FROM THE RECTOR: ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,
and let light perpetual shine upon them.

In 1971, German artist Fritz Koenig cast the monumental bronze sculpture that would come to be called “the Sphere.” It stood between the twin towers of the World Trade Center from 1972 until the September 11 attacks, twenty-five years ago today. Originally dedicated to “world peace through trade,” the 20-ton artifact was the largest bronze figure sculpted in the modern era—mounted on a disk, the iconic sphere rotated once on its axis every fifteen minutes as 600 liters per second of water flowed from the Plaza Fountain, making the sculpture appear to rise from the water itself. On 9/11, the towers collapsed onto the Sphere, burying it in debris, but workers recovered it. “[T]wisted by forces that destroyed nearly everything around it . . . somehow it survived,” writes tour guide Christina Ray Stanton in Common Good. One of the few physical objects pulled largely intact from the wreckage, it no longer gleams as it did, but it stands today—dented, pierced, torn, but perhaps even more beautiful for the damage it suffered—in Liberty Park as an emblem of resilience, survival, and endurance.

So much is different after a quarter century—changes to our City, the world, to each one of us who remembers that day. Some 100 million Americans are too young to remember the events of that day at all. Yet Saint Mary’s remembers again on this anniversary as we gather to pray for the repose of the souls who died in the 9/11 attacks in New York City, Washington, DC, and Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania.

This is part of what I love about being an Anglo-Catholic. I was raised in a tradition that did not pray for the dead—absent biblical warrant, it was argued, the only reason to pray for the dead is mere superstition. But a case can be made from passages like 2 Tim. 1.16-18 (Saint Paul prays for “the house of Onesiphorus,” and for Onesiphorus himself to find mercy “on that day,” which interpreters read to mean Onesiphorus had died). A clear case is in the Apocrypha, specifically 2 Maccabees 12.40-46 (Judas sent silver to Jerusalem as an offering because he believed in the resurrection of the dead, for “if he had not believed that the dead would be raised, it would have been foolish and useless to pray for them.”) Our liturgy provides prayers for the departed, beseeching God “to grant them continual growth in thy love and service.” And tradition validates the practice, as Tertullian noted: “If you look in Scripture for a formal law governing these and similar practices, you will find none. It is tradition that justifies them, custom that confirms them, and faith that observes them.”

Saint Mary’s continues that tradition this September 11. Our church is open for prayer all day. We celebrated a Requiem Mass at 12:10 PM in the Lady Chapel. The Guild of All Souls also gathers monthly (typically on the third Saturday, our next meeting is September 19) to pray for the souls of the departed. In this way we “remember” those we have lost, even as their absence remains felt. Czech priest and philosopher Tomáš Halík put it this way:

The concept of God as unquenchable memory, preserving the truth of past things, has helped me cope with one particularly burdensome feature of the pain from loss of one’s kith and kin, namely, the thought that with them them a bit of my life, our joint memory, departs into the ineffable. . . . “To love someone, is to tell them: ‘You will not die,’” the phrase of Gabriel Marcel’s . . . To forget a person we have loved, whether they have died or are still alive, is to let them die. . . . Remembering the deceased person in prayer means finding that person in God and presenting oneself with them in immutable peace; it means knowing that the portion of life that we experienced together is now in eternity, in unceasing memory.

As the Sphere stands in Liberty Park as an unceasing memory of the events of that awful day, so our prayers rise to God’s presence in unceasing memory of all the faithful departed. And even if you cannot stop in the church on 9/11 or gather for the next monthly Requiem, we can all pray in words written by the Rt. Rev. Alan Shin, Bishop and son of this parish:

Gracious and merciful God,
on this twenty-fifth anniversary of September 11,
we remember before you
those whose lives were taken,
those who sacrificed themselves in service,
and all whose lives were forever changed.
Receive the departed into your eternal embrace
and comfort those who still carry
the wounds of grief, loss, and trauma.
We give you thanks
for the courage and compassion
that arose amid devastation,
when strangers became neighbors
and fear was met with love.
Turn our hearts toward the work you have given us:
to confront hatred,
resist violence,
welcome the stranger,
seek justice,
and make peace.
By your Holy Spirit,
renew your Church
and awaken us to our baptismal calling
to seek Christ in every person
and respect the dignity of every human being.
May our memory become moral courage,
our grief become compassion,
and our hope become action.
Make us instruments of your peace,
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

Amen. — SW

PARISH PRAYERS

We pray for our sister parish, the Church of All Saints’, Margaret Street, London, and for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, in the Anglican cycle of prayer. We pray for those preparing for ordination, especially Elis, deacon.

We pray for those who have asked us for our prayers, for Judy, Theodore, Bobby, Jennifer, Laura, Dorian, Jay, Rita, Courtney, Dennis, Burks, Steven, Blaise, Jon, Jeff, Derick, Phil, Laura, Sue, Emilie, Sharon, Monique, Cassius, Lisa, Ruth Ann, Rosemary, Holly, Becky, Bill, Grady, 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 Tom, Jay, and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially Darryail, and for those whose year’s mind is on September 13: William Scott Widmayer (1898), Jacob Vetter (1917), Matthew Carey (1918), Faith Ralph (1940), Emma Schneider Snyder (1944), and Thomas O'Rourke (2009).

