A Message from Dean Thomason

Dear friends,

Cathedral Director of Operations Jim Pannell has resigned to take a new role in San Francisco which he describes in some detail below. We are sad to see him leave, but we wish him well in his new ventures. He came to Seattle from San Francisco just two years ago, and the pandemic intervened just months after he arrived, but he pressed through with grace and good will, and we are grateful for his work among us. His leadership has been key to ensuring our pandemic-related precautions are safely implemented and maintained. His last day on the job will be Friday October 8, 2021. Please join me in thanking him for his service, and sending him with our best wishes as he begins this new role.

While such transitions are always challenging, we are fortunate to have in Canon Marda Steedman Sanborn in her interim role with us this fall. Marda served six years as Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Olympia, and in that role had many of the responsibilities that are part of the Director of Operations portfolio. Marda has graciously offered to assume many of the key operational responsibilities in the interim as we conduct a search for a new Director. I will assume some as well, which is to say, we have a plan to ensure key support services are not interrupted.

I also want to specifically acknowledge the skillful work that David Wagner, Chris Brown, Stephen Eddy, Adam Conley, and Erik Donner bring to their operational roles. They are competent, hard-working, and self-motivated, and I have great confidence in them. Indeed, I am very grateful for them for all the ways they support this community behind the scenes, ensuring that the cathedral mission and ministries can flourish.

We will post a new Director of Operations position this week with every hope to have a new person in the role before the end of the year. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And again, we are grateful for Jim’s work and his time with us. I am,

Gratefully,

The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason
Dean and Rector

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 4:30 P.M., in person and livestreamed

Continuing the celebration of Creation launched with the Blessing of Animals on October 2, Saint Mark's Cathedral commemorates the lives of Saints Clare and Francis of Assisi in Choral Evensong on the Eve of the Feast of Saint Francis. The intergenerational Evensong Choir will offer H. Walford Davies' magical setting of Psalm 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills, John Rutter's beloved setting of For the beauty of the earth, and Stanford's stately settings of the Songs of Mary and Simeon in the key of C.

If you are new to Choral Evensong, learn more about the liturgy and choir here. You can get a taste of the sound of the Evensong Choir in the video below, from 2019.