December, 2020 - Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral

Pilgrimage into Celtic Spirituality: A Presentation Led by Dean Thomason

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 31, 2020 with No Comments

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 7-8 P.M., via Zoom

Join Dean Thomason and others for an evening of reflecting on our Celtic heritage, and the ways Celtic spirituality innervates our communal life and worship even still. The pilgrimage to Iona and the Celtic missions of northern England and Scotland has been postponed till summer 2022, but pilgrimage involves prayer and preparation, and an openness to be changed by the experiences that unfold near and far from the place we call home. All are welcome. Join using this Zoom link.

First Sunday after Christmas, 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 27, 2020 with No Comments

Christmas Eve 11PM 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 25, 2020 with No Comments

Virtual Coffee Hour: Immediately following the Sunday morning service, everyone is welcome to gather in a Virtual Coffee Hour over Zoom. Join using this link!

Support the Mission and Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral

If you watch and enjoy our live-streamed or archived services, please consider making a donation in support of the mission and ministry of this cathedral.

You may also donate using the Venmo mobile app from your smartphone (search for @SaintMarksCathedralSeattle ) Thank you for your generosity.

Christmas Eve 730PM 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 24, 2020 with No Comments

Virtual Coffee Hour: Immediately following the Sunday morning service, everyone is welcome to gather in a Virtual Coffee Hour over Zoom. Join using this link!

Support the Mission and Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral

If you watch and enjoy our live-streamed or archived services, please consider making a donation in support of the mission and ministry of this cathedral.

You may also donate using the Venmo mobile app from your smartphone (search for @SaintMarksCathedralSeattle ) Thank you for your generosity.

Christmas Eve 4PM 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 24, 2020 with No Comments

Announcing the Cathedral’s Theologian-in-Residence for 2021

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 21, 2020 with 3 Comments

A MESSAGE FROM DEAN THOMASON

Dear friends,

It is my delight to share the news that The Rev. Canon Walter B.A. Brownridge will serve as Saint Mark’s Theologian-in-Residence during 2021. In this role, which is grant-funded and was delayed several months due to the pandemic, Canon Brownridge will bring his manifold gifts and considerable experience as he engages the cathedral community at periodic intervals as theologian, priest, preacher, teacher, and ministry consultant. We look forward to his presence among us, which will be virtual until pandemic restrictions allow for him to travel to Seattle safely.

Canon Brownridge writes:

“I am looking forward to taking a journey with you in 2021. As followers of Jesus Christ we are invited to participate in God’s mission of bringing a reversal in our society which reflects the Dream of God. It is my hope that I can in some small way assist in discerning how God is calling, and equipping, Saint Mark’s Cathedral to become more like God’s Beloved Community.”

Canon Brownridge was recently called by the Bishop of Vermont to serve as Canon to the Ordinary and Canon for Cultural Transformation for that diocese. He begins that role in the new year, transitioning from his current post as Associate at Christ Church, Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He formerly served as Associate Dean of the School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee, and I came to know him during his five years as Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Honolulu. Earlier in his ministry, he served as a Canon of St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, as the nation transitioned from apartheid rule. Prior to ordination, he practiced law as a federal prosecutor and in the area of public policy development. Canon Brownridge is a contributor to the recently published book, Preaching Black Lives (Matter) (July 2020, Church Publishing). His essay/sermon is titled “On the Occasion of the 400th Anniversary of the Arrival of the First Enslaved Africans to British North America.”

Canon Brownridge is scheduled to preach on Sunday, January 17, 2021, and will lead a portion of the Vestry retreat in February. As the year unfolds, he will preach periodically, teach, consult with ministry leaders, staff and vestry, and serve as facilitator of theological reflections and consultant for curricular visioning with a special focus on the cathedral’s efforts to address systemic racism.

I look forward to Walter engaging our community at regular intervals in the course of next year, and I hope you will join me in welcoming him. I am,

Gratefully yours,

The Very Reverend Steven L. Thomason, Dean & Rector

Cathedral Jeopardy!

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 20, 2020 with No Comments

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021, 7 p.m. via Zoom

Facilitated by Dean Steve Thomason

In a nod to the late Alex Trebec, Dean Thomason will host a fun evening of trivial pursuit “Jeopardy-style.” Categories include Cathedral History, Music and the Arts, Deans and Canons, Know your Staff, and Pot Pouri. Everyone can play along at home, but the Dean invites individuals to volunteer to be audible participants in teams. To volunteer, email Dean Thomason at sthomason@saintmarks.org. All are welcome. Join using this Zoom link.

