FROM FATHER SAMMY WOOD: YOU’RE INVITED!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

Or Oyez, oyez! if you prefer.

Both phrases are functionally identical—Oyez is just a traditional Anglo-Norman term, and Hear ye is the English translation. Both say “listen up” and call attention to some important info to follow. And in this case—the info is your invitation to our Annual Congregational Meeting this Sunday, May 3, after the 11:00 Mass.

At least as far back as the 1970s, it has been our practice at Saint Mary’s to gather as a congregation on the first Sunday in May—“May Crowning Sunday”—to celebrate our parish life and ask Our Lady to pray for us. Every year, this meeting is an opportunity to build community, hear from the Trustees and your clergy, reflect on the year just past, discuss our life together, remember our loved ones who have died, and dream together about our future. So you’re invited—please join us Sunday right after Solemn Mass for a festive Coffee Hour and Annual Meeting in the Parish Hall!

For God and Saint Mary’s —

Sammy+ 

This Sunday, May 3, is also the day of the Five Boro Bike Tour, which goes up 6th Ave. Those coming from the east side may want to allow extra time to reach Saint Mary’s.

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for the people and clergy of our sister parish, the Church of All Saints’, Margaret Street, London, and for the Church of North India, in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

We pray for those who are preparing for confirmation: Elena, Sam, and Yue.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Kay, Marley, Duke, Don, Claudia, Jesus, Willie, Sue, Sumar, Christine, Emilie, Sharon, Monique, Cassius, Lisa, Sue, Ruth Ann, Rosemary, Holly, Becky, Bill, Grady, Chris, Violet, Pat, Allen, Nadia, Giovanna, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Sandy, Desarae, David, Tony, Jan, Carlos, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Victoria 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, especially Gerhard and Randolph, and for those whose year’s mind is on May 3: Rachel Howland (1947) and Arthur Howlett (1969).

AROUND THE PARISH

Audio Problems — Last Sunday, we had trouble with amplification in the church and the audio on our livestream as some of the equipment for our wireless mic system broke down unexpectedly Saturday night. Our AV consultant has been working to procure a replacement from the company, which is on its way, but as we go to press, it is unclear if it will arrive in time to be installed by Sunday. Fortunately, the acoustics at Saint Mary’s are excellent and can make up for a lack of amplification with a little bit of projection on our part. Without our wireless system, however, only the choir and sermon will be audible on the livestream, as those microphones are the only ones that are hardwired. If you can, please plan to join us in person on Sunday!

Evensong & Benediction this Sunday — In addition to May Crowning and the Annual Meeting, May 3 is also the first Sunday of the month and we will offer Evensong & Benediction at 4:00 PM. Join us for a full day on May 3!

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 over email at katherinetilleyhoyt@gmail.com by May 19, as she will arrange a group rate.

AIDS Walk Two Weeks Away — In two weeks, on May 17, the Saint Mary’s AIDS Walk team will walk with an ambitious goal of raising $60,000. Click here to join the team. If joining the team is impossible, we hope that you will be able to click here to support our team financially. To have your questions answered, please contact one of the team leaders: Father Matt, MaryJane Boland or Clark Mitchell.

Ascension Day — Ascension Day is Thursday, May 14. Dr. David Hurd, our organist and music director, will offer an organ recital of French and German music at 5:30 PM. Solemn Mass follows at 6:00 PM. Our guest preacher will be Fr. Phillip Channing Ellsworth, Jr., rector of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA.

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 by Bishop Shin and a baptism is also planned.

Adult Formation — Adult Formation continues this Sunday with Fr. Matt’s 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. Click here for more details about Adult Formation. All are welcome!

Thursday Bible Study — Thursday evening Bible study meets over Zoom at 6:00 PM. If interested, please email Fr. Wood for the link.

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

Blessing of the Bicycles — Join the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and the Very Reverend Winnie Varghese, Dean, for the 28th annual Blessing of the Bicycles on Saturday, May 2, at 8:30 AM. Click here to RSVP or here for the Blessing of the Bicycles webpage.

Spirit of the City: Annual Benefit for the Cathedral — On Wednesday, May 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, join the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine for their annual benefit, Spirit of the City. This year, instead of a traditional seated gala dinner, the Cathedral will fill with community members, partners, congregations, and friends from New York and beyond, to celebrate what brings our communities to life. Complimented by sumptuous hors d'oeuvres, mocktails, and cocktails, attendees will explore the Cathedral throughout the evening and discover opportunities to interact with stone carving and artistic experiences, before gathering together to recognize the incredible honorees: The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde and Dr. Elizabeth Alexander. Click here to learn more and to buy tickets.

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 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Girolamo Frescobaldi was born in Ferrara, Italy. Contemporary accounts describe him as a child prodigy who gained prominence as a performer and patronage of important noblemen. Composers who visited Ferrara during his youth included numerous important masters such as Claudio Monteverdi, John Dowland, Orlande de Lassus, Claudio Merulo, and Carlo Gesualdo. Frescobaldi established himself in Rome as early as 1604 and, by 1608, had been named organist of Saint Peter’s Basilica. He is recognized as the first of the great composers of the ancient Franco-Netherlandish-Italian tradition who chose to focus his creative energy on instrumental composition. Keyboard music occupies the most important position in Frescobaldi’s extant works, many of which were unusually virtuosic for their time and were noted for their stylistic daring. Frescobaldi’s work was known to, and influenced, numerous major composers in Italy as well as such persons as Johann Jakob Froberger, Henry Purcell, Johann Pachelbel, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Sunday’s prelude, the fifth Toccata from Frescobaldi’s second collection, issued in 1637, is in the manner of an improvisation over a succession of long pedal points beginning on G and progressing to C, F, A, and finally D, which undergird the dominant harmony and resolves to an ending in G-major.

The musical setting of the Mass this Sunday is Missa “In illo tempore” by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). Claudio Monteverdi, the great Italian madrigalist, was one of the most important composers to flourish at the juncture of European Renaissance music and the emergence of the Baroque musical art. He was one of the legendary musicians to have directed music at San Marco, Venice, and later in his life was ordained a priest. Considered a founder of opera as we know it today with his L’Orfeo (1609), his Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610 may well have provided model and inspiration for the great Passions and oratorios of the later Baroque composers—notably Bach and Handel—which would also stand as monumental pillars of sacred music even to our own day. Monteverdi’s Mass “In illo tempore” (In that time) is scored for four voices throughout. It is a parody Mass with themes drawn from the like-named motet of the Spanish-born composer Cristóbal Morales (c.1500–1553).  Morales’ motet’s sets the text of John 16:16–19 in which Jesus speaks to his disciples of his going to the Father. 

In the collect appointed for the Fifth Sunday of Easter we pray to “so perfectly know Jesus to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life.” The beloved English priest and poet George Herbert (1593–1633) offered his reflection and prayer to Jesus as the way, truth, and life (John 14:6) in “The Call” (The Temple, 1633). Herbert’s three-stanza poem points toward “love,” its final word, and Jesus’ new commandment which Saint John’s Gospel quotes at chapter 13, verse 34. Herbert’s prayer/poem has inspired many musical settings. One of the most well-known is from Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), which has been distilled into many modern hymnals (see 487 in The Hymnal 1982). The setting of Herbert’s “The Call,” sung during Communion, is by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. This setting for four-part choir was commissioned in honor of the Reverend Dr. William Greenlaw and Mrs. Jane Greenlaw in 2008, shortly before Father Greenlaw’s retirement as rector of Holy Apostles Church, Chelsea, Manhattan.

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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.