FROM FATHER JOHN SHIRLEY: REFLECTING ON SAINT BENEDICT AND THE BENEDICTINES—ORA ET LABORA

When I was eleven years old, I read a book called The Door in the Wall, and in that book, a monk assisted a young boy during the English medieval period. This book captured my imagination and my heart. Oddly, it was not the life and experiences of the boy, Robin, that fascinated me, although from a literary perspective of a short book written for youth, he probably should have; rather, it was Brother Luke, the monk, and his characteristics and rhythms of life that enthralled me. It was then, due to this little book, that I had made up my mind that I wanted to become a monk, and particularly a Benedictine monk. As an aside, I am a child of the Orthodox Church, and while the Eastern Church certainly has monastics, the Benedictine order is not part of the Orthodox tradition; however, I still stubbornly hung onto this desire.

Roughly a year later, I wrote a letter to the closest Benedictine community, Saint Vincent Archabbey, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and within a week, I received a response. Over several years, and well into high school, I had my version of Brother Luke, Father Melnick, to help inform and guide me, and since I was too young and not a Roman Catholic, all I could do was gather information, read profusely, and occasionally visit the abbey. On one occasion, at the age of thirteen, I was invited to meet with the abbot, Archabbot Nowicki, and I admit it, at that point, it was one of the highlights of my life. The beauty of the phrase Ora et Labora (Pray and Work) is in the Benedictine motto, which developed from the rule of life that Saint Benedict established for those who sought to follow in his footsteps, as he himself strove to follow in the footsteps of Christ. The ebb and flow of an intentionally structured life around prayer, work, and study within a community was, and still is, immensely appealing.

Moving ahead several decades to the present, I clearly did not become a Benedictine monk; however, the example of Saint Benedict and The Rule of Saint Benedict, with its emphasis on balance, community, hospitality, and stability, continues to shape and inform my view of and interaction with life as a person and as a priest. I could and would very happily delve into the life and hagiography of Saint Benedict of Nursia, and, similarly, I could expand upon The Rule, which has influenced us as Anglicans/Episcopalians, particularly in our use of Morning and Evening Prayer and our structured use of the Psalms, but this would become less of an article of reflection and more of an academic enterprise. Instead, I invite us to look to the example of Saint Benedict and the rule of life he wrote, as a potential framework for living our lives—lives that value the balance between prayer, work, rest, and relationships. Perhaps a little more influence from Saint Benedict might assist us in a fractious and frenetic world, and maybe that influence can once again be a beacon of hope, hospitality, compassion, and an instrument of God’s Grace, as it always was, in our own time and place. — JS

Father John Shirley is the rector of the Church of the Ascension, Staten Island, and is also an assisting priest at Saint Mary’s. He assists with weekday Masses and will be the preacher at Solemn Mass on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15. Learn more about Father John here. Friday, July 11, is Saint Benedict’s feast day and we commemorated him shortly before going to press at the midday Mass. For anyone interested in learning more about Saint Benedict of Nursia, a good deal of information is available online (including his rule of life) as well as in most libraries.

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 have asked us for our prayers, for Claudia, Norman, Melvin, Vicki, Bella, MaryJane, Valdez, Helen, Fanny, Brendon, Nadia, Christian, Carol, Ken, Dennis, Giovanna, Mary, Yuri, Penny, Priya, Christopher, Wally, Donald, Ronald, Jose, Behnam, Russell, Duncan, Robert, Sandy, Orham, Lexi, Georgia, Desarae, David, Claudia, Nettie, Chrissy, Tony, Sharon, Rick, Jan, June, Carlos, Pat, Liduvina, Quincy, Leroy, Margaret, and Robert; Suzanne Elizabeth and Laura Katherine, religious; Lind, deacon; and Jay and Stephen, priests.

We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, especially Mario, the victims of the floods in Texas, and for those whose year’s mind is on July 13: Florence Lily Laverty (1897) and Bertha Grossman (1931).

