FROM THE RECTOR: EDGAR FISHER WELLS, JR., priest, MARCH 26, 1930–JUNE 7, 2020

I met Father Edgar Wells in the fall of 1980, at the beginning of my first year at Nashotah House Seminary. Father Wells was a member of the seminary board of trustees. The priest who sent me to seminary had been Father Wells’ seminarian when he studied at Nashotah House. Somewhere in the rectory, there is copy of an issue of Ave, Saint Mary’s newsletter before the advent of the digital age, which Father Wells sent me when he returned home. He inscribed it with a note that went something like, “Dear Stephen, Please come and visit St. Mary’s when you are in New York.” In the end, that visit never took place. I did not see Father Wells again until I came to New York to be interviewed by the board and also the bishop of New York to be considered for the position of rector. Father Wells invited me to come to his apartment for breakfast—pancakes, bacon, juice, and coffee. He was very gracious and honest about the work he saw ahead for the next rector.

EDGAR FISHER WELLS, JR., priest, MARCH 26, 1930–JUNE 7, 2020

This morning, Trinity Sunday, the eighth rector of Saint Mary’s died at home under the care of hospice. He has not been well. His ninetieth birthday was in March. His mortal body is now at rest, and he is with the Lord he served selflessly, faithfully, and loyally as a priest of the Episcopal Church. His cousin Robin Clifford called me this morning not long before the Sung Mass. I announced this before the Eucharist began. For the first time, his name in the prayers was not the last, that is, the most senior, of the priests who are on parish prayer list. Many years ago, he planned for the Burial of the Dead to be celebrated at Saint Mary’s, which we will do at some appropriate point in the future. Then his ashes interred will be with those of his parents at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. In the meantime, his ashes will rest at Saint Mary’s. I will write more about Father Wells next week. Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon him. —Stephen Gerth

FROM THE RECTOR: DECISIONS

The bishop of New York has decided that public worship may resume for congregations that choose to reopen and, are prepared properly to be open, on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. I invite you to read Bishop Andrew Dietsche’s letter at this link on the diocesan website. I hope very much our parish will be ready on July 1 to open our doors for public worship and, I hope, also for some part of the day for people who want to rest and pray.

FROM THE RECTOR: WEEK ELEVEN

Sunday, May 24, marks the beginning of the eleventh week that Saint Mary’s has been closed for public worship. We closed one day before the bishop of New York announced a suspension of services for all of the congregations of our diocese on Monday, May 16. On Ascension Day, May 21, I walked by the Roman Catholic Church of Our Saviour at the corner of Park Avenue and 38th Street. The church was open for private prayer. I took off my hat and went in. There may have been ten people in the church praying. I stayed long enough to say a prayer for my Roman Catholic grandparents and the other deceased relatives in my father’s family whom I had known pretty well growing up. I took a picture of the sign posted by the open front doors. On Friday, May 22, a colleague shared a copy of the Archdiocese of New York plan to be eligible in New York State’s Phase 2 for reopening. It’s called, Faith Forward—at this link you can find an “Executive Summary” and “Guidelines for Sacramental Celebrations.”

FROM THE RECTOR: WONDER IF

I grew up with the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). I got my own first KJV from my maternal grandmother for Christmas 1961. She died on January 4, 1962. I turned eight in February. Her oldest child, the Reverend Dr. Lawrence Matthews, is a retired minister. I am oldest too. Sometimes I think that it was really she, and not the suffragan bishops of Chicago (diaconate) and Dallas (priesthood), who ordained me. I still have that bible.

FROM THE RECTOR: LATER, OUR FRIEND

On Sunday, May 10, Father Jim Pace will be celebrant and preacher for the live-stream Sung Mass at 10:00 AM and officiant for the live-stream Evening Prayer and Sung Benediction at 5:00 PM. The moving van has taken away the furniture and furnishings that are going to his home in Georgia. On Friday morning, May 15, he will be celebrant and preacher for the 10:00 AM Eucharist. That afternoon he will leave for Georgia to take up his new position on June 1 as dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Valdosta State University. I know I speak for many when I say he will be greatly missed as a priest, a teacher, a pastor, and, for many, a great friend.

FROM THE RECTOR: CLOSED UNTIL JULY

When Mass was over this morning, Friday, May 1, 2020, and I checked my phone, my heart sank when I saw the subject line of an e-mail from the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It read, “Suspension of Public Worship Extended to July 1.” You can read the statement from Bishop Andrew Dietsche using this link to the diocesan website. I assumed that there would be an extension beyond May 17. I was hoping that, for now, the next extension would only be until the end of this month. Though there are good signs that COVID-19 is slowly receding, great economic hardship for tens of millions of people is on the rise. Finding a balance between these two imperatives has not been easy.

