FROM DR. DAVID HURD AND FR. MATT JACOBSON: ENRICHMENT OF OUR SUMMER MUSIC!

In many past years, the season of choral music at Solemn Mass has extended from October through the program year ending at Corpus Christi. In the intervening weeks, single cantors have sung the chant propers, provided leadership for the congregational singing, and sung sacred solos during communion. This summer, however, at the urging of the clergy and with the generous support of several members of the congregation, choral Masses and motets, in addition to the proper chants, will be sung at Sunday Solemn Masses each week by vocal quartets. We hope that this expansion of Sunday morning choral music will be a welcome enrichment for all who worship at Saint Mary’s this summer. — DH

As Dr. Hurd notes, the idea for this summer music initiative began in discussions that Fr. Wood and I were having as we were nearing the end of the program year and thinking about the summer. While the time between Corpus Christi and Michaelmas is often seen as a “summer season,” there is of course no such thing in the liturgical calendar. This period does mark the time between our program years, when we scale back somewhat to allow us all to recharge our batteries. Nevertheless, “all Sundays of the year are feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ” (BCP, p. 16), and so we need to find an appropriate balance for our principal gathering each week as a community, the 11:00 AM Sunday Solemn Mass.

From my perspective, the strength of our music program and the importance of its contribution to our worship at Solemn Mass cannot be overstated. Since many people find Saint Mary’s and worship with us for the first time over the summer, this more robust musical offering, we hope, will help newcomers to experience something closer to what draws all of us back to Saint Mary’s week after week throughout the program year. In other words, this initiative is very much consistent with our desire to continue to grow as a parish. It isn’t, however, that alone. It is also being done for the spiritual benefit of all of us who are already worshipping regularly at Saint Mary’s!

I am very grateful for the generosity of the financial donors who are making this possible. This financial support is essential to avoid impacting our carefully planned 2026 budget. I am also very grateful to Dr. Hurd and the members of the Choir who will be putting in the work to make it all happen. In addition to Dr. Hurd, I have spoken with several members of the Choir who were also enthusiastic about the plan. The parish has been showing great signs of positive momentum over the last few years. Let’s keep it going over the summer! — MJ

Our first summer Sunday with a quartet is this week and we begin with Missa Praeparate corda vestra by Stefano Bernardi (c.1577–1637) as our Mass setting. The motet during Holy Communion will be O Sacrum convivium by Giovanni Croce (c.1557–1609). See further down in this issue for additional details about the music planned for the Third Sunday after Pentecost.

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for our sister parish, the Church of All Saints’, Margaret Street, London, and for the Church of the Province of South East Asia in the Anglican cycle of prayer.

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

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for John, Bob, Nathaniel, Riccardo, Heather, Maria, Elise, Jeff, Sara, Joe, Derick, Harley, John, Malany, Jim, Phil, Laura, Marley, 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, Bob, and Robert; James, Victoria, and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and Luigi, John, James, Beth, Jay, and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially Louis, and for those whose year’s mind is on June 14: Robert Hiddle Wishart (1878), Hugh Agnent McKeon (1890), Monika Steckler (1897), Charles Bourguignon (1902), Harry Lowery (1913), Arthur Francis Campbell (1944), and Viola Lee Parks (1964).

IN THIS TRANSITORY LIFE

We were sorry to learn of the recent death of Louis Keith Nelson (May 9, 1941 – May 19, 2026). Louis graduated from the University of Texas where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He went on to work in the theater, notably for Jos Papp at the Public Theater, and studied ballet at the Joffrey School. He became a successful businessman and a proud fireman for the Cherry Grove community he loved so much. He enjoyed learning languages, was an artist, a musician, and an excellent fisherman. Louis is survived by his husband of thirty years, Daniel Hanratty; siblings Michael, Jessica, and Erik; and nephews and nieces Rodney, Steven, Christa, Sonny, Emily, Evan, and Elise. He is predeceased by his parents Edna and Louis V. Nelson and sisters Rebecca, Gretchen, and Jennifer. A Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul will be offered at Saint Mary’s this Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM in the Lady Chapel. All are welcome. Please keep Louis and all who mourn his death in your prayers.

AROUND THE PARISH

Cookies are a Call to Community — During the summer months, we simplify Coffee Hour a bit to “Cookies and Lemonade,” though there will still be coffee too. We are looking for donors to help support this ministry. Please let Fr. Wood know if you would like to donate (or financially sponsor) the cookies and lemonade for a summer Sunday and check out this Substack post he’s shared entitled “Cookies are a call to community.”

