FROM INGRID SLETTEN: STARTING SPIRITUAL DIRECTION, AN ONLINE CLASS

Conversations about God, with another person, trained in these conversations, is called spiritual direction. Richard Foster said direction is “simply a relationship through which one person assists another in attending to the presence and call of God in all of life.” But how does this work? “Me, talking with God?”, you might be saying. On one hand, this seems a tall order, conversing with the Divine. Yet our relationship with God is like all relationships; they begin with familiar yet intimate places of intersection. In fact, we can ask everyday questions in spiritual direction and open the door to conversations with God.

“My prayer life is dull. Am I doing it wrong?”

“I sense that my cat is a perfect being created by God. How do I celebrate and acknowledge that? Are my senses just mine about my cat, or are they connected to God?”

“What is God’s blessing? What is happening? Can I ask for it anytime?”

You may have your own examples. They are all valid. In the end, God meets us where we are. God is near. God is with us. At Saint Mary’s, we are committed to supporting you in deepening your relationship with God. We want to assist you in talking with God. With that in mind, we pose these questions to you: Are you curious about Spiritual Direction? Have you considered finding a spiritual director, or have you started spiritual direction for the first time? If you answer yes to any of these questions, we have a new adult formation course for you. Ingrid Sletten, our spiritual direction liaison for the parish, will be offering a class this fall on Zoom for three sessions in October. The course will be entitled “Starting Spiritual Direction: Get Your Questions Answered.”

The course will center on a book by John Mabry entitled Starting Spiritual Direction. We will take the first two sessions to read and discuss the chapters. Then, in the final third week of the class, we will have some guests visit us, folks from our parish who are in Spiritual Direction. They will share their experiences with us, explaining how they have created a heartfelt, deeply spiritual experience through it.

If you are interested in signing up for the course, please send Ingrid an email, and she will provide you with more details. The dates and times of the course are Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:00 PM, on October 7, October 21, and November 4.

Of course, if you are ready to look for a spiritual director, you can visit the Spiritual Direction tab on the website and begin the process.

Blessings always on your journey! — IS

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 Southern Africa, in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Bill, Tim, Bob, Tyisha, Phoebe, Peter, Pat, Allen, Vanessa, Melvin, Vicki, Bella, Valdez, Helen, Fanny, Brendon, Nadia, Christian, Carol, Giovanna, Mary, Yuri, Priya, Wally, Christine, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Duncan, Robert, Sandy, Marty, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Claudia, Nettie, Chrissy, Tony, Rick, Jan, 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 June, and for those whose year’s mind is on September 7: Eliza A. Byers (1883), Maria Fling (1886), Margaret Sheldon (1906), and Harriett Chawner (1940).

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

June Burroughs, the mother of Blair Burroughs and mother-in-law of Renée Pecquex, died on August 30 following complications from surgery. She was 94 years old and a longtime member of Grace Episcopal Church in Jamaica, Queens. She also joined Saint Mary’s regularly via our livestream. Please pray for June, Blair, Renée, and all who mourn. May June rest in peace and rise in glory!

AROUND THE PARISH

Holy Cross Day . . . Beginning on Saturday, September 6, and culminating on September 14, the parish will be praying a Novena in preparation for Holy Cross Day (click here for the prayers). There will be a relic of the True Cross available for veneration and devotion in the Mercy Chapel throughout the morning of Sunday, September 14. Holy Cross Day will be commemorated at Mass this year on Monday, September 15.

Back to School Blessing . . . Over the past few years, Saint Mary’s has cultivated a relationship with the Jacqueline K. Onassis High School across 46th Street. Our outreach to the school has given us opportunity to donate supplies for students and teachers, and in turn we have been welcomed to attend plays, art shows, and other events. Building on that partnership, we are honored to have been invited this year to help sponsor their Students of the Month program. This Sunday, we bless donated gift cards that will be given to the school as student awards, and we invite all our own students and teachers to come up for a blessing at the same time—so bring a backpack or a pencil box to bless if you’d like!

Times Square Event on Sunday . . . This Sunday, the Founded By Broadway concert will take place in Father Duffy Square at 11:00 AM. Parishioners may want to avoid the area (46th and 47th between Broadway and 7th) on their way to Mass. Click here for more details.

Sung Masses for Our Lady in September . . . The 12:10 PM Masses on Monday, September 8, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Wednesday, September 24, Our Lady of Walsingham, will be offered as Sung Masses in the Lady Chapel.

Talent is Timeless . . . Parishioner Ruth Ann Berkowitz will be dancing in the Talent is Timeless show at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, September 10, at 10:00 AM. For more details, talk to Ruth Ann or call 212-244-6469.

