St. Mary's Invites Public to Patronal Festival with Evensong and Dinner Sept. 14

    From the poignant eloquence of the "Non Nobis" and the surging chords of the "Magnificat" to the sound of toasts in the 19th-century Parish Hall, the Episcopal Church of St. Mary-in-the-Highlands, Cold Spring, will celebrate its Patronal Festival on Sunday, Sept. 14 with a Choral Evensong and candlelight dinner, along with a parish-wide morning Mass.

    All three events are open to the public and the church is encouraging the wider community to participate.

    An Anglican custom, a patronal festival unites a congregation and its friends in honoring the church's patron saint on his or her feast day. Since many days throughout the liturgical year honor Mary, the mother of Christ, Father Shane Scott-Hamblen, rector, and the Vestry (parish council) at St. Mary's selected the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, which falls on a weekday this year. In keeping with liturgical tradition, the church will hold its observance the following Sunday - Sept. 14.

    The day will begin with an all-parish Sung Mass at 10:30 a.m., bringing parishioners together in a single service to inaugurate the celebration. Parishioners will reconvene at 6:00 p.m. for a Choral Evensong featuring the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and the St. Mary's choir.

    An official service of the Anglican Church, Evensong, considered one of the most moving and beautiful services in Christianity, reflects the ancient tradition of Vespers or Evening Prayer, closing the day at twilight. Harking back to earlier traditions, Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 to 1556, developed an order for Evensong that was first published in 1549. In a Choral Evensong, the choir sings a majority of the prayers, set to music. Playing the recently restored pipe organ, Fr. Shane will accompany the mixed male and female St. Mary's choir and serve as choirmaster. Selections to be featured include the "Magnificat" and "Nunc Dimittis," both in B Flat, by C.V. Stanford, the "Non Nobis Domine" by Patrick Doyle. Fr. Shane likewise will provide organ music by D. Buxtehude.

    After Evensong, parishioners, guests, and friends will adjourn to the Parish Hall for a multi-course catered, candlelight dinner.

    Tickets for the dinner are $25 per person in advance and $32 at the door. St. Mary's is located at the corner of Route 9D (Morris Avenue-Chestnut Street) and Route 301 (Main Street) in Cold Spring.