FLOODS IN TEXAS

We continue to grieve the loss of so many lives in the floods in Texas on July 4. The stories of tragedy along the Guadalupe are heartbreakingly sad. Father Wood has some connection to the H. E. Butt Foundation and Laity Lodge, two institutions in the Texas Hill country, and they have recommended that any donations go to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has also set up a giving page. Please continue to pray for all those affected, especially when you are at Mass. I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121.1-2)

AROUND THE PARISH

Facilities Update . . . In April we received notice from the Department of Transportation of a complaint regarding our sidewalk, which prompted an inspection. The inspection revealed nearly 700 square feet of sidewalk on both the 46th and 47th Street sides of the building that needed repair. We solicited bids and selected Alam Construction to do the work. The permit is in process and work will commence. soon. We are grateful to a very generous anonymous donor who volunteered to pay the entire cost of the work.

Summer donations for Neighbors in Need . . . Thanks to generous cash donations, we are able to purchase toiletries and underwear for our guests. Our clothing room depends on your gifts of lightly-used clothing. Right now, our biggest needs are shoes (sneakers, sandals and other practical shoes, but not high heels), jeans and khakis. Please speak to MaryJane Boland or Marie Rosseels for more information.

Chris Howatt performs in Hamilton Park . . . If you should happen to find your way to Weehawken’s scenic Hamilton Park on Sunday, July 20, our parish administrator and chorister Chris Howatt will be offering a free performance as part of the Township’s Summer Park series. Chris will be joined by soprano Adara Bryan and music director Mark Janas in a program of current and past Broadway and Pop favorites. The concert begins at 5:30 PM and is free—bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Hamilton Park is located on JFK Boulevard East and Duer Avenue in Weehawken.

Dr. Hurd’s Fantasia at the National Cathedral . . . Dr. David Hurd’s recently composed Fantasia for Brass Quintet, Organ and Timpani was commissioned by Washington National Cathedral and premiered at their July 4th Independence Day Concert. An archived video can be viewed here.

Summer Reading . . . We are excited to announce that Dr. James Como will teach the first block of Adult Formation in the fall, a five-week class on C.S. Lewis. We begin on September 21, though we thought that some might want to use the summer to work through the reading list. Please click here for the reading list and for more details.

Summer cookie donations needed . . . During the summer months, we plan to have lemonade and cookies at Coffee Hour and are looking for cookie donors. Please get in touch with Father Sammy Wood if you are able to help.

THE DIOCESE AND WIDER CHURCH

Companions of the Community at the Crossing . . . The Companions is a new initiative from the Community at the Crossing for over 35-year-olds to deepen spiritual formation and foster intergeneration exchange. Companions commit to the Community's Rule of Life and, with the guidance of leadership, adapt its five pillars to their daily rhythms. This practice draws inspiration from ancient monastic traditions, especially Benedictine life. The program is structured around the first-year members’ program, which is over a duration of 10 months. The dates for the 2025-26 year are September 21, 2025 to May 24, 2026. Click here to learn more or email Sister Hannah Spiers at companions.catc@stjohndivine.org. Father Matt Jacobson is on the advisory board for the Community at the Crossing and is one of the directors of the Companions program. He would also be happy to discuss it with those who are interested.

Presiding Bishop at the Cathedral on Sunday, July 13, at 4:00 PM . . . The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine will welcome the Most Reverend Sean W. Rowe, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, as preacher at a special service of Choral Evensong. Following Evensong, Bishop Rowe will also preside at a brief celebration of Holy Eucharist. Offered in partnership with the Diocesan Committee on LGBT Concerns, this service celebrates the shared commitment of the Presiding Bishop and the Diocese of New York to a Church where LGBTQ+ people are fully welcomed, valued, and included. All are warmly invited. This event will take place in person and via livestream. The video will be available on the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.

Faith in the Public Square Sanctuary: History, Theology, and Mission . . . On Wednesday, July 16, from 7:00-8:30 PM, join the Diocese on Zoom for the final installment in the Faith in the Public Square series to explore critical issues in public and civic live through theological discussion. This session, “Sanctuary: History, Theology, and Mission” will feature a discussion with Dr. Linda Rabben (Associate Research Professor of Anthropology, University of Maryland), Dr. Leo Guardado (Assistant Professor of Theology, Fordham University), and The Rt. Rev. Michael Hunn (Bishop, Diocese of Rio Grande). Click to register and also here for the Zoom link.

