Rediscovering our Roots

This Lent, we shall be changing the service music from the “Willan” setting written in the 20th century by Healey Willan, organist/choirmaster of the Anglican Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto, to the “Merbecke” setting, written in the mid-16th century by London organist, composer, and scholar John Merbecke.

The setting was created for the First Prayer Book in the Anglican Church, that of King Edward VI. It fell into disuse after Queen Mary I ascended to the throne; but regained popularity during the Victorian era. In the Episcopal Church, throughout most of our lifetimes, the Willan setting has been the most commonly used for Ordinary Time. The Merbecke setting has been most widely used in Lent and Advent, owing to its somber and austere style. Where Rite I is still the norm, this remains the case today.

When Archbishop Thomas Cranmer asked John Merbecke to provide service music for the new prayer book in 1549, he specified that it was to be simple and able to be sung by everyone. He admonished Merbecke that there was to be “for every syllable only one note.” Cranmer wanted the people to have no excuse for not participating in the Liturgy. This Lent, we want to encourage your full participation as well. To that end, you will find links to audio files for three pieces from the Merbecke setting (Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) to help you learn or recall this music, as you may have need.

[wpaudio url=”http://stmarks-music.s3.amazonaws.com/kyrie.mp3″ text=”Listen to the Merbecke Kyrie” dl=”0″]
[wpaudio url=”http://stmarks-music.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctus.mp3″ text=”Listen to the Merbecke Sanctus” dl=”0″]
[wpaudio url=”http://stmarks-music.s3.amazonaws.com/agnus_dei.mp3″ text=”Listen to the Merbecke Agnus Dei” dl=”0″]

John Merbecke was born around 1510; but nothing else is known of him until 1531 when he appears on the roster of men employed to sing with the boy choristers at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. He began his service there in the court of Henry VIII, during that time when the Church of England was being established as separate from the Church of Rome.

He was appointed organist of St. George’s in 1541. Two years later, his fortunes took a turn for the worse. The Church of England was becoming aggressive in its efforts to protect the English people from both the errors of Rome and those of the emerging European Protestants. Merbecke, however, could not resist collecting and reading the writings of the radical new Protestant thinkers, particularly John Calvin. In 1543, he was found to be in possession of such material. Along with two colleagues at St. George’s, he was arrested, charged with heresy, and condemned to death by burning at the stake.

Stephen Gardiner, the Bishop of Winchester, pleaded Merbecke’s case before the King Henry VIII, and he received a reprieve. Released from the Tower, Merbecke returned to his post at St. George’s where he remained during the reigns of Edward VI, “Bloody” Mary I, and Elizabeth I until his death in 1585.

John Merbecke shares a feast-day in the Anglican/Episcopal calendar on November 21 with two of his contemporaries. One is Thomas Tallis who, as music director for the Chapel Royal, went “on the road” with final four Tudor monarchs when they were not “at home” in Windsor Castle. The other is William Byrd who served as organist for the Chapel Royal through the Elizabethan era.

February 2011 Parish Update

St. Mark’s has been very busy since the New Year began, take a look at the highlights.

Annual Meeting: At the end of January we celebrated our successes and even our challenges at our parish Annual Meeting on the 23rd.  We spoke about ways we can thrive as a parish. First and foremost, we must, as a congregation, invite people to experience God at St. Mark’s. It seems so strange that we spend so much time in our ministries here and support this wonderful parish but we don’t invite as we should. Second, this is the year we begin to refine our vision and mission here at St. Mark’s. The Vestry Retreat on March 5th will feature Carrie Boren from the diocesan office. She is an expert in developing strategies for a parish to find its voice and mission in the world. And finally, Carrie will return two more times in 2011 to St. Mark’s to show us how to easily and quickly “tell our story” to those we encounter in our community. Friends, I can’t tell you how important it is for us to invite people into the presence of our Lord Christ as He is found at St. Mark’s.

At the Annual Meeting, we said thank you to Kathy Whitgrove and Vicki Redden as former Vestry members and to Jenifer Jones and Kathy Whitgrove as Delegate to Diocesan convention. We voted and welcomed to the Vestry, Jeff Gardner and Paulette Austin. We also reelected Kathy Whitgrove to Delegate and added Jeff Gardner to complete that team.  Thank you to those who served and to those who offered themselves to the parish election process.

Confirmation at St. Mark’s with Bishop Stanton: On February 6th , our own Bishop Stanton came to St. Mark’s to lead us in the offering the sacrament of Confirmation to seven of our membership. After the service, we retired to our Parish Hall to participate in our Annual Chili Cook Off.  If you were not there, you missed some great chili. Thank you to all who set up, cooked, and tore down the party, it was a wonderful time.