Please note: The Wisdom School presentation By Dean Thomason originally announced for Wednesday, January 13, will be offered at a later date, TBA.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent, 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 20, 2020 with No Comments

A Video Introduction to the Organ Prelude on Christmas Eve

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 20, 2020 with 1 Comment

Before the 11 p.m. Christmas Eve liturgy ("Midnight Mass"), starting at 10:30 p.m., Canon Kleinschmidt will offer an unusual and special organ prelude for an unusual and special Christmas. He will begin with variations on a French Noël by Louis-Claude Daquin (1694–1772), followed by "Dieu parmi nous"—"God among us," from the monumental suite La Nativité du Seigneur by the twentieth-century composer, organist, and man of faith Olivier Messiaen.

Canon Kleinschmidt has recorded a brief video introduction to the latter piece, pointing out some of its unique qualities and playing some illustrative passages. Check it out below:

The Hallock Institute presents: The Compline Psalter

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 20, 2020 with No Comments

The Hallock Institute is a non-profit founded after the death of former Saint Mark's Cathedral Organist and Choirmaster Peter R. Hallock, with the mission of preserving and promoting Hallock's legacy as a composer and a liturgical innovator.

Just in time for Christmas, the Institute is proud to present its first publication: a complete edition of The Compline Psalter, containing newly-edited versions of the over 50 psalm settings written especially to be sung during the Office of Compline at Saint Mark's by the Compline Choir, in his unique, inimitable style. This publication is the product of over five years of work. Learn more about the Psalter and the Institute—and purchase a copy for yourself or your loved ones!—here.

Click on the images below to enlarge.

Christmastide Evensong

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 19, 2020 with No Comments

SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 4:30 P.M., via livestream

Download the service leaflet here.

Saint Mark's Cathedral invites one and all to worship the Christ child with prayers and praises sung safely at home at sundown on the tenth day of Christmas.

In addition to leading hymns with the organ's support, soloists will offer Gregorian settings of portions of the service. The Magnificat and anthem will be drawn from archived recordings of livestreamed liturgies sung by the full Evensong Choir. The setting of the Magnificat will be from The Emerald City Service composed by countertenor Tyler Morse, a member of the Evensong Choir and The Compline Choir.

Blossom Abundantly: Stories from the Seattle Service Corps, 2020

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 18, 2020 with No Comments

2020 Advent/Christmas Schedule of Events

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 18, 2020 with No Comments

Introduction to Sunday’s Hymns: December 20, 2020

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 17, 2020 with No Comments

On Thursday, December 17, Canon Michael Kleinschmidt introduced the hymns to be sung at the morning and afternoon liturgies this coming Sunday, December 20, 2020, the Fourth Sunday of Advent. This introduction was presented live on Facebook.

The hymns discussed are:

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord [Hymn #437]
The angel Gabriel from heaven came [Hymn #265]
O come, O come, Emmanuel [Hymn #56]

...plus a few words about this Sunday's organ voluntaries, the upcoming Pageant of the Nativity Reprise, and the liturgies from Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Note that there will be no Hymn Preview for the next two week. The next installment will be streamed live on Thursday, January 7!

Join us in the future on Thursdays at 4 p.m. for another live hymn chat! Just visit the cathedral's public Facebook page at the time of the broadcast—if you "follow" the cathedral on Facebook, you should receive a notification when we're live.

The Third Sunday of Advent, 2020

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 15, 2020 with No Comments

New Year’s Eve from Saint Mark’s Cathedral

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 13, 2020 with 1 Comment

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31

The very first post on the Online Community Life page of the cathedral website, created in March of 2020, was this post announcing that, while the cathedral building may be closed, the outdoor labyrinth was still open and available to all. Since then, the labyrinth in the lawn in front of the cathedral building has remained a valuable resource for cathedral members, Capitol Hill neighbors, and passers-by alike.

The labyrinth at Saint Mark's is closely tied to New Year's Eve. Every year since 1999 a large canvas labyrinth has been laid out in the cathedral nave, inviting all to engage in this ancient spiritual practice as the old year passes away and the new year begins, in candlelight and accompanied by local musicians. This offering has been enormously popular through the years, often attracting over 1,000 people. In 2019, the event was advertised as "Seattle's most peaceful New Year's tradition," but the overwhelming turn-out made the jam-packed nave feel somewhat less peaceful than expected! Clearly, the offering fills a need felt by many people, including those not otherwise connected to the cathedral community.

This year, because remaining physically distant while walking the labyrinth at the same time as others is practically impossible, a formal Labyrinth Walk Event cannot be offered, even on the outdoor labyrinth.