Deacon Formation Program (Inquirer's Zoom) . . . On Tuesday, July 22, at 7:00 PM via Zoom, Archdeacon Denise LaVetty will offer an informal talk about the three-year deacon formation curriculum, followed by Q&A. Please email Archdeacon LaVetty at dlavetty@dioceseny.org to register and to receive the Zoom link.

ABOUT THE MUSIC AT SOLEMN MASS ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

This year we have heard several works from Bach’s Orgelbüchlein, the collection of mostly shorter chorale settings designed around the church year. Sunday we hear two from the end of that collection. Bach meant to set many more chorales than he actually did, showing his intentions by leaving blank pages with hymn titles in the manuscript. But he only completed the chorales from Advent through Pentecost. The two works heard on Sunday are among the handful for Ordinary Time that he did compose and include. The prelude, “Lord Jesus Christ, be present now,” is based on a 1648 hymn of unknown authorship that Bach set at least five times. I introduce the lovely, lilting setting of BWV 632 with Bach’s straightforward four-part harmonization of the tune (BWV 332). The postlude is a setting of another hymn Bach used several times, “If thou but suffer God to guide thee,” written by Georg Neumark and published in 1657. In this case, the music clearly references the last two lines of the first stanza. The great hymn translator Catherine Winkworth phrased it thus: “Who trusts in God’s unchanging love / Builds on the rock that naught can move.” — Clark Anderson

The Mass setting is from Communion Service, Opus 71, composed in 1976 by the Welsh composer, William Mathias (1934–1992). From 1970 to 1988 Mathias was professor and head of the music department at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. Active as a conductor and pianist, he was also the artistic director of the North Wales Music Festival which was held annually at Saint Asaph’s Cathedral. Mathias composed liberally both for instrumental and choral forces, and his church music and organ music are widely performed. Having composed music for many royal occasions, his worldwide esteem surged as a result of his anthem Let the people praise Thee, O God, which he composed for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1985. His Communion Service was composed for unison congregational singing with optional choral features and was one of the early Series 3 settings (parallel to Episcopal Rite II) to gain broad usage among Anglicans. As such, its essential movements, minus their choral elements, were included in The Hymnal 1982. Mathia’s setting may be considered musically to be for Rite II what Healey Willan’s Missa de Sancta Maria Magdelena was for the 1928 rite and continues to be for Rite I; that is: a modern, energetic, organ-accompanied setting for congregations and choirs to sing together.

During communion, this week’s cantor, Charlotte Mundy, will sing the premier performance of her newly composed song little cell. Charlotte says the following of this new piece:

Written in the summer of 2025, little cell sets a text inspired by the writing of Dorothy Day, specifically an essay she published in The Catholic Worker in June 1946. The simple, humble, and hopeful attitude of the text and the music suggest a way to keep moving forward in a time when it is so easy to become overwhelmed by the injustice and aggression that seems to surround us.

Vocalist Charlotte Mundy has been called a “daredevil with an unbreakable spine” (SF Classical Voice). Recent performances include George Benjamin’s one-act opera Into the Little Hill at the 92nd Street Y, George Crumb’s Night of the Four Moons with Emerald City Music, the world premiere recording of Unisono II by Agata Zubel with cellist Inbal Segev, and a set of music for voice and electronics presented by New York Festival of Song, described as “an oasis of radiant beauty” by the New York Times. In 2020-21 she developed and presented a sound/light/wind installation titled Light as a Feather at the Harvestworks House on Governor’s Island, and in 2022, Ekmeles premiered her ritual for four singers, SWEET FLAG! at the University of New Mexico’s Robb Composers Symposium. Mundy is a member of TAK ensemble and Ekmeles vocal ensemble. She was a regular member of the Choir of Saint Mary’s for several years and remains a member of the choir’s “extended family.”

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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 Christopher Howatt, parish administrator, and 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.