Jim Rider Oak Tree

Jim Rider Tree: We have two new trees in our yard through the generosity of members and members who have moved away. The first gift came from former members of this parish in memory of our own beloved Jim Rider. Another gift for a second tree came from a current group of members who wanted to pitch in to beautify our corner on 6th and O’Connor. The two trees, both Hybrid Red Oak, look great.

 

Future Offerings and Notices: Please make some space in your calendars for up coming events:

  • Beginning Sunday February 20 through April 3, 2011 the Bodybuilding group will kick off an Easter basket drive for Captain Hope’s Kids.  We need baskets, eggs, candy and other goodies to go into Easter baskets for kids of all ages.
  • On Wednesdays, beginning on March 2, St. Mark’s will be offering a Wednesday Bible Study at 11:15am and Wednesday Noon Holy Eucharist.
  • Our Annual Haiti Fundraiser kicks off on March 6th, after service.  The funds will go directly to offer scholarships to the Bishop Tharp Institute in Haiti.
  • Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in the Parish Hall on March 8th from 6 to 7:30pm.
  • Ash Wednesday Services on March 9 at 7am and 6:30pm.
  • Wednesday Evenings in Lent, we will gather for Stations of the Cross and Holy Eucharist.
  • Quiet Day sponsored by the Daughters of the King on March 19, 2011.

Easter Basket Drive for Captain Hope’s Kids

Bodybuilding will be collecting Easter baskets, plastic eggs, candy and stuffed animals for homeless children through the end of March.

All items collected will be provided to Captain Hope’s Kids who will assemble and deliver the baskets. Non-secular items are appreciated!

Also, there will be a donation basket in the Silver Lion gift shop for anyone who would prefer to donate funds. Items can be left in the Parish Hall.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

St. Mark’s at Community Fest March 26th

St. Mark’s parishioners will be participating in Community Fest again this year to represent St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at this free day of fun at Senter Park.

A variety of food, games, entertainment and children’s activities will be available at the Senter Park Recreation Center, 901 S. Senter Road.

Informational booths from businesses and various city departments also will be available. For more information, call (972) 721-2641.

Date: March 26, 2010
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Senter Park Recreation Center, 901 S. Senter Road

2011 Chili Cook-Off Was Red Hot!

The 2011 Chili Cook-Off raised over $500! This year’s winners were:

First Place: Martha Jo Watson
Second Place: Jene Gravley
Third Place: Annie Jacques

The monies will go to outreach projects from the Women of St. Mark’s.

Thanks to everyone who made chili, ate chili, and cleaned up afterwords!

Confirmation at St. Mark’s by Bishop James M. Stanton

On February 6, 2011, seven confirmands were welcomed into the life of the Church by Bishop James M. Stanton and the congregation of St. Mark’s. Bishop Stanton’s sermon: “Why are you here… why are you in the world? We believe that God created us all, in some way or other. But we live most of the time with serious questions about who we are, and why we’re here, and what it all means, and how can I know? We are strangers to ourselves. You know, that’s a good thing…” — Listen here, or download the MP3!

Adventure Team Excursion: “Remembering Tom Landry…”

Tuesday, January 25th, (weather permitting) the Adventure Team will depart the parish hall at 10:45 am for lunch at South Dallas Cafe near Fair Park then to visit “Remembering Tom Landry – The Personal Collection” at the Hall of State, Fair Park, presented by the Dallas Historical Society.

For all details of the exhibit, see www.dallashistory.org. Please RSVP to Ed M. if you plan to attend.

Annual Chili Cook-Off, Sunday, February 6th

The 2011 Annual Chili Cook Off will take place Sunday, February 6th, immediately after the 9:30 am service with Bishop Stanton.

Please sign up in the parish hall to cook chili, help with clean up, bring condiments, etc. It’s always a great time so please join us!

St. Mark’s Women Host Safety Awareness Presentation

Officer Brian Crum, Crime Watch Coordinator of the Irving Police Department’s Community Services Division will offer a power point presentation on Safety Awareness on Tuesday, February 22, at the monthly meeting of The Women’s Guild.

In addition to the address by the speaker, there will be a potluck dinner, starting at 6:30PM.

Warm Hands – Warm Hearts THANK YOU!!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Bodybuilding’s Warm Hands-Warm Hearts hat/glove/blanket drive.

St. Mark’s collected a WHOPPING 115 pairs of gloves/mittens, as well as 37 blankets, 9 coats, 65 hats and 25 hat/scarf/glove combos.

We divided the proceeds between the Austin Street Shelter and Captain Hope’s Kids, which will provide gloves and hats to other homeless agencies as needed.

As always, the generosity of this church is overwhelming, and is such a blessing to those in our community who have so little. The Bodybuilding Committee is so grateful to all your support to this, as well as all the other efforts of this past year.