FOUR TUESDAYS, BEGINNING MAY 3, 7 P.M., (following in-person evening prayer) in the cathedral nave
The practice of Centering Prayer at the cathedral was suspended indefinitely during the pandemic, but for the next four Tuesday evenings, we will gather for an hour in the nave at 7 p.m. Each session we will sit together in silence for 20 minutes, followed by discussion. This time of meditative prayer is open to anyone who yearns for a time to simply sit in the presence of the Divine—whether you sit regularly and miss doing it with others, are curious, or think you can’t do it, come, sit together and talk about it. There is no doing it right or wrong; there is only doing it. Read more here. These sessions will be led by Phil Fox Rose, who was introduced to centering prayer by Cynthia Bourgeault in the early 90s and has been practicing and sharing it ever since. Email Phil with questions: phil@philfoxrose.com
UPDATE: Centering Prayer will be offered at 7 p.m. every Tuesday from September 13, 2022, through December 13, 2022.
What are the defining architectural elements of Saint Mark's Cathedral? I think the most common answers would be the glass and steel screen behind the altar, our reredos, or its counterbalancing visual element, the mighty Flentrop organ. But it seems that for some the building can be represented by an element that is, at least superficially, less attention-grabbing—the cathedral's massive windows.
Two examples have appeared recently, both related to the concerts produced by Abbey Arts: the poster for the upcoming concert by the "folk-pop indie rock" band Ivan & Alyosha, and the recently-released album by the Seattle artist SYML, Sacred Spaces: Live at Saint Mark's Cathedral.
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 10 A.M. TO NOON, Seattle Art Museum
Come explore the vast connections of water in the context of artwork at a new exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. A group from Saint Mark’s is planning to attend on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. and then discuss the art afterward at SAM’s cafe, MARKET. Interested in meeting up? Email Wayne Duncan (duncan.sw@gmail.com) or Emily Meeks (emcmeeks@gmail.com).
This exhibit closes May 30, and It’s what SAM calls “an experiment in artistic activism.” On display are the works of 74 artists from 17 countries and seven Native American tribes. Visitors are greeted with a welcome in Lushootseed, one of many Coast Salish languages, by Ken Workman, a Duwamish Tribal Member and descendant of Chief Seattle.
Please join Canon for Cathedral Music Michael Kleinschmidt and Canon for Intergenerational Ministries Wendy Claire Barrie for learning and conversation about the psalms—how and why we read, chant, and sing them.
After an outline of the history and structure of the Book of Psalms itself, Canon Barrie will explore why we read these ancient Jewish poems and how we understand and pray them in our Christian context today. Then Canon Kleinschmidt will present the various different ways that psalms are given breath and life in our worship tradition. Where does our tradition of "plainchant" come from? How does "Anglican chant" work? What exactly is a "metrical paraphrase"? What's special about the Peter Hallock psalm settings we sing so often?
This is a great way to prepare for the upcoming PSALMATHON!with the Evensong Choir (Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon in the cathedral nave).
April 24, 2022 • The Second Sunday of Easter • “Doubting Thomas Sunday”
ORISON: That Easter Day with joy was bright (Tune: PUER NOBIS) – mel. from Trier MS., 15th cent.; adapt. Michael Praetorius (1571-1621); harm. George R. Woodward (1848-1934) [see HYMNS]
PSALM 118:14-24, 28-29 – Plainsong, Tone VIII.1
HYMN 209: We walk by faith, and not by sight (Tune: SAINT BOTOLPH) – Gordon Slater (1896-1979)
NUNC DIMITTIS – John Munday (c. 1555-1630)
ANTHEM: Sermone blando angelus – Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585)
Jason Anderson, director • Joel Matter, reader • Thomas Adams, cantor
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
Compline is now open to all for in-person attendance.
Starting March 14, 2022, masks are optional inside the cathedral. The south section of seating is reserved for those who wish to remain masked and distanced from others. Learn more here.
OTHER WAYS TO WATCH
If you experience any problems with the video player on this page, you may wish to try joining the simultaneous stream on Facebook or YouTube instead.
NEWSLETTER
The weekly cathedral newsletter contains important announcements, offerings, and events. Click here to add yourself to cathedral emails lists.
Audio and printed text of sermons can be found here.
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.
SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2:30 P.M., meet at the Discovery Park North Parking Lot
For the next intergenerational hike, we will be exploring Discovery Park! The walk will include the park's nature trails as well as the Daybreak Star Cultural Center. A brief liturgy of prayer and song will be offered on a high bluff overlooking Puget Sound. Participants in the previous intergenerational hikes have found them a fun opportunity to connect with community members in a new way.
If you plan to attend, contact Canon Barrie and she will reply with her cell phone number: wbarrie@saintmarks.org
DETAILS & ROUTE:
We’ll meet at the far end of the North Parking Lot at 2:30 p.m. (Note: This was printed as "3:20" in some place. We apologize for the typo.) Park there, or take King County Metro bus #33.
We will be hiking the Wolf Creek Nature Trail which is accessed from the parking lot. From the Nature Trail we will proceed around the Ceremonial Ponds, then to the Daybreak Star Cultural Center grounds. There we find a lookout over the Sound, high on a bluff. We’ll have our brief liturgy there.
Next, we’ll walk back toward the Cultural Center. From here we will walk the Pow Wow circle, turn right to follow the paved road to the loop trail. Follow the loop trail to the field at the top of the stairs that lead down to the North Beach, Intrepid hikers may want to take the long steep staircase down to the beach or access the Hidden Valley trail.
At this point we’ll goodbye to them and retrace our steps, crossing the paved road on the loop trail (cross another paved road) through the forest to the trail down to the North Parking lot.
The Nature Trail/Daybreak Star/North Bluff/ section of the loop trail is about 2 1/2 miles total and includes a paved staircase up to the Daybreak Star center.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I get there? Is carpooling available? If you would like to carpool, go for it. There is not a formal carpool arrangement.
What should I bring? We definitely recommend good hiking boots, water and snacks. It’s a good idea to check out other recommended essentials. See this list and