FROM THE CURATE: ON THE COLLECT OF THE DAY FOR THIS SUNDAY

In seminary, I once preached on a collect. The assignment was to preach a four-minute “micro-homily” in class. I chose that Sunday’s lectionary . . . to be honest, because I was deeply disturbed by the language of enslavement in the appointed Gospel. (Luke 17:5–10, for inquiring minds!) I wasn’t sure what I would do when I was actually assigned those readings. So preaching on the Collect of the Day was an experiment. And it was a dodging of the actual question, of what actually unsettled me about the Gospel.

The Rev. Joshua Sullivan was a kind teacher and a wise Lutheran pastor. And as he gently pointed out to me afterwards, he kept waiting for me to say that the Holy Spirit changes us when we pray the words of a collect. It is not the collect that gathers us, not any words we can say or any thing we can do, but God who changes us. God gathers us—with our individual prayers, concerns, and distractions when He draws us to worship—into one common body.

This Sunday, our Collect of the Day is perhaps one of the most famous prayers of Anglicanism:

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant us that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Unlike most collects in the first Book of Common Prayer, it was not sourced, translated and edited by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer from the older sacramentaries of Leo, Gelasius or Gregory. This is a Cranmerian original to 1549. And it’s a peculiar one.

In it, we address God the Father as “Blessed Lord.”[1] And over 400 years later, it’s still the only collect in our current American book to do so. Collects also usually ended with a specific clause: “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is the paradigm of Christian prayer: a petition to the first person of the Trinity, through the second person of the Trinity, with the unnamed Spirit speaking the prayer with us. (The editors of the 1979 prayer book make the Trinitarian nature of Christian prayer more explicit by adding a Trinitarian conclusion to the traditional collect.) But Cranmer doesn’t end this collect with what modern commentaries have called the “oblation” or “pleading” clause.

Rather, his theological claim was that all holy Scriptures can draw us closer to Jesus. This was a reforming agenda, to be sure, but it was also ancient. Our early Church Mothers and Fathers knew, in the monasteries and in the parish, that all Scriptures were written for our edification and for our salvation. (Come to Fr. Matt’s class on Sunday to hear more on the patristic interpretation of Scripture!) We have Cranmer to thank for our Anglican tradition of reclaiming ancient practices for a modern world: for our thirty-day Psalter and a Daily Office lectionary that lives alongside but does not replace the Sunday cycle. The forms may have changed slightly, but the function has always been to read more Scripture. Whether over the course of a month, two years or three.

To read all of it.

Even through the parts of holy writ which we fear, and wrestle with, or are disturbed by . . . God has something to say. From one generation to another, the Church has fed upon the Word of God and been renewed, challenged, and strengthened for their own day. As Pastor Sullivan reminded me, it is not words which draw us closer to Jesus. We are drawn closer to and by God’s own self.

May God who has granted us the gift of all holy Scriptures so turn our hearts and minds to find within them the blessed hope of everlasting life, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. — EL

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for our sister parish, the Church of All Saints Margaret Street in London, and for the Anglican Church of Chile, in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Paul, Aline, Stephanie, Daniel, Barbara, Charles, Bella, Jan, Nancy, Nick, Tam, Sara, Jay, Dennis, Burks, Blaise, Jon, Laura, Sue, Emilie, Sharon, Monique, Cassius, Ruth Ann, Becky, Bill, Grady, Violet, Pat, Allen, Giovanna, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Desarae, David, Tony, Jan, Carlos, Quincy, Leroy, and Margaret; James, Victoria, and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and Tom, Jay, and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially Phoebe, Bett, Robert, Thor, Jason, and for those whose year’s mind is on November 15: Theodore Codswise Mitchill (1881), Laura Chambers Sutton (1887), Mary Dow (1898), Sadie Adams Smith (1907), Anna Daingerfield (1939), Richard Davis Campbell (1949), Elizabeth Congdon Mason (1951), Florence Louise Farson Dawson (1954), Etta Jane Willsie (1956), Wallace Charles Taylor (1972), Estell Moore (1973), Ralph Burus Smith (1983), and Noel Julian Blackman (1997).

GUILD OF THE WEEK: SERVERS & READERS

Each week we are featuring a different parish guild. Maybe God is calling you to join one?

Become an Altar Server. Altar Servers play a vital role in our worship, assisting the clergy at weekly and special services throughout the year. Both youth and adults are welcome! No experience is needed, training is provided, and you don’t have to learn every role. All that is required is a willingness to learn and a commitment to serve regularly. Interested? Please speak with or email Brendon Hunter. 

Become a Reader. The first reading at the 11:00 AM Mass is read by a member of the congregation. We train our readers on the process and the pace. If you are comfortable preparing in advance, coming up the side steps into choir, projecting your voice and reading from a microphone at the podium, speak to or email MaryJane Boland.

AROUND THE PARISH

Pledging — As Fr. Sammy discussed in last week’s issue, stewardship season has begun, and our goal this year is $450,000 in pledges. Pledge cards can be mailed to the office, placed in the collection basket at Mass, or submitted electronically via our website.

Installation of our Rector! — Fr. Sammy will be installed as the tenth rector of our parish on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An organ recital at 5:30 PM precedes the liturgy at 6:00 PM. The Rt. Rev. Allen K. Shin will be the celebrant. Visiting clergy who would like to process (white stole) are asked to RSVP to office@stmvnyc.org.

Adult Formation on Sunday — Fr. Matt continues his series on Intro to Patristics. Please see the formation page on our website for more details about this and upcoming classes. We meet in St. Joseph’s Hall at 9:45 AM. All are welcome.

Christ the King and the First Sunday of Advent — Sunday, November 22, is Christ the King Day and is the last Sunday of the Church Year. We will have a procession followed by Solemn Mass at 11:00 AM. Sunday, November 29, is the First Sunday of Advent and the start of the new year. The Great Litany will be prayed in procession at the start of the 11:00 AM liturgy.

Eve of Thanksgiving — A High Mass will be offered on Wednesday, November 25, the Eve of Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, we follow our Federal Holiday Schedule and Mass is at 10:00 AM. The church will be open from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day and the Daily Office is not prayed publicly.

Visit to the African Burial Ground — A group of Saint Marians will be visiting the African Burial Ground on Saturday, November 21, after the 12:10 PM Mass. They plan to gather after Mass and travel downtown together. A documentary about the national monument, The African Burial Ground: An American Discovery (1994), is available in four parts on YouTube (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4) and would be useful for those planning to join the outing as well as for those who are interested but unable to make it on that day. Please contact Ingrid Sletten with any questions.

Class for Newcomers and Confirmation Preparation — Fr. Sammy is leading a Companions Class, where newcomers and those preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation accompany each other in their formation. The class is designed to cover the basics of Christianity and our Anglican tradition. The class meets on select Wednesday evenings (typically the first Wednesday of the month). Please contact Fr. Sammy with any questions and to register.

Neighbors in Need: Winter is coming! — It may not feel as if winter is coming, but it is, and we hope to build up our supply of coats and jackets. If you plan to replace your coat this winter, please bring us your old coat now, still in good condition. Our other most needed items are casual clothes: pants and jeans, jackets, tops and shoes—we always need shoes. Men’s clothes are harder to come by than women’s clothes, especially in sizes 32–36. We don’t need professional clothing or children’s clothing. We would also be happy to talk to you about being a volunteer. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information or email neighbors@stmvnyc.org. The next Drop-by day will be Friday, November 20.

A TALE OF TWO CHURCHES

On Friday, November 20, there will be a lecture and panel discussion about the history and relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at Saint Mary’s. The event is co-sponsored by the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Vartan Cathedral and is being organized by Chris Edling, our former seminarian. All are welcome. Click here to RSVP and to learn more about the event.

THIS WEEK’S COMMEMORATIONS AT DAILY MASS

Monday, November 16 — Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093
Tuesday, November 17 — Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, 1200
Wednesday, November 18 — Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680
Thursday, November 19 — Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary, 1231
Friday, November 20 — Edmund, King of East Anglia and Martyr, 870
Saturday, November 21 — The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The 12:10 PM liturgy on Wednesday will be a Sung Mass.
Click here for detailed monthly calendars.

MONTHLY LITURGIES AND GATHERINGS

Mass and Fellowship with Saint Stephen’s Young Adults — Mass is offered every Wednesday at 6:00 PM in the Lady Chapel. The Saint Stephen’s Guild of young adults attends on the third Wednesday of each month, followed by fellowship. Join them next on November 18.

Rosary Guild — Our Rosary Guild meets in the Lady Chapel after Solemn Mass (and a brief stop at Coffee Hour) on the fourth Sunday of the month to pray the rosary. All are welcome, including those who are curious, but have never prayed the rosary before! The Rosary Guild meets next on Sunday, November 22.

Parish Requiem — We offer a monthly Requiem Mass in the Mercy Chapel as part of our chapter of the Guild of All Souls. This Mass is typically celebrated on the third Saturday of the month unless a major feast falls on that day. All are welcome. In November, we offered Parish Requiems on the five days following All Souls’ Day. The next Parish Requiem will be on Saturday, December 5.

Evensong & Benediction — During the program year, we offer Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in lieu of Evening Prayer at 4:00 PM on the first Sunday of the month. E&B will next be offered on Sunday, December 6.

BECOME A FRIEND OF SAINT MARY’S

You already know you’re a friend of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, why not make it official? Now you can by joining our new program: Friends of Saint Mary’s. This is an opportunity for those who feel the connection to this extraordinary historic parish in the heart of New York City and want to participate even more in its vital work and witness.

Click below to learn more about this program and to become a Friend of Saint Mary’s.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Diocesan Convention — The Episcopal Diocese of New York’s 250th Annual Convention is ongoing as we go to press and our parish clergy and lay delegate are attending. The Convention is being livestreamed for those who are interested.

VK McCarty’s Book Party — The Rector and Wardens of Saint Paul’s Carroll Street warmly invite you to a book-reading, book-signing, and reception for VK McCarty’s newest release, The Radiant Word, on Sunday, November 15, at 4:00 PM in Cullen Hall, Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, 199 Carroll Street, Brooklyn. Won’t you join us? RSVP here.

CONCERTS AND EVENTS

2026–2027 Concerts and Performances — A schedule of the 2026–2027 concerts and performances at Saint Mary’s, with links to the event pages for tickets and more details, can be found on our website. Coming up: Offerings on November 13, the Miller Theatre/Tallis Scholars on December 3, Offerings on December 4, and the New York Repertory Orchestra on December 5.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Sunday’s organ voluntaries are two of the four movements of the Eighth Sonata for organ by the German composer Joseph Rheinberger (1839–1901). Rheinberger spent most of his life in Munich where he studied, and later taught for forty years at the Royal Conservatorium. He was also organist at Saint Michael’s Church, conductor of the Munich Choral Society, and was attached to the Court Opera and director of court church music. His compositions include operas, symphonies, Masses, motets, secular choral music, incidental music for plays, piano pieces and songs, organ concerti, and twenty organ sonatas. Rheinberger’s twenty Sonatas for organ are the next most significant body of organ pieces after Mendelssohn. They continue to stand at the center of German Romantic organ literature. His Eighth Sonata for organ demonstrates is a work of four movements. The second movement, Sunday’s prelude, is entitled Intermezzo. It is a lyrical piece in the key of E Major and takes the form of a rondeau in which a primary theme is heard repeatedly in alternation with several secondary themes. The third movement, Sunday’s postlude, is called Scherzoso and is an animated multi-sectional piece in the key of A minor. In the context of the Sonata, this movement segues directly into the final movement, a skillfully composed Passacaglia in the Sonata’s home key of E minor, but as Sunday’s postlude, a final cadence in A minor will be fashioned for the Scherzoso.

The setting of the Mass is Missa brevis in d, Opus 83, also by Josef Gabriel Rheinberger. Rheinberger was a prodigy of his time; at the age of seven, he was already serving as organist of the parish church in his hometown of Vaduz, a small town along the Rhine River, and compositions of his were performed shortly thereafter. In 1851 he entered the Munich Conservatorium where, not long after graduating, he was appointed professor of piano and composition. Influences upon Rheinberger include his more famous contemporary Johannes Brahms and earlier notable German composers including Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and Franz Schubert. Rheinberger’s works include two operas, two symphonies, songs, piano works, chamber works and assorted other compositions. Rheinberger’s sacred choral works include a Christmas cantata, fourteen Masses, three requiem settings, two settings of Stabat Mater as well as motets and miscellaneous other compositions. Missa brevis in d is for four-voices unaccompanied. While the Gloria and Sanctus are clearly in the major mode, the Benedictus is in F Major and the Agnus Dei returns to the Mass’s original key of D minor.

The motet sung during Communion again is by Josef Rheinberger. Ad te levavi is a setting for four voices of Psalm 25:1–2a. It is the third of his Neun Advent-Motetten (Nine Advent Motets), Opus 176.