FROM MARYJANE BOLAND AND MARIE ROSSEELS: A YEAR OF SERVICE, NEIGHBORS IN NEED

How can a church with a small local congregation that worships in the beauty of holiness in a large building respond to a proclaimed year of service? It can use the building to serve and its friends to help. Our building is open 12 hours a day during the week and only slightly less on the weekend. On any day, depending on the weather, people rest in our pews. Several return to the same pew, day after day. Some come to Mass; most do not. Some seek the prayers and advice of a priest; some ask for a meal voucher. These people are our neighbors.

Once a month, staffed by friendly volunteers, we use our building to serve many neighbors in an organized way with our Neighbors in Need program. Our neighbors proceed through the building to get necessities beyond what their budget can cover; some may not even have a budget. Here’s how it works; here’s how we use our building. Neighbors wait in the pews in the Nave until noon when we distribute numbers for orderly flow.

After an opening prayer at 1:30 PM, the first number is called, and the person goes to the toiletries table located in the Crossing. Toiletries include individual packets of laundry soap, toothbrushes and paste, shampoo, soap and more. Socks and gloves are distributed at this station as well. Every item is purchased from cash donations to Neighbors in Need.

The next stop is at the Baptistry where in cold weather we have distributed jackets and coats, donated, lightly used, by people from around the city. Coats from pretty much every high-end designer and outdoor brand have been part of our distribution.

On to the little alcove outside the Lady Chapel (where the small organ and the icon in honor of Father Jay are located): here our guests find two volunteers offering men’s and women’s undergarments, camisoles, tee-shirts and thermal underwear. Like the toiletries, these items are purchased by donations to Neighbors in Need.

Finally, in the Lady Chapel, our neighbors can browse the clothing room of donated used items. We frequently make a plea in the Angelus for more of something—more shoes, more men’s pants in smaller sizes—but our regular offerings are shoes, pants, sweaters and tops, and winter hats and scarfs. Donations of purses, backpacks, glasses and the like are displayed here too. And occasionally a grant has allowed us to provide brand-new items like jeans or hoodies for all, including a rain check if a size is out.

It takes many behind-the-scenes hours to manage the seamless hour and a half flow on a Neighbors in Need distribution day, all opportunities for service. Two volunteers receive, sort and hang donated clothing; inventory and purchase toiletries and underwear; and prepare the stations the day before distribution. This work represents some 40 person hours per month. While the current volunteers find this work rewarding, they also acknowledge that two volunteers are not enough. On distribution day, for set-up, staffing and clean-up, a minimum of 10 volunteers is needed for two hours. With more volunteers, our Rota could expand to give regulars a day off.

Neighbors in Need uses our building to serve, and we could use your help to staff. If you would like to talk to us about Neighbors, you can send an email to Neighbors in Need or just speak to MaryJane or Marie at church. — MJB and MR

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 in Central America, in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Cassius, Jimmy, Bridget, Lorelei, Lisa, Sue, Joshua, Irma, Ruth Ann, Rosemary, Holy, Becky, Bill, Elliot, Grady, Chris, Violet, Pat, Allen, Vicki, Brendon, Nadia, Carol, Giovanna, Priya, Kavi, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Sandy, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Tony, Jan, Carlos, Liduvina, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Victoria, 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 January 11: Annette Lyman (1925), Nellie Malleson (1946), William C. Clark (1950), Sarah Bedell MacDonald (1954), and Joseph Louis Moreno-Leal (1973).

FROM FATHER WOOD: READING THE BIBLE IN 2026

I can’t think of a better resolution to make as a follower of Jesus than to commit to reading the Bible more in 2026. There are lots of ways to start — 

• Sign up to read the Bible in a year via an app like YouVersion

• Listen to this great conversation between the guys behind the Bible Project and Practicing the Way

• Join us for our online parish Lectionary Bible Study every Thursday night at 6 (email me for the link)

• Or come join us for Morning and Evening Prayer every day at Saint Mary’s, where we are immersed in large swaths of sacred Scripture every day, especially the Psalms, which we pray through every month

And there are tons more ways to get more Bible into your life. Personally, this is one of my resolutions for 2026, and I pray you’ll join me! — SW

AROUND THE PARISH

Town Hall Meeting — We will gather as a community after Solemn Mass this Sunday, January 11, for our next Town Hall Meeting. Click here for Fr. Wood’s article from last week which includes questions to think about prior to the meeting. All friends and members of the parish are encouraged to attend.

The Peter Powell Lecture on Anglo-Catholicism and Mission — The inaugural Peter Powell Lecture on Anglo-Catholicism and Mission will take place on Thursday, February 12, 2026, when we host the Rev. Dr. Andrew McGowan, Dean and President and McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies and Pastoral Theology at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. There will be a Choral Evensong at 5:30 PM followed by a reception and Father McGowan’s lecture, “The Tabernacle and the Streets: Reserving the Eucharist and Feeding the Poor.”

Flower donations in 2026 — Dates for altar flower donations are available for Sunday, January 18; Candlemas, February 2; Sunday, February 8; the Annunciation, March 25; and many other dates in 2026. The suggested donation is $250. Please contact Brendon Hunter to reserve a date and have the dedication for your flower donation appear in the bulletin.

Baptisms — We are planning for baptisms at the Easter Vigil on April 4, 2026. If you would like to be baptized, or have your child baptized, at the Easter Vigil or on another date, please contact Fr. Matt Jacobson.

