FROM CLARK MITCHELL: A NEW CALL

Over the past four years, under the leadership of Father Sammy Wood, Saint Mary’s has experienced both measurable growth and less tangible, but equally meaningful, transformation. Among the measurable signs of vitality are increased attendance, a steady influx of newcomers, and a significant expansion of our programmatic offerings. We have also developed new revenue streams—and more are in the pipeline—while trimming our expenses and making more effective use of our facilities.

Just as important are the deeper ways our parish has grown—ones that don’t show up on a spreadsheet. Over the past four years, we have clarified our understanding of who we are and who we are called to be. Saint Mary’s is living more fully into its identity as a deeply Anglo-Catholic community, bringing a distinctive and vibrant witness to the heart of the nation’s largest city. Over the past three program years, Father Sammy has helped us sharpen our collective focus, first by a year diving deep on Christian formation, then a year exploring how we can invite others into our common life and, finally, we’re just wrapping up a year finding ways we can be of service to each other, our neighbors and the larger world.

As many of you know—either from Board Secretary Katherine Hoyt’s announcement at the Annual Meeting or from last week’s Angelus—the Board of Trustees has elected to call Father Sammy as rector. I wanted to provide you with a few more details.

On April 20, the Board convened in Saint Benedict’s study, where the Executive Committee reported on its March 23 meeting with Bishop Matthew Heyd and Canon Alissa Newton. Your Executive Committee had sought and received the Diocese’s blessing to proceed with calling a rector and we wanted to discuss this with the Board in person. Following a thoughtful discussion in closed session, the decision was unanimous: the Board elected to call Father Sammy as the tenth rector of Saint Mary the Virgin.

As of this writing, a formal installation by the Rt. Rev. Allen Shin is being planned for December 8, 2026. This installation on our Feast of Title will be significant in several ways: Bishop Shin served as curate at Saint Mary’s—his first parish in the Diocese—and Father Sammy’s anniversary of ordination to the priesthood falls on this date. Please mark your calendars for what will be a very happy evening!

Finally, I’d like to add that I’m personally so impressed, thankful and proud that the people of Saint Mary’s have walked together through an uncertain transition period and that we have come out stronger on the other side. I’m excited to see what the coming years bring, and I hope and pray everyone reading this will be a part of our future. Something special is happening in this place!

To lift a line from Father Sammy:

For God and Saint Mary’s,

Clark Mitchell
Vice President, Board of Trustees

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 are to be baptized, especially Florence, and for those preparing for confirmation or reception, especially Elena, Sam, and Yue.

We pray for those who are preparing for ordination, especially Alden; and Monica Clare, religious.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Harley, John, Malany, Jim, Phil, Laura, Kay, Marley, Duke, Claudia, Willie, Sue, Sumar, Christine, Emilie, Sharon, Monique, Cassius, Lisa, Sue, Ruth Ann, Rosemary, Holly, Becky, Bill, Grady, Chris, Violet, Pat, Allen, Nadia, Giovanna, Gianni, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Sandy, Desarae, David, Tony, Jan, Carlos, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, Bob, and Robert; James, Victoria, and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; Beth, Jay, and Stephen, priests; and Thomas, bishop.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially Marvin, and for those whose year’s mind is on May 17: William Hiram Gillies Kelly (1892), Lewis Parker (1906), Alberta Osbal Krattinger (1923), Clara Prindle (1931), Shirley Carswell (1965), and Willard Baldwin Taylor (2024).

AROUND THE PARISH

Ascensiontide Novena — As a parish, we are praying a novena to the Holy Spirit from Ascension to Pentecost. Click this link for the prayers and more details about novenas.

AIDS Walk is this Sunday — This Sunday, the Saint Mary’s AIDS Walk team will walk with an ambitious goal of raising $60,000. We are getting very close to our goal, though not there yet. Please click here to help us meet and beat our target! To have your questions answered, please contact one of the team leaders: Father Matt, MaryJane Boland or Clark Mitchell.

Saint Marians About Town: Met exhibit on Raphael — The group plans to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art after Mass on Sunday, June 14, to view the acclaimed exhibition Raphael: Sublime Poetry. This extraordinary special exhibition is displaying more than 170 of the master’s greatest and most rarely-seen pieces. For more information, you can refer to the Met’s website here. The ticket is estimated to cost about $30 or less, depending on the size of the group. Please RSVP to Katherine (katherinetilleyhoyt@gmail.com) by May 19, as she will arrange a group rate.

The Day of Pentecost — On the Day of Pentecost, Sunday, May 24, The Rt. Rev. Allen K. Shin, Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of New York, will be the celebrant and preacher at the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass. Three of our parishioners are preparing to be confirmed or received by Bishop Shin and a baptism is also planned.

Adult Formation — Adult Formation continues this Sunday when Fr. Matt concludes his series on Saint Catherine of Siena and how her writings can inform our Year of Service. We meet in Saint Joseph’s Hall at 9:45 AM, between the two Masses. All are welcome!

Catherine of Siena and Zoom Theology — For those unable to attend Fr. Matt’s class on Saint Catherine of Siena, he will also be giving a summary at our sister parish’s Zoom Theology series. The presentation will be on Saturday, May 23, at 2:00 PM NYC (7:00 PM London), and the details and Zoom link can be found here on All Saints Margaret Street’s website.

Sermon Series on Acts — Fr. Wood has been preaching a sermon series on the Acts of the Apostles at Mass on the Sundays in Eastertide. If you missed one, there are videos of all of them on our website.

