FROM FATHER PETER ANTHONY: ALL SAINTS’ MARGARET STREET IS VISITING NEW YORK

I am very grateful for the opportunity to write for the Angelus this week to let you know about a visit to New York which I will be making with my colleague Father Alan Rimmer in March from your sister parish in London, All Saints’, Margaret Street.

Father Alan and I are both looking forward to being at Saint Mary’s to preach: Father Alan will give the homily at both Masses on Sunday, March 22; and I will be preaching on the Feast of the Annunciation.

It will be terrific to meet new people and reacquaint ourselves with old friends. This connection with Saint Mary the Virgin is so important to us at All Saints’ and we rejoice in the partnership between our two parishes as we both bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ on either sides of the Atlantic.

This will be Father Alan’s first visit to Saint Mary’s and I am sure he will love every minute of getting to know the place and its people.

I also want to let you all know about an important social event to which you are all warmly invited. There will be a drinks party for the American Friends of All Saints’ on Friday, March 20, at the House of the Redeemer on 95th Street at 6:30 PM. You are all most welcome to attend!

If you would like to come, please let us know by registering through this Eventbrite link, so we have an accurate idea of numbers: https://americanfriendsdrinks.eventbrite.com. I hope it will be a terrific opportunity for us to make new connections, thank our supporters, renew old friendships, and deepen the bonds of affinity and fellowship that link our two parishes.

I hope this drinks party will also be an opportunity for me to bring parishioners of Saint Mary’s and Friends of All Saints’ up to date with our latest news, and to introduce the significant Music Appeal which we are in the middle of at All Saints’.

Since its launch last year, the American Friends of All Saints’, Margaret Street, have contributed considerable funds to All Saints’, and have played a significant role in contributing to our recent efforts to re-endow our Music Trust. The American Friends allows American tax payers to donate funds to All Saints’ in dollars, and to receive a tax deduction on their gift. We are so grateful to our US Friends for their exceptional generosity and sacrificial giving.

This drinks party will be proceeded by a Mass celebrated by me in the Chapel of the House of the Redeemer at 6:00 PM, giving thanks for the life of All Saints’, for any who wish to attend.

Do consider yourself warmly invited to our drinks reception on Friday, March 20, and if I don’t see you at that, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, March 22, at the Solemn Mass in Times Square.

With my best wishes to you all,

Father Peter Anthony
Vicar, All Saints’, Margaret Street, London

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 Kenya, in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Sue, Sumar, Ruth, Christine, Emilie, Emma, Sharon, Andrew, Cal, Eric, Hamida, Monique, Khalid, Sophia, Yue, Cassius, Jimmy, Lisa, Sue, Ruth Ann, Rosemary, Holly, Becky, Bill, Grady, Chris, Violet, Pat, Allen, Vicki, Brendon, Nadia, Carol, Giovanna, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Sandy, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Tony, Jan, Carlos, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Victoria, Suzanne Elizabeth, and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and, Beth, 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 March 15: Samuel Stevens (1876), Robert Cochran (1895), Pauline Dunn (1940), and Peter Chan (1969).

FROM THE FLOWER GUILD: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Volunteers are needed for Passiontide, Holy Week, and Easter. We always have lots of snacks, coffee, and great fellowship! Whether you can just volunteer an hour or two or be here every day, we need your help. It makes Easter feel even more special knowing you had a part in making it happen.

• Parish workdays are happening on “Passiontide Saturday,” March 21, and “Palm Saturday,” March 28, starting at 10:00 AM on both days continuing through 3:00 PM. On March 21, we need help with veiling the church and getting things ready for Holy Week. On March 28, we need help with stripping palms for Palm Sunday, helping the Flower Guild setup Saint Joseph’s Hall for Easter flower production, and lots of cleaning and polishing to have Saint Mary’s looking our best for Easter. Please contact Grace Mudd if you can help on either day.