Rosary Guild — The Rosary Guild will meet on Sunday, June 28, after the 11:00 AM Mass. Stop by Coffee Hour for a bit and then join them in the Lady Chapel to pray the rosary. All are welcome.

Young Saint Marians Picnic — Pack your favorite picnic blanket and join us for an afternoon in the sun! The Young Saint Marians will be having a casual afternoon picnic on Sunday, June 28. We plan to meet in the Lady Chapel immediately following the Rosary Guild after the 11:00 AM Mass and walk down to Bryant Park together, weather permitting.  Don't forget to bring your bagged lunch! Feel free to email youngstmarians@gmail.com with any questions.

Flower Donor Needed for the Assumption — The flower guild is taking a well-deserved holiday for much of the summer, but we are looking for a donor for the flowers on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Note that the Assumption falls on a Saturday this year, and so our principal celebration of this important Marian feast will be a Solemn Mass on the Eve of the Assumption, Friday, August 14. Other dates are also available for flower donations later in 2026. Please contact Brendon Hunter to reserve a date and have the dedication for your flower donation appear in the bulletin. The suggested donation is $250.

Dr. Hurd’s Concert Opera — The concert opera Great Awakenings: John Henry Hobart and America, composed by our music director Dr. David Hurd, recently made its debut at Trinity Wall Street, and a recording can be viewed here. Dr. Hurd discusses the project beginning around minute 27, and the opera follows. An article on the debut was published in The Living Church, and the project was also discussed in a recent podcast. Congratulations, David!

Neighbors in Need: What do we need? — We always need practical shoes in all adult sizes. We need jeans, especially in men’s sizes 32-36—but also women's sizes and pants other than jeans. And, as you may be thinking of a new winter coat, we would love to have your old coat! 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.

Pride Evensongs around the Diocese — The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine will host a Pride Evensong service on Sunday, June 21, at 4:00 PM, featuring LGBTQIA+ composers and performance by the Cathedral Community Choir. The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields has been holding Pride Evensongs since the 1990s and theirs will also be on Sunday, June 21, at 4:00 PM. The Reverend Brenden F. Nee, Associate Rector at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity, Brooklyn, will be the guest preacher at Saint Luke’s.

Cocktail gathering for Episcopal Charities’ feeding programs — In celebration of their work and partnerships with food access programs and local farmers, join Episcopal Charities for a cocktail gathering on Wednesday, June 24, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, at Inside Park at St. Bart’s (325 Park Avenue). Learn about Episcopal Charities’ feeding programs and partnerships with nearly 50 food access programs across the 10 counties. Tickets for this celebration are $125 each and can be purchased online via GiveSmart. For $250, you can purchase a ticket for yourself and sponsor a ticket for one of the program partners. If you can’t attend, you can also make a donation to Episcopal Charities and support their work.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The setting of the Mass on Sunday is by Stefano Bernardi (c.1577–1637). Bernardi, musician and priest, was maestro di cappella at the cathedral in Verona, the city of his birth, from 1611 to 1622.  In 1624 became director of court music for Paris von Lodron, Prince-Bishop of Salzburg, where he remained for the next ten years and was active in the musical life of Salzburg Cathedral. Notably Bernardi composed a Te Deum for twelve choirs, unfortunately now lost, for the Cathedral’s consecration in 1628. During his Salzburg years Bernardi was ordained to the priesthood and also received a doctorate in canon and civil law. Bernardi was one of the significant Italian composers standing at the juncture of late Renaissance polyphonic and early Baroque concertato styles. His Missa Praeparate corda vestra takes its inspiration from a responsory which, translated, begins “Prepare your hearts for the Lord and serve Him only” (1 Samuel 7:3). The Mass is compact in its construction and is scored for four voices. Each movement begins with a recognizable common melodic phrase derived from the source motet. 

The communion Motet is a four-voice setting of O Sacrum convivium by priest and musician Giovanni Croce (c.1557–1609). Croce, though overshadowed in historic reflection by certain other Venice-centered composers of the late Renaissance, was well known in his time for his madrigals and secular compositions as well as his extensive output of church music. Croce sang as a boy chorister under Gioseffo Zarlino (1517–1590) at Saint Mark’s, Venice, eventually succeeding Zarlino as maestro di cappella there. He remained in that position until his death in 1609, four years before it went to Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). The text O sacrum convivium, often attributed to the theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), found a home in the Roman liturgical cycle as the antiphon for Magnificat at second Vespers of Corpus Christi, but is also very much at home in any Eucharistic celebration. It has been set in Latin, as well as in vernacular translations, by distinguished composers of every generation. Croce’s setting of O sacrum convivium is in a conservative style with graceful falling melodic lines and close imitation between the voices.

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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.