Neighbors in Need — As we enter warmer weather, you may have lost interest in your winter coat, but we have not. We can store coats until next winter—and we would love to! Please bring us your lightly-used coats and jackets. We accept all kinds of casual clothing: jackets, pants, tops and shoes, but we do not need professional clothing or children’s clothing. Thanks to many wonderful cash donations, we are able to purchase toiletries and underwear. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information or send an email to neighbors@stmvnyc.org.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Ordination of Sr. Monica Clare, CSJB — Good friend of the parish and former residential member of our community, Sr. Monica Clare, CSJB, will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 20, at 10:00 AM at the Community of Saint John Baptist’s convent in Mendham, NJ. All Saint Marians are welcome to attend, but please do RSVP via email to Sr. Monica Clare, CSJB, so that the convent can prepare.

The Debut of Dr. Hurd’s concert opera at Trinity Wall Street on May 31 — Commissioned by Trinity for the 250th birthday of the United States, Great Awakenings: John Henry Hobart and America is a powerful new concert opera by acclaimed composer (and former Trinity organist) David Hurd. With a libretto by Christopher Dylan Herbert, a former member of the Trinity Choir, the work brings to life a pivotal era in American religious and civic history by celebrating the visionary leadership of Bishop Hobart (1775–1830), Trinity’s seventh rector (1816-1830). Click here for more details and to RSVP. Dr. Hurd notes that while the website refers to it as an oratorio, it is in fact a concert opera.

Idolatry and the Eucharist: How to See God in Things Without Making a God of Things — On Saturday, May 16, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM, Dr. William T. Cavanaugh will give the Spring Theology Lecture at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Our culture tempts us to turn money, nation, and the self into gods. The Eucharist frees us to love things without being enslaved by them. This lecture offers a chance to reflect honestly on where our deepest loyalties lie. The speaker, Dr. William T. Cavanaugh is Professor of Catholic Studies and Director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University in Chicago. He is author of nine books and editor of eight more, as well as editor of the journal Modern Theology. His most recent book is The Uses of Idolatry (Oxford University Press, 2024). Click here for more details and to register for the event. The lecture will be available both in-person and live-streamed if you wish to attend virtually.

Law Day Celebration at the Cathedral — The 2026 Law Day Evensong and Celebration will be on May 17 at 4:00 PM. Bishop Matthew F. Heyd will lead the evensong service to celebrate Law Day and the work of attorneys in the Diocese. Reception to follow at 5:00 PM. Click here to register by May 15.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

The organ prelude this Sunday is the first movement of L’Ascension by Olivier Messiaen (1902–1992). Born in Avignon, son of the poetess Cécile Sauvage, Olivier Messiaen was a student of Marcel Dupré and Paul Dukas at the Paris Conservatory where he became professor of musical analysis, philosophy, and aesthetics in 1942. His legendary tenure as titular organist of Trinité, Paris, began in 1931. The brilliant light and vivid colors of this magnificent church proved a defining stimulus to Messiaen’s musical imagination for sixty years. The majesty of Christ asking that the Father glorify him is the first of the four movements of L’Ascension. This movement, like the fourth, was originally scored for orchestra in 1933 and transcribed by the composer for the organ later the same year. It carries the text from the Gospel according to John, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your son as your son has glorified you.”

The Mass setting is Missa Brevis by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary the Virgin. Missa Brevis was composed for and first performed on Ascension Day 1991 while Dr. Hurd was Director of Music at All Saints Church, Manhattan. It is dedicated to The Reverend R. DeWitt Mallary, Jr., who was rector of All Saints Church at that time. The Kyrie, not sung this morning, is in Greek, and the remaining Mass parts are in Latin. The musical themes of each movement of this setting are derived from the rendering of the letters of Father Mallary’s name as musical pitches. These pitches are intentionally arranged to achieve upward melodic gestures suggestive of Ascension. Each movement of the Mass is compact and rhythmically straight-forward. The words are presented directly in angular melodic shapes and lean harmonic textures. The Mass is scored for four-part choir, although solo voices complement the choral parts in the Agnus Dei.

The motet sung during the administration of Communion is I will not leave you comfortless by Everett Titcomb (1884–1968). Its text, John 14:18, appears liturgically among the minor propers in the late Easter season. Titcomb’s setting is the sixth of his Eight Short Motets for the Great Festivals of the Church which were published in 1934. Everett Titcomb was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and was nurtured in the climate of such Boston area composers as Eugene Thayer, Dudley Buck, and Horatio Parker. In 1910 he became organist and choirmaster at Boston’s Church of Saint John the Evangelist, Bowdoin Street, a position he retained for fifty years. This parish, founded in 1883 and administered by the Order of Saint John the Evangelist (the Cowley Fathers), strongly espoused the values of the Oxford Movement expressed both in service to the urban poor and in recovery of a rich Catholic liturgical practice within Anglicanism. Titcomb was a major force in introducing plainsong and renaissance polyphony to twentieth century Anglicans. The Schola Cantorum at Saint John’s in the 1930s and 40s, under his direction, was notable for its singing of chant and polyphony at a time when such music was rarely heard. Titcomb’s own choral and organ compositions, many of which contain references to chant melodies, united elements of ancient expressions with the artistic palette of twentieth century America in a parallel manner to what Healey Willan (1880–1968) was doing at Saint Mary Magdalene, Toronto. In addition to Titcomb’s service at Saint John the Evangelist, he taught chant and sacred music at New England Conservatory and Boston University. Titcomb’s compositions conservatively reflect the musical aesthetics of his time.

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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.