• The Flower Guild needs help with getting branches and flowers into water—no skills needed! Branches will be delivered on Monday, March 30, around 10:00 AM with work on that continuing through 2:00 PM. Flowers will be delivered on Tuesday, March 31, at 9:00 AM and work will last through about noon. There is always a great need for as many hands as possible on Holy Saturday, which is April 4 this year, starting at 9:15 AM and continuing through 4:00 PM. We will be removing the veils in the church, moving flowers into place, and putting finishing touches on getting the church ready for Easter. Please contact Brendon Hunter if you can volunteer for any of those dates.

AROUND THE PARISH

Holy Week and Easter Day — Holy Week begins with the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday on March 29. At the Solemn Mass on Palm Sunday, weather permitting, we will process into Times Square. Click here for the complete Holy Week and Easter Day liturgical schedule.

Guest Preachers — We have several guest preachers coming to Saint Mary’s over the next few weeks. This Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Father Brandt Montgomery, who serves as the Chaplain of Saint James School in Hagerstown, Maryland, and Vicar of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Boonsboro, Maryland, will preach at both Masses. On the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Father Alan Rimmer, Associate Vicar of All Saints’, Margaret Street, is our preacher at both Masses. On Wednesday, March 25, the Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Father Peter Anthony, Vicar of All Saints’, Margaret Street, will preach at Solemn Mass at 6:00 PM.

Adult Formation — Adult Formation continues this Sunday with Service Stories. Ms. Reha Sterbin will lead a class “On Advocacy,” a glimpse into her own experience advocating for causes close to her heart here in New York City. We meet in Saint Joseph’s Hall at 9:45 AM, between the two Sunday Masses. Click here for more details about what we have planned for this semester at Adult Formation. All are welcome!

The Annunciation — The Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary will be on Wednesday, March 25. At 12:10 PM, we will have a Sung Mass in the Lady Chapel. At 5:30 PM, Ms. Eva Sze from the Church of Saint Agnes and New York University will offer an organ recital. Solemn Mass follows at 6:00 PM. Father Peter Anthony from All Saints’ Margaret Street will be our guest preacher at Solemn Mass.

Final Lenten Supper — Fr. Stephen Morris will lead the final session of his series over supper entitled, “Why on This Night? The Old Testament and the Easter Vigil” this coming Wednesday, March 18. The discussion will focus on Moses (Exodus 1-15). Mass at 6:00 PM, followed by soup and bread and conversation at 6:30 PM. All are welcome! Please RSVP to Fr. Wood.

Stations of the Cross — On Fridays in Lent, we offer Stations of the Cross at 6:00 PM, which follows Evening Prayer at 5:30 PM.

The Shape of Lent — At Saint Mary’s, we try to preserve the communal nature of Lenten practice as a parish family. The Shape of Lent is a booklet which provides a description and schedule of what we will do together during this holy time. There are also suggestions for additional Lenten readings. Copies are on the usher’s table and can be downloaded here.

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.

Flowers donors needed — Altar flower donations are needed for many 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.

Neighbors in Need — With a very cold winter moving into a cold spring, warm jackets and practical shoes for men and women continue to be top needs. We are typically better supplied with women’s clothes than men’s. Our men’s priorities for February and March are warm tops; pants in size 32, 34 and 36; and shoes in all sizes. Thanks to your donations we are also able to purchase toiletries, gloves and underwear, especially thermals, which are in high demand. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information or send an email to neighbors@stmvnyc.org. Our next Drop-by Day will be on March 20, the third Friday of the month.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — On Saturday, April 18, join the Diocesan Anti-Racism Committee for a one-day round trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. The transportation fee is $50 per person, payable during online registration. This fee is non-refundable unless the trip is canceled. Admission to the museum is free. Meals are not included, but food is available for purchase at the museum café. ADA accessible buses leave promptly at 5:00 AM from two locations (The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan and Christ Episcopal Church in Tarrytown) and will return between 11:00 PM and midnight. Click here to complete a short questionnaire. After completing it, an email will be sent containing the link to finish registering.

2026 Vocations Day: Listening Hearts Retreat — On Saturday, April 25, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM at Christ Episcopal Church (20 Carroll Street, Poughkeepsie, NY), join us for an intentional gathering to help those who are beginning to discern a call to lay or ordained leadership in the life of the Church. Seekers will hear from the Bishop and members of the Commission on Ministry about the ministry of the Laity and Clergy, the expectations of the Commission on Ministry for those seeking ordination, and clear and practical next steps. There will be prayer, a plenary session, breakout groups, and lunch. Break out groups will include sessions exploring priesthood, the diaconate, and discerning lay leadership for your community’s needs. Seekers are encouraged to attend with their clergy person, and the expectation is that participants will be present the whole day. Parking is available. Click here to register and learn more.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

The organ prelude on Sunday is a setting of O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (O Lamb of God, pure, spotless), BWV 656, one of the eighteen Leipzig Chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). The “Great Eighteen” were collected and published in the final decade of Bach’s life and are considered to represent the summit of chorale-based baroque organ composition. Bach’s setting of O Lamm Gottes from the “Great Eighteen” is based upon the melody for the Lutheran troped Agnus Dei, both text and melody being attributed to Nikolaus Decius (c.1480–1541). This three-stanza chorale echoes the Latin Agnus Dei, which is sung three times in the liturgy, the third time praying for peace rather than for mercy as in the first two. Bach, therefore, has set the entire melody three times in his extended organ chorale. The first stanza is played entirely on the keyboard and has the chorale melody in the highest of the three voices. Stanza two, which follows without break, maintains the same texture but shifts the chorale melody to the middle of the three voices. In the third stanza, the pedals of the organ are employed to play the chorale melody and undergird the four-voice texture. Right before the final phrase of this last stanza is a very chromatic interlude which characterizes the agony of the Passion. Bach’s setting of O Lamm Gottes from his Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book), cataloged as BWV 618, is played as the postlude. In this four-voice setting, the chorale melody first appears in the tenor register, played on the pedals. Two beats later, the melody enters in the alto voice five scale degrees higher and proceeds thus in canon. The accompanying soprano and bass voices are characterized by pairs of slurred adjacent notes.

The setting of the Mass is by Charles Wood (1866–1926). Wood had a decided influence on the development of English church music. His principal composition teachers were Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924) and Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848–1918), and his students included Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) and Herbert Howells (1892–1983). Irish by birth, Wood received his early musical training as a treble chorister in the choir of the Church of Ireland’s Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. In 1883 he became a member of the inaugural class of the Royal College of Music. His career included teaching music, directing, and playing the organ at several colleges. After Stanford’s death in 1924, Wood succeeded his mentor as Professor of Music at Cambridge. Wood’s compositions are varied and include eight string quartets, but he is chiefly remembered for his church music and his arrangements of carols. His Missa Sancti Patricci (Mass in honor of Saint Patrick), sung this Sunday, is also known as Communion Service in F major (In the Ionian Mode). It was first published in 1926. Despite the Mass’ Latin designation, the movements are in traditional English except for the Kyrie which is in Greek. Like some of Wood’s other church music, this Mass is in a neo-polyphonic style and scored for unaccompanied singing. Here, Wood has done what church music composers throughout the centuries have often done by returning to a stilo antico (antique style) for inspiration and expression. 

The motet sung during the Communion of the people is a setting of Psalm 25:1a and 6 by David Hurd, music director at Saint Mary’s. It was composed for and first sung on Ash Wednesday 2003 at Holy Apostles Church, Chelsea, where Dr. Hurd was music director at the time. While the motet was originally designed for a choir of men’s tenor and bass voices, the version sung today has been re-scored for a choir of treble and men’s mixed voices. This version, created in 2019, was first sung here at Saint Mary’s in Lent of that year.

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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 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.