However, the cathedral would like to honor this longstanding tradition by extending an invitation to walk the outdoor labyrinth on December 31, at a time of your convenience. The labyrinth is open 24 hours a day—use common sense, remain masked, and do not form a crowd. To echo the indoor offerings of prior years, the labyrinth will be adorned with candles and (electric) luminarias later in the evening, weather permitting.

The other aspect of the annual New Year's Eve observances at Saint Mark's is the Midnight Eucharist for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus—normally offered on a small altar table placed at the center of the indoor labyrinth at the stroke of midnight as the new year begins. The select few who have participated in this service in the past can tell you that this is a very special liturgy, using a unique form of the Holy Eucharist not employed at any other service in the cathedral's annual cycle. Although there will be no indoor labyrinth, this service will be offered via livestream at the stroke of midnight as usual, and all are invited to participate, wherever you may be.

The Marriage of Jade Bawcom & Morgan Randall

by Christopher Brown on December 12, 2020 with No Comments

Christmas Eve Resources and Activities for Kids!

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 10, 2020 with No Comments

This year, we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus together from home!

Your family may participate in one of the Cathedral services together through a computer or TV, following along with the service leaflet, or you might choose to light candles, sing and pray and read scriptures together on your own. You might even choose to act out the story of the Nativity! It doesn’t matter how you choose to celebrate Christ this year on Christmas Eve. What matters is that our celebrations remind us that nothing stops Christ from coming to be with us—not a pandemic, or a closed cathedral, or anything else!

Below, you’ll find a Christmas Eve activity pack intended for elementary school-aged kids to explore the story of Christmas. Simply print it out at home and offer crayons or a pencil during the live-streamed service. Enjoy the beautiful music, take in the good news, and know you do so with many other families who are participating in various ways from their homes, too.

Nativity Pageant Reprise in Pandemic, hosted by Dean Thomason

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 10, 2020 with No Comments

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 7 P.M., via YouTube live premiere; Community Zoom afterparty to follow.

Missing the Christmas Pageant this year? The delight of little angels, the sweet sounds of children’s voices, Magi processions, and three choirs gathered? Want to sing your carols as part of the experience? Pageants are an ancient way of telling the sacred story—a way that nourishes us deeply.

Join Dean Thomason and others in the cathedral community as we experience a prayerful telling of the Nativity through the familiar cycle of readings from scripture, with musical reflections and congregational carols selected from the cathedral's pageants of 2015, '16, '17, '18, and '19.

Then, let's gather together in a Zoom "afterparty" to share our thoughts as we turn into the week that leads to Christmas. All are welcome.

Download the service leaflet here.

Watch the video premiere on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGXCSGb1xY8 or in the player above.

Personal Prayer Time in the Cathedral for Advent

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 9, 2020 with No Comments

Advent At Home, 2020

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 8, 2020 with 4 Comments

This simple form of evening worship is intended to be used during the lighting of the Advent wreath or other table candles at home from November 29 to December 24. It can be used at the daily evening meal, or another time. The entire form will take no more than five minutes.

The beauty is in the simplicity and repetition for people of all ages. Repeating these words together centers them in our heads and hearts, and draws us into the longing and anticipation of the Advent season, so that we might experience the joy of Christmas with deeper gladness. You will need three purple or blue candles, one pink candle, and some trimmed evergreens to encircle them. This homemade wreath may be placed at the center of the dining table or another suitable gathering place.

This service is based on An Order of Worship for the Evening, found in The Book of Common Prayer 1979, p. 109. The BCP may be found online here.

UPDATE: Each week of Advent, the Saint Mark's Prayer Podcast for Children and Families will release an episode presenting the service below in audio format, featuring some familiar voices from the Saint Mark's community. For Week 1, there is an additional bonus episode with an "instructed" version of the same liturgy, interspersing comments and explanations about the various elements. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or listen to the episodes embedded at the bottom of this page!

ANTIPHON OF THE WEEK

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT: “Keep Awake!”
November 29–December 5

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.

SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT: “Prepare the Way”
December 6–December 12

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT: “Testify to the Light”
December 13–December 19

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed.

FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT: “Here am I”
December 20–December 24 (Advent ends at sundown.)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

THE GREAT "O" ANTIPHONS

On the final seven nights of Advent, December 17 through 23, there are special antiphons appointed for evening prayer each evening. These are called the “O Antiphons,” and they form the basis of the verses of the hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and of the O Antiphons Liturgy offered at Saint Mark’s each year. Read more about the O Antiphons here.

1. "O Wisdom" (December 17)
2. "O Adonai" (December 18)
3. "O Root of Jesse" (December 19)
4. "O Key of David" (December 20)
5. "O Rising Dawn" (December 21)
6. "O King of Nations" (December 22)
7. "O Emmanuel" (December 23)

SCRIPTURE

A reader reads the following, or another appropriate passage of Holy Scripture:

If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me turn to night,” darkness is not dark to you, O Lord; the night is as bright as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.
—Psalm 139:10–11

PRAYER

All pray together:

God of all the ages, rouse us from sleep, and form us into a watchful people, so that, at the advent of your Son, we may be prepared, bearing witness to your light, and eager to receive you. We ask this through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT WREATH

The Advent wreath is now lighted, lighting one blue/purple candle during the first week, two candles during the second week, and so on.

The pink candle is lighted on the third week.

HYMN

Conclude by saying or singing the evening hymn, known as the Phos hilaron, one of the oldest Christian hymns, first recorded in Greek in the 3rd century.

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

2020 Advent Video Reflections

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 7, 2020 with No Comments

The Advent at Home page contains a form of private or family prayer which engages with an advent wreath in your own home. Each of the four weeks of advent is given a special theme: Keep Awake (week 1), Prepare the Way (week 2), Testify to the Light (week 3), and Here am I (week 4). Below you will find brief video reflections from Saint Mark's Community members, prompted by each of these themes.

Please check back on this page–the reflections for future weeks will be posted here as the become available. Feel free to add your response in the comments below.

Introduction to Sunday’s Hymns: December 13, 2020

by Saint Mark's Cathedral on December 7, 2020 with No Comments

On Thursday, December 10, Associate Musician John Stuntebeck introduced the hymns to be sung at the livestreamed service of Holy Eucharist at 11 a.m. this Sunday, December 13, The Third Sunday of Advent.

The hymns discussed are:

Savior of the nations, come. [Hymn #54]
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding [Hymn #59]
Hark! the glad sound! [Hymn #72]

Join us in the future on Thursdays at 4 p.m. for another live hymn chat! Just visit the cathedral's public Facebook page at the time of the broadcast—if you "follow" the cathedral on Facebook, you should receive a notification when we're live.

Choral Evensong on the Second Sunday of Advent 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 6, 2020 with No Comments

The Second Sunday of Advent, 2020

by Christopher Brown on December 6, 2020 with No Comments

Sunday, December 27, 11 a.m. • The First Sunday after Christmas

COMPLINE

a Seattle tradition continues

CONFRONTING RACISM

a list of resources and references

CREATION CARE

Environmental Justice at Saint Mark's

SPECIAL EVENTS

THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER

News, events, cathedral prayer list, and more

GET INVOLVED!

The Fall 2020 Ministry Directory

NEWCOMERS & VISITORS

Let us get to know you!

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Sunday & Weekday Services

THE RUBRIC

read cathedral's quarterly magazine

COMMUNITY LIFE

during the building closure

SERVICE LEAFLETS

SERMON ARCHIVE

Looking for the Livestream video archive? It now has its own page here.

Thursday December 24, Christmas Eve 10:30 p.m. Organ Prelude and Carol Sing, 11:00 p.m. Festal Holy Eucharist

Support the Mission and Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral

NEWCOMERS & VISITORS

Let us get to know you!

GET INVOLVED!

The Fall 2020 Ministry Directory

SERVICE LEAFLETS

SPECIAL EVENTS

THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER

News, events, cathedral prayer list, and more

COMPLINE

a Seattle tradition continues

CONFRONTING RACISM

a list of resources and references

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Sunday & Weekday Services

THE RUBRIC

read cathedral's quarterly magazine

COMMUNITY LIFE

during the building closure

CREATION CARE

Environmental Justice at Saint Mark's

SERMON ARCHIVE

Thursday December 24, 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve The Holy Eucharist with Carols

Support the Mission and Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral

SPECIAL EVENTS

NEWCOMERS & VISITORS

Let us get to know you!

SERVICE LEAFLETS

THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER

News, events, cathedral prayer list, and more

GET INVOLVED!

The Fall 2020 Ministry Directory

COMPLINE

a Seattle tradition continues

CONFRONTING RACISM

a list of resources and references

WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Sunday & Weekday Services

THE RUBRIC

read cathedral's quarterly magazine

COMMUNITY LIFE

during the building closure

CREATION CARE

Environmental Justice at Saint Mark's

SERMON ARCHIVE

Thursday December 24, 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Family Service with Holy Eucharist

Support the Mission and Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral

THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER

News, events, cathedral prayer list, and more

NEWCOMERS & VISITORS

Let us get to know you!

SERVICE LEAFLETS

SPECIAL EVENTS

GET INVOLVED!

The Fall 2020 Ministry Directory

COMPLINE