FROM FATHER MORRIS: ON SAINT MARY MAGDALEN

St. Mary Magdalen is a favorite saint among Anglicans. She is said to have been among the first missionaries to arrive in Britain. Both Oxford and Cambridge Universities commemorate her with their ancient and very prestigious (and rich!) Magdalene Colleges. Among the Orthodox, she is commonly known as “the myrrhbearer” (because she went to Christ’s tomb with myrrh to embalm his hastily entombed body), as well as the “equal of the apostles” (because of her missionary work) or even the apostle-to-the-apostles (because she was the witness of the Resurrection who told the apostles themselves, “Christ is risen!”). Margery Kempe, the English mystic, stressed how important devotion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Mary Magdalen is, since each was a “first witness” of the Resurrection. (Syrian copies of the New Testament often conflated which Mary met Christ at the tomb.) Even in the fifteenth century, the English translation of the vastly influential Golden Legend exalts Mary as she “to whom Jesus Christ appeared first after his resurrection, and was fellow to the apostles, and made [by] our Lord apostolesse of the apostles.” (Yes, over five hundred years ago, the English language had a feminine form of “apostle.”)[i]

A variety of early Christian texts demonstrate the importance of St. Mary Magdalen in early Church life. Hippolytus identifies her as the beloved Bride in the Song of Songs—the Bride’s search for her Beloved was analogous to St. Mary’s search for Christ at the tomb. She and the Blessed Virgin were often both referred to as “the Second Eve” by St. Augustine and St. Gregory of Nyssa, among others—her fidelity and devotion to Christ set right what Eve did wrong in Eden, just as the Blessed Virgin’s consent to bear God the Word set right Eve’s refusal to cooperate with God.[ii]

Ideas about the Blessed Virgin and St. Mary Magdalen shaped and influenced each other. Not only were both identified as the Bride in the Song of Songs and as the Second Eve, they each brought new Life into the world—the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation and Nativity of Christ, St. Mary Magdalen by announcing the Resurrection to the apostles and to the world. One was a sinless virgin, the other a holy sinner (i.e. a member of the fallen human race, not necessarily a prostitute). Franciscan preaching emphasized these roles and identities, even referring to St. Mary Magdalen as “the Beloved disciple” and the saint most laypeople found it most easy to identify with. St. Mary Magdalen was even popularly identified as a virgin mother because so many orphanages were dedicated to her and the orphans were seen as her spiritual children.[iii]

All this is more than simply interesting historical or theological trivia. We see how St. Mary Magdalen is still so important to us—she is our patron, who shows us how we can find our place in the history and story of salvation. We encounter Christ and share that Good News with others. We are each personally the Beloved of Christ. We give all that we are to Christ in response to his giving himself to us. In our own lives, in our own small ways, we can overcome the Fall and our tendency to sin by repenting and starting over again—every day, every hour.

Pray for us, O holy apostle-to-the-apostles! Help us to become all that Jesus created each of us to be. — SM

Saint Mary Magdalen’s feast day is on Wednesday, July 22, and she will be commemorated that day at both the 12:10 PM and 6:00 PM Masses.

PARISH PRAYERS

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

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Heath, Kofi, Kay, Blaise, Jon, Bob, Riccardo, Heather, Jeff, Derick, Phil, Laura, Sue, Emilie, Sharon, Monique, Cassius, Lisa, Ruth Ann, Rosemary, Holly, Becky, Bill, Grady, Chris, Violet, Pat, Allen, Giovanna, Ronald, Jose, Ben, Russell, Robert, Sandy, Desarae, David, Tony, Jan, Carlos, Quincy, Leroy, and Margaret; James, Victoria, and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and John, James, 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 July 12: Emilie Bromberg (1926), James Wallace (1953), and Richard Rodney Kirk, priest (2001).

AROUND THE PARISH

The Rev. Elis Lui — Mother Elis begins her curacy on Wednesday, July 15, and her first Sunday at the parish will be July 19. See an article from Fr. Sammy announcing her curacy in last week’s issue and look for an article from Mother Elis next week. Make sure to come to Coffee Hour on July 19 and welcome her to Saint Mary’s!