We pray also for Jeremy, André, Richard, Juan, Nicole, Francisco, Joseph, Sean, José, Leonard, Christopher, Paul, David, Daniel, Joseph, Samuel, Michael, John Michael, Edward, Michael, Dennis, Alan, Carl, Charles, Mychal, priest, and all the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

AROUND THE PARISH

Ordination of Mtr. Elis this Saturday — Our curate, Mtr. Elis Lui, was ordained to the diaconate in February and will be ordained to the priesthood this Saturday, September 12, at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. The liturgy begins at 10:30 AM. Fr. Sammy and Fr. Matt will be attending her ordination, and we warmly welcome all Saint Marians to join us. The liturgy will also be livestreamed on the Cathedral’s website and on YouTube. Come to Saint Mary’s on Sunday and get a blessing from the new priest!

Novena for Holy Cross Day — Holy Cross Day falls this coming on Monday, September 14, and the midday Mass will be sung. In preparation, the parish has been praying a novena, nine days of prayer, that began on Saturday, September 5. The prayers and more information about novenas can be found here.

Neighbors in Need: Winter is coming! — It may not feel as if winter is coming, but it is, and we hope to build up our supply of coats and jackets. If you plan to replace your coat this winter, please bring us your old coat now, still in good condition. Our other most needed items are casual clothes: pants and jeans, jackets, tops and shoes—we always need shoes. Men’s clothes are harder to come by than women’s clothes, especially in sizes 32-36. We don’t need professional clothing or children’s clothing. We would also be happy to talk to you about being a volunteer. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information or email neighbors@stmvnyc.org. The next Drop-by day will be Friday, September 18.

WEEKDAY MASS COMMEMORATIONS

Monday, September 14 — Holy Cross Day
Sung Mass in the Lady Chapel at 12:10 PM
Tuesday, September 15 — Catherine of Genoa, Mystic and Nurse, 1510
Wednesday, September 16 — Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, c. 430
Thursday, September 17 — Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, 1179
Friday, September 18 — Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, 1882
Saturday, September 19 — Parish Requiem

Click here for detailed monthly calendars.

MONTHLY LITURGIES AND GATHERINGS

Mass and Fellowship with Saint Stephen’s Young Adults — Mass is offered every Wednesday at 6:00 PM in the Lady Chapel. The Saint Stephen’s Guild of young adults attends on the third Wednesday of each month, followed by fellowship. Join them next on September 16.

Parish Requiem — We offer a monthly Requiem Mass in the Mercy Chapel as part of our chapter of the Guild of All Souls. This Mass is typically celebrated on the third Saturday of the month unless a major feast falls on that day. All are welcome. Our next parish Requiem Mass will be on Saturday, September 19, at 12:10 PM.

Rosary Guild — Our Rosary Guild meets in the Lady Chapel after Solemn Mass (and a brief stop at Coffee Hour) on the fourth Sunday of the month to pray the rosary. All are welcome, including those who are curious, but have never prayed the rosary before! The Rosary Guild next meets on Sunday, September 27.

Evensong & Benediction — During the program year, we offer Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in lieu of Evening Prayer at 4:00 PM on the first Sunday of the month. E&B will next be offered on Sunday, October 4.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Gaia Earth Installation at the Cathedral — In honor of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s passing, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is welcoming Gaia, a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram. Measuring 23 feet in diameter and featuring detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface, this rotating installation will be suspended in the Cathedral nave, offering a three-dimensional view of the planet floating in space. The opening reception will be on Friday, September 18, 6:00–8:00 PM. Click here to register.

Evensong and Benediction with the Archbishop of Canterbury — Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue is honored to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally, who will preach at Solemn Evensong and Benediction. You’re invited to join in for this special occasion and help welcome the Archbishop to New York. Sunday, September 27, 4:00 PM. No registration required.

CONCERTS AND EVENTS

Offerings — Offerings is a monthly performance series dedicated to presenting experimental artists working across a variety of performance disciplines. Each Offerings features three distinct acts on a shared bill, and the next performance will be on Friday, September 18, at 7:00 PM in the parish hall. Please see their website for tickets and additional details.

New York Polyphony — On Saturday, September 19, there will be a New York Polyphony concert at 7:00 PM in the church presented by Gotham Early Music Scene. Please see their website for tickets and additional details.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ON THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is Missa Tertii Toni by Costanzo Porta (c.1529–1601). As an Italian renaissance composer, Porta is generally classified with the Venetian School, of which the Dutch-born Adrian Willaert (c.1490–1562), Porta’s probable teacher, is considered the principal founder. Porta and his fellow Venetian composers were significant in bridging the established polyphonic compositional practice of his time to the newer emerging polychoral art which continued in the work of Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi. Their music embodied stylistic developments which anticipated Baroque musical conventions to come. Porta’s Mass on the third tone, with its relatively jagged melodic lines and chordal passages of text alignment, contains the mixture of renaissance polyphony and baroque homophony which marked the stylistic transition of his time.

The beloved English priest and poet George Herbert (1593–1633) offered his reflection and prayer to Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and Life (John 14) in “The Call” (The Temple, 1633). While the musical setting of Herbert’s prayer-poem for solo voice from Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)—distilled into many modern hymnals, including our own—is probably best known, Herbert’s poem has also inspired a great many fine choral settings. Harold Friedell (1903–1958), composer of the four-voice choral setting to be sung this Sunday during the administration of Communion, was born in Jamaica, Queens. He studied and later taught at The Juilliard School. He served several New York area parishes as organist and choirmaster and was eventually appointed to the sacred music faculty at Union Theological Seminary. From 1946 until his unexpected death, he was organist and choirmaster at Saint Bartholomew’s Church, Park Avenue. Come, my Way is one of the many fine choral anthems written by this distinguished New York composer and church musician.

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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. Mother Elis Lui also assists with editing the newsletter. 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.