1685–1759). Although Handel’s Messiah is classified as an oratorio, it departs from the classical definition of an oratorio in that its libretto is an extended biblical mediation rather than a dramatic biblical narrative. Nonetheless, Messiah is deservedly recognized as one of the defining works of the western music canon. Handel’s friend Charles Jennens (1700–1773) compiled the libretto of biblical quotes which begin with the prophetic anticipation of the promised Savior and extend to matters of the final consummation at the end of time. Composed within a month’s time in the summer of 1741, Handel’s Messiah is divided into three parts with a total of fifty-three musical components. The spirited tenor aria Every valley shall be exalted is the third of the twenty-one movements of Messiah’s first part. Its text is from Isaiah 40:4 and is most often cited in the Church’s expectant season of Advent.

Christopher Howatt has been a member of the Choir at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin since 2008 and stepped into the role of Parish Administrator more recently. An actively performing singer in the realms of musical theatre and cabaret, he was a member of the Associate Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera for two seasons. He has been heard on recordings as diverse as Jessye Norman’s Christmas CD In the Spirit, to singing backup for The Pet Shop Boys on their cover of the Village People’s “Go West.” As an accompanist and music director he has worked with such talents as David Hyde Pierce, Howard McGillin, Tyne Daly, Rita Moreno, Brad Oscar and Cady Huffman and others. He has served as musical supervisor for productions of Sylvia, Lend Me a Tenor and Inspecting Carol at George Street Playhouse as well as musical director for their world premiere production of Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, written and directed by the late theatrical legend Arthur Laurents. For several years he displayed both pianistic and vocal talents as music director/arranger and performer with the two-time MAC Award nominated vocal group Boulevard East. Most recently he stepped out from behind the piano in his debut as a solo cabaret artist in a sold-out run of his show “Hear My Song,” at Don’t Tell Mama. He is currently working on a sequel and hopes to be returning to the cabaret stage soon.

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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.

[1] Ochsner Baptist, formerly Memorial Medical Center, flooded during Hurricane Katrina and trapped thousands of people inside the building without power. As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the storm this August, I recommend Sheri Fink’s article, “The Deadly Choices at Memorial,” which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009.

[2] “What is CPE?”, Frequently Asked Questions, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, https://acpe.edu/education/cpe-students.