Interested in being Confirmed? — Please speak with Fr. Sammy Wood if you are interested in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation or being received into the Episcopal Church (for those already confirmed in another Christian denomination). Confirmation class begins this month and will prepare candidates to be confirmed at Bp. Allen Shin’s visit on Pentecost (May 24, 2026).

Horton Foote’s Talking Pictures — On January 24 at 7:00 PM in Saint Joseph’s Hall, there will be a read aloud of Horton Foote’s play Talking Pictures. Following the reading, there will be a lively discussion of Horton Foote and his body of work by those who know him best, the Horton by the Stream team. The event is free and is hosted by AMT Theater in collaboration with Horton by the Stream Outdoor Summer Theatre and Saint Mary’s.

Adult Formation — Adult Formation resumes on January 18 with a Foundations Course on the spiritual life taught by Fr. Sammy Wood. Click here to see what we have planned for this semester at Adult Formation.

Fr. Jacobson on vacation — Fr. Matt is away through Sunday, January 18.

Rosary Guild — The Rosary Guild next meets on Sunday, January 25, after the 11:00 AM Mass, to pray the rosary. All are welcome. 

Thursday Bible Study — Thursday evening Bible study in 2025-2026 is based on the Sunday lectionary for the upcoming Sunday and generally will be led by the preacher for that day. We meet over Zoom at 6:00 PM. If interested, please email Fr. Wood for the link.

Neighbors in Need — As it grows colder, the needs of our visitors change. Our first priority now is warm jackets and coats. We are also in serious need of men’s large winter tops and sweaters. Our additional priority needs are practical shoes (no dress shoes or high heels), jeans and cords, and sweaters and tops. Thanks to a generous gift at our October drop-by, we were able to provide new jeans for every visitor. Thanks to your donations we are also able to purchase toiletries and underwear, especially thermals. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information or send an email to neighbors@stmvnyc.org.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Absalom Jones Celebration — The Diocese’s 2026 Absalom Jones Celebration takes place on Saturday, February 14, at 10:30 AM at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. This meaningful service will honor the legacy of the Reverend Absalom Jones, the first Black priest ordained in the Episcopal Church, whose groundbreaking ministry paved the way for a more diverse and inclusive priesthood. The celebrant will be The Rt. Rev. Matthew F. Heyd, 17th Bishop of New York, and The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes 11th Bishop of Newark, will preach. Click here to register or to donate to the Absalom Jones Fund for Episcopal HBCUs.

Immigration Legal Support Fund — Recently, the Diocese of New York announced a new Immigration Legal Support Fund to support immigrant families in our congregations and neighborhoods throughout the Diocese of New York. The Legal Fund will help those navigating immigration under urgent and vulnerable circumstances to access legal resources. We’re starting with a $50,000 contribution from the Bishop’s discretionary funds.  Help us to match this amount to keep families together. With your support, we can do more so that no one faces the system alone. Your contribution makes possible same-day response, family preparedness, limited-scope appearances, and urgent filings. You can click below to contribute. Learn more about the Immigration Legal Support Fund here.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT HIGH MASS ON THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

The organ prelude is an extended setting from the third part of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Clavierübung that is based upon the traditional melody for Martin Luther’s text on the baptism of our Lord, translated “Christ, our Lord, to the Jordan came” (The Hymnal 1982, # 139). The melody is played on the pedals of the organ, sounding in the alto register, while the constant scale-wise motion of the left hand suggests the flowing of the Jordan River. The right hand, at the same time, provides additional rhythmic and harmonic texture. The playing of this chorale prelude anticipates the singing of the hymn at the Offertory of the Mass.

The choral setting of the Mass this morning is Mass in the Dorian Mode by Herbert Howells (1892–1983). This posthumously published work of Howells was his first to receive a professional London performance when it was sung at Mass in Westminster Cathedral in November 1912 under the direction of Sir Richard Terry, just six months after Howells became a student at the Royal College of Music. Over the next four years Howells composed several more pieces in Latin for the liturgy at Westminster Cathedral, all of which soon slipped into obscurity, and none of which were published in his lifetime. Fortunately, these remarkable earlier pieces subsequently have been published and are taking their place next to Howells’ many later beloved settings for Anglican services. Howells’ Dorian Mass is clearly a product of the resurgence of renaissance polyphony which the papal Motu Proprio of 1903 had encouraged, and which Dr. Terry’s work at Westminster Cathedral had anticipated. Almost a decade later Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G minor (1921) would similarly reflect the inspiration and influence of renaissance church music in early twentieth century England.

The motet sung during the administration of Communion was composed in 2005 by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s, and first sung at Holy Apostles Church in Chelsea. What Ruler Wades through Murky Streams is a choral expansion in textures ranging from three to six unaccompanied voices of his original hymn setting Water of Baptism, composed for The New Century Hymnal of the United Church of Christ in 1995. The text, originally dating from 1984, is a three-stanza poem by Thomas H. Troeger (1945–2022) reflecting on the baptism of our Lord. Thomas Troeger was a prolific and widely published author of hymns and theological reflections. Having previously served as a Presbyterian minister, he was later ordained an Episcopal priest. He taught and served as dean at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and he concluded his teaching career as Professor of Christian Communication at Yale University. 

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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.