Livestreamers needed — We are looking for additional volunteers to help us livestream Solemn Mass on Sundays. Typically, sixty to one hundred people join us live online on Sundays and then hundreds usually watch the recorded videos afterwards. Our hope is to build out the team so that volunteers would be scheduled to stream about once a month. Our current streamers are Mr. Blair Burroughs and Mr. Steven Eldredge. If you are interested, please speak with one of them, or Fr. Matt, for more details. It isn’t hard to learn!

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

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 next Drop-by day will be Friday, July 17.

Rosary Guild — The Rosary Guild next meets on Sunday, July 26, the fourth Sunday of the month. Following the 11:00 AM Mass, after stopping by Coffee Hour briefly, the guild will gather in the Lady Chapel to prayer the rosary. All are welcome including those who are curious, but have never prayed the rosary before!

Summer Vacation — Fr. Sammy leaves for vacation this Monday, July 13, and returns to the office on Tuesday, July 21.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Nominations for Diocesan Offices — The nomination process for elected diocesan offices is now open (click here). At Diocesan Convention in November, we will hold elections for 23 open positions, including both clergy and lay roles. We encourage you to think and pray about which folks in your community you would like to nominate for these positions. You can even nominate yourself! We cannot do this discernment alone; we need your help to identify our future leaders. Please review the website to learn more. The deadline to submit a nomination is July 17.

Education for Ministry (EfM) Open House Zoom — On Tuesday, July 21, at 6:00 PM and again at 7:00 PM, diocesan coordinator Liza Page Nelson will make a presentation about the EfM program with time for Q&A and conversation. This is for people considering or curious about the EfM formation program for themselves and/or their parish communities. Lay and clergy people, formation leaders, current and future EfM participants and mentors, and alums wanting a refresh, are all welcome to join. Registration is required (click here).

Vocations Day: Listening Hearts Retreat — On Saturday, September 26, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Saint Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, the Diocese will offer 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 Canon for Lay & Clergy Formation, the Archdeacon for Diaconal Formation 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. Lunch will be served. Registration is required (click here).

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is taken from Missa della Battaglia of Giovanni Francesco Anerio (1567-1630). Anerio was born in Rome. Of his many distinguished musical relatives, his elder brother Felice succeeded Palestrina as composer to the Papal Chapel. Both brothers began their musical careers as choristers under Palestrina at Saint Peter’s. Giovanni’s career took him successively to musical directorships at Saint John Lateran, Santo Spirito in Saxia, Verona Cathedral, and Santa Maria dei Monti where he was ordained priest in 1616 after several years in minor orders. His last appointment was in Poland as Maestro di Capella at the Court of Sigismund III. Anerio’s many compositions include Masses, motets and collections of psalms, antiphons, and litanies. His editing of works of Palestrina includes a four-voice reduction of the latter’s Missa Papae Marcelli. Anerio’s Missa della Battaglia, dated 1608, is in a style more characteristic of baroque harmony than renaissance polyphony. It features parlando technique with much of the text recited in expressive rhythmic unison. 

The motet sung during the administration of Communion is Christus factus est by Felice Anerio (1560–1614). Felice Anerio, Giovanni Francesco’s elder brother, spent his entire life in Rome. In 1594 he succeeded Palestrina as composer to the Papal Chapel, the most prominent post for a composer in Rome. In 1607 he was ordained to the priesthood. Although he composed secular vocal music, no instrumental works survive, and although his career overlapped the baroque era, his choral music closely reflected the renaissance aesthetic of Palestrina. His motet Christus factus est is a setting of Philippians 2:8-9, a scripture passage very often sung during Holy Week.

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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.

[i] “Creating the Myth of Mary Magdalen,” by Philip Jenkins (www.Patheos.com on July 21, 2022). Available at Creating The Myth Of Mary Magdalene | Philip Jenkins
[ii] “Apostle to the Apostles: Mary Magdalene,” by Keith Giles (www.Patheos.com on November 20, 2024). Available at Apostle To The Apostles: Mary Magdalene | Keith Giles
[iii] Katherine L. Jansen, The Making of the Magdalen: Preaching and Popular Devotion in the Later Middle Ages. (Princton University Press, 2001).