FROM THE RECTOR: TRYING TO LOOK AHEAD

Saint Mary’s board of trustees has been meeting for about thirty minutes via Zoom every Thursday morning since March 26. That was the day of our regularly scheduled monthly meeting. It was a good and helpful meeting, and so we realized then that it would be important, and useful, for us to meet somewhat more frequently, if somewhat less formally, during this time in order to stay in touch with each other about the parish community and what we’re doing while we are closed for public worship.

FROM THE RECTOR: EASTER GRACES

Our twice-daily worship in the Lady Chapel has brought new attention for the resident clergy and friars to the beauty of its design and rich decoration. Former parishioner Nicholas Krasno, in his A Guide to the Church of St. Mary the Virgin New York City (1999), wrote, “The most important single artistic feature of St. Mary’s is the Lady Chapel (to the right of the high altar), a sumptuous beaux-arts interior with excellent fittings . . . The Lady Chapel is one of the most complete and finest examples of the ‘American Renaissance’ in New York . . . It is complete, perhaps, because it was the conception, and almost entirely the gift, of one remarkable man, Haley Fiske” (page 37). Concerning its present condition, he wrote, “Nor have the years or the elements been too kind to [the muralist and parishioner Elliot Daingerfield’s (1859–1932]] work—The Epiphany is damaged by damp, but being painted on canvas can one day be restored. Fortunately, unlike so many other neglected works by his contemporaries, Daingerfield’s Lady Chapel has been preserved for our more appreciative age: damaged maybe, but intact” (pages 44–47).

FROM THE RECTOR: EASTER 2020

I write on the afternoon of Easter Eve. I’m very thankful that we resident clergy and friars have maintained the Daily Mass and Daily Evening Prayer. We are all taking on work as it comes and adapting as we can. All of us are grateful for the witness of our live-streamed services and the spiritual connection made for an enlarging parish community. We were so honored by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s offer to videotape a sermon for Maundy Thursday for us since he could not be with us as celebrant and preacher. If you haven’t had a chance to view the video, it’s less than fourteen minutes in length. I commend it to you.

FROM THE RECTOR: HOLY WEEK 2020

As I write on Friday afternoon, Father Jay Smith and I have talked through the services for Holy Week and Easter Day in some detail. The resident priests and friars are still healthy. Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue has given us a box of quick-light charcoal—Br. Damien Joseph will be thurifer when needed. All of us can sing. We will do everything that is essential and try to include what is traditional without overwhelming our congregation of five. The daily worship at Saint Mary’s continues.

FROM THE RECTOR: GOING FORWARD

Many readers will know that the resident priests and friars have been maintaining the daily Eucharist and daily Evening Prayer since our doors closed. With the knowledge and help of Br. Damien Joseph, since Tuesday, March 17, we’ve been recording and livestreaming the daily Mass on Facebook using an iPhone. Beginning this Sunday, March 29, the Sunday Mass will also be at 10:00 AM. On Sundays and feast days, we are also recording our Eucharists as videos so that they can be viewed later on our own website—again, with great thanks to Br. Damien. We are preparing for Holy Week and Easter Day. But before I share our thinking, I want to tell you of the concern and work of Saint Mary’s board of trustees.

FROM THE RECTOR: AN UNUSUAL TIME

As I write on Friday evening March 20, we have learned that the governor of New York State has issued Executive Order 202.6, which we interpret to mean that our parish administrator, bookkeeper, and our sextons will no longer be able to come to work for the foreseeable future. Chris, Jay, and I have spent part of the last hour talking about what we need to know and what needs to be done—and what can be done—in their absence. Those of us who live here know when the garbage needs to be put out. I’m good about turning the heat on and off. We know how to sweep, but the sidewalks may not need sweeping or washing quite as frequently in the coming days. We know where the light switches and the fuse boxes are. More will be revealed. We will use every means at our disposal to stay in touch. We will continue to live and pray faithfully and responsibly during this plague that has already affected so many throughout the world.

FROM THE RECTOR: TEMPLATE DAYS

This morning, Friday, March 13, Father Jay Smith and I had a conference call with the Reverend Dr. James Conlin Pace. He was at his desk at the NYU Rory Meyers School of Nursing—he told us that he was alone on his floor for a number of reasons, all related to the current health crisis. I learned from Father Pace that, unfortunately, the COVID-19 virus becomes highly concentrated in the “oropharyngeal” region of an infected person. Jay knew the word; I did not. Basically, “oropharyngeal” means the throat—the pharynx is the cavity that connects the nose and the mouth to the esophagus. We also learned from Jim that the corona virus is also found in high concentrations in the stool of infected persons. These features of the virus are definitely worrying. They explain why contagion seems to occur fairly easily with this virus, and why the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are recommending such stringent sanitary practices. Given the risk of contagion, it becomes ever clearer that, if you are not entirely sure that you are well, you should stay home and seek expert medical advice.

FROM THE RECTOR: HOLY COMMUNION AND COVID-19

In 2010, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was celebrant and preacher here for the Feast of the Annunciation. After Mass she greeted the congregation at the door and spent a very generous amount of time in the parish hall. At one point, I sensed that the time had come for her to sit down. She and I walked to the rectory, and she followed me into the kitchen. We kept talking, but as I began to wash my hands, she did the same thing. It was a moment I remember. Both of us have served in a profession in which we shake many people’s hands. On more than one occasion, I’ve spoken to someone who’s taken my hand while telling me that they are sick. I suspect I’ve caught a cold more than once from such encounters over the years. In New York City, we worship, work, and travel in crowded spaces. Not everybody takes the same precautions or thinks clearly about these issues, and, so, it makes sense to take preventive measures.

FROM THE RECTOR: LOOKING AHEAD

The doors of Saint Mary’s opened at 7:00 AM on Ash Wednesday. People were still coming in when they were closed at 8:00 PM. I want to thank all of our parish volunteers and staff for doing so much and for doing it with a real joy in our ministry of welcome. The Right Reverend Allen K. Shin, bishop suffragan (and former assisting priest and curate here), was celebrant and preacher for the 12:10 Sung Mass. Bishop Shin will be back with us as celebrant and preacher for the Solemn Mass on Wednesday evening, March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.

FROM THE RECTOR: LENT BEGINS THIS WEEK

Until I became rector of Saint Mary’s on February 1, 1999, I didn’t give very much thought to Ash Wednesday other than it being the first day of the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday in New York City, February 17, 1999, was overwhelming. In 2000, we were prepared for the onslaught. In the city, more people come through the doors of churches on the first day of Lent to receive the imposition of ashes than present themselves for Christmas or Easter—or any other day of the year.

FROM THE RECTOR: AT LAST

The New York City Department of Buildings issued a work permit for the conservation of the West 46th Street façade of the church on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. Weekly meetings with our contractor, Milan Restorations; our architects, Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, Inc. (JHP); and the members of the parish team—trustees MaryJane Boland and Clark Mitchell, office manager Chris Howatt, and myself—resumed last Thursday, February 6. These meetings will take place weekly, with few exceptions, until the project is completed in the spring of 2021.

FROM THE RECTOR: THANK YOU 

In the December 2019 Christmas offering letter, I wrote to members and friends of the parish asking for a special gift to help us to continue to restore the four sets of tambour doors between the church and Saint Joseph’s Hall. (A tambour door, Wikipedia tells us, “is a sliding door made of slats which roll up as the door is opened upwards or sideways,” rather like a rolltop desk.) Three of these doors open into the church. The fourth is the door to a cabinet that houses a collection of non-precious metal crosses. Last fall, Vince Lepre, the founder of Fifty Three Restorations, Inc., and his team began working on one set of doors. His team was able to restore one-half of one of the doors to good working order. The team also figured out how the doors had been designed and how, eventually, they had failed. It is likely that the design is unique to Saint Mary’s. At Christmas, $18,666.73 was given was given for the work, and I am very grateful for the generosity of our donors.

FROM THE RECTOR: PRESENTATION

As I begin to write on Friday, January 31, I am very aware that today I complete twenty-one years of service as rector of Saint Mary’s. On Sunday, January 10, 1999, I officiated for the last time as rector of Trinity Church, Michigan City, Indiana. The service was Solemn Evensong & Benediction. There was a wonderful parish supper in the large parish hall afterwards. The movers had already taken my things out of Trinity’s rectory. I spent my last weekend in Michigan City with very dear friends. On Monday morning, I began the drive to the east. On the way, there was snow. I spent the night in Pennsylvania. On Tuesday morning I reached Saint Mary’s. There was snow on the ground here, but there was also sunshine. I had a couple of weeks to settle in. I became rector on February 1.