Adult Formation begins on September 21 . . . Sunday morning Adult Formation returns a little bit ahead of the formal start to the program year. Dr. James Como will teach the first block, a five-week class on C.S. Lewis, beginning on September 21 at 9:45 AM. Please click here for the reading list and for more details.

Program Year begins on Michaelmas . . . Our program year begins on the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels when a quartet of the parish choir joins us for High Mass at 6:00 PM on Monday, September 29. A reception follows the evening Mass. The full choir returns on the Sunday after Michaelmas.

Young Saint Marians BYOV Party . . . We had such a great time at our last BYOV (Bring Your Own Vinyl) Party that we're hosting another on Thursday, October 9, at 7:00 PM. Feel free to bring snacks, drinks, and of course your favorite tunes. We'll have a record player, but Spotify/Apple Music works just as well. It’ll be a fabulous night of music, conversation, and friendship, and we can't wait to see you there! The party will be hosted in Astoria, Queens (M/R subway lines, Q101/Q104 bus lines). Please RSVP to youngstmarians@gmail.com for the exact address. All are welcome! Young Saint Marians is a group of young adults associated with The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin who gather together for fun, fellowship, and service!

Donations for Altar Flowers . . . Altar flower donations are available for many Sundays this fall, including September 14, 21, and 28; October 12 and 19; November 9, 16, and 23 (Christ the King). The suggested donation is $250. Please contact Chris Howatt (chowatt@stmvnyc.org or 212/869-5830, ext. 10) to reserve a date and to have the dedication for your flower donation appear in the bulletin.

Cookie donor needed for the last Sunday in September . . . During the summer months, we have lemonade and cookies at Coffee Hour. Please get in touch with Father Sammy Wood if you are able to donate cookies and/or lemonade on the last Sunday in September.

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. The next Drop-by day takes place on September 19.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Rowan Williams at Columbia . . . On Monday, September 8, at 6:00 PM, the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, will give a lecture on solidarity and the City of God in Columbia University’s Pulitzer Hall lecture room. This event is co-sponsored by the Morningside Institute and the Earl Hall Center for Religious Life at Columbia University. The lecture is open to the public and will also be livestreamed. Click here to RSVP and for more details.

Installation and Institution of the new Dean of the Cathedral . . . Join the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine to celebrate the installation of the 12th Dean, the Very Reverend Winnie Varghese, on Saturday, September 27, at 10:30 AM. You can read here about the dean elect’s vision for the Cathedral.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The Mass setting on Sunday is from Communion Service, Opus 71, composed in 1976 by the Welsh composer, William Mathias (1934–1992). From 1970 to 1988 Mathias was professor and head of the music department at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. Active as a conductor and pianist, he was also the artistic director of the North Wales Music Festival which was held annually at Saint Asaph’s Cathedral. Mathias composed liberally both for instrumental and choral forces, and his church music and organ music are widely performed. Having composed music for many royal occasions, his worldwide esteem surged as a result of his anthem Let the people praise Thee, O God, which he composed for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1985. His Communion Service was composed for unison congregational singing with optional choral features and was one of the early Series 3 settings (parallel to Episcopal Rite II) to gain broad usage among Anglicans. As such, its essential movements, minus their choral elements, were included in The Hymnal 1982. Mathias’ setting may be considered musically to be for Rite II what Healey Willan’s Missa de Sancta Maria Magdelena was for the 1928 rite and continues to be for Rite I; that is: a modern, energetic, organ-accompanied setting for congregations and choirs to sing together.

During the Communion, this week’s cantor, Kirsten Ott, will sing the aria Vouchsafe, oh Lord from the Dettingen Te Deum by George Frederick Handel (1685–1759). Handel set the great fourth century hymn of praise, Te Deum, several times. His fifth and last setting of this powerful text in the key of D Major was composed to celebrate the victory at the battle of Dettingen the previous year in which the British and their allies triumphed over the French army. The premiere of this setting was on 27 November 1743 in the Chapel Royal of Saint James’ Palace, London in the presence of King George II. This Te Deum contains thirteen movements including a variety of choruses and solos. Vouchsafe, oh Lord is the penultimate movement. It is usually sung by a bass voice, but is also suitable for mezzo-soprano as it will be offered this morning.

Kirsten Ott, mezzo-soprano, has been a member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s since the fall of 2021. She sings frequently with Libero Canto, an organization which stages both opera and song programs, and she has also produced several of her own recital programs. She has previously sung with local groups such as Vox Vocal Ensemble and the Manhattan Chamber Choir. Before joining the choir at Saint Mary’s, she had sung for many seasons in the choirs of the Church of the Holy Apostles, Chelsea, and the Church of the Epiphany, Yorkville. Kirsten has extensive acting training and has coached both classical and musical theater performers. She studied oboe at Manhattan School of Music and is also a pianist.

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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.