The Order for The Burial of the Dead

Transcription

1 The Order for The Burial of the Dead BROOKE RUSSELL ASTOR March 30, 1902 August 13, 2007 FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2007 AT HALF AFTER TWO O CLOCK SAINT THOMAS T CHURCH FIFTH AVENUE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK THE REVEREND ANDREW C. MEAD, OBE, DD, RECTOR THE REVEREND CANON JOHN G. B. ANDREW, OBE, DD, RECTOR EMERITUS

2

3 ORDER OF SERVICE ORGAN PRELUDE Music of WELCOME Johann Sebastian Bach ( ) O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, BWV 656 Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 731 Vor deinen Thron tret ich, BWV 668 Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654 The Rector THE COLLECT The Rector says to the People, who remain standing The Lord be with you. People And with thy spirit. Rector Let us pray. O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of thy servant Brooke, and grant her an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. OPENING PROCESSION People Amen. I As the body is borne into the church, all stand, when directed, while the following anthems are sung. AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. I Saint John 11: 25, 26 KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another. W Job 19: E brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. I Timothy 6: 7; Job 1: 21 William Croft ( ) HYMN O GOD, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home: Under the shadow of thy throne thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame, from everlasting thou art God, to endless years the same. A thousand ages in thy sight are like an evening gone; short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all our years away; they fly, forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, be thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home. ST. ANNE

4 THE FIRST LESSON Romans 8: 14ff The People sit. The Lesson is introduced by the Lector, saying A reading from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans. After the Lesson, the Lector says The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God. PSALM 121 I Levavi oculos. Anglican Chant (Walford Davies) Sung by the Choir. The People remain seated. WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills;* from whence cometh my help? 2 My help cometh even from the Lord,* who hath made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved;* and he that keepeth thee will not sleep. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel* shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord himself is thy keeper;* the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand; 6 So that the sun shall not burn thee by day,* neither the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil;* yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in,* from this time forth for evermore. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. THE SECOND LESSON Saint John 14: 1-6 The Lesson is introduced by the Lector saying A reading from the Gospel according to Saint John. After the Lesson, the Lector says The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God. HYMN All stand to sing. TOPLADY R OCK of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood from thy wounded side that flowed, be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power. Should my tears for ever flow, should my zeal no languor know, all for sin could not atone: thou must save, and thou alone; in my hand no price I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyelids close in death, when I rise to worlds unknown and behold thee on thy throne, Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. The People sit. A TRIBUTE TO BROOKE ASTOR The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg Mayor of the City of New York STATEMENT OF FAITH BY BROOKE ASTOR HYMN All stand to sing. HYFRYDOL L OVE divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart. Come, almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive; suddenly return, and never, nevermore thy temples leave. Thee we would be alway blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above, pray, and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love. Finish then thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be; let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee: changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise. HOMILY The People sit. Canon Andrew

5 ANTHEM S Thomas Tallis (c ) ALVATOR mundi salva nos, qui per crucem et sanguinem redemisti nos: auxiliare nobis, te deprecamur, Deus noster. O Saviour of the world, who by thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us, save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord. Antiphon at Matins, Feast of the Holy Cross Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace. Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still, small voice of calm. THE BIDDING THE LORD S PRAYER The People kneel. All UR Father, who art in heaven, O hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Rector THE COMMENDATION Rector People Rector All The People remain standing. Give rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. Thou only art immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and unto earth shall we return. For so thou didst ordain when thou createdst me, saying, Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. All we go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Give rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting. The Rector reads additional prayers. HYMN All stand to sing. REST D EAR Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways! Reclothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence, praise. In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian sea, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word, rise up and follow thee. O Sabbath rest by Galilee! O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity interpreted by love! The Rector says Into thy hands, O merciful Savior, we commend thy servant, Brooke. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech thee, a sheep of thine own fold, a lamb of thine own flock, a sinner of thine own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of thy mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen. RECESSIONAL Amazing Grace NEW BRITAIN As the piper plays the body from the Church, please remain standing. Please follow the casket up the center aisle. Those seated in the front pews will leave first. VOLUNTARY Toccata Charles-Marie Widor (Symphonie V, Opus 42/5) ( )

6 ^ The Reverend Andrew C. Mead, OBE, DD, Rector and Officiant The Reverend Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE, DD, Rector Emeritus, Lector and Homilist John Scott, LVO, Organist and Director of Music Frederick Teardo, Assistant Organist The piper is Pipe Major Joe Brady. The Statement of Faith is read by Anthony D. Marshall. As the daughter of the 16th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Major General John H. Russell, Brooke Astor is honored today by having 8 marines serving as pall bearers: Sgt. Jeffrey R. Bentley Sgt. Carlos A. Duquelondono Sgt. Thomas B. Kowaleski Cpl. Jeffrey T. Lynch LCpl. Kevin A. Merrill Sgt. Hugo F. Martinez Sgt. Michael W. Parker Sgt. John E. Potter Ushers Randall Bourscheidt Barbara Fleischman Paul LeClerc Gregory Long Frederick Melhado Howard Phipps Charlie Rose Elihu Rose

7 Verse composed by Brooke Astor when she was 15 years old I am not on earth today But am soaring in the clouds Floating, flying In the wide universe. Through the soft, misty air Dull, muffled sounds Reach my ear, But I heed them not, For I am contemplating eternity. To me now all age is but a minute And spaces have no bounds. All about me I hear the calls Of souls unborn, Each waiting for his turn Eager, fearing I can not see them But I feel them, Their soft, wet kisses on my cheek And their chilling breath upon my brow. I am going faster now, Hurrying onwards. It is no effort for me, And I love to hear the wind rush past And feel the farewell kisses Wafted through the air. Far, far below I see the earth Spinning, spinning, Ever spinning vainly through the blackness Ah, why do I have to return But stay - Soon my task will be fulfilled. Then I too can float dreamily through the heavens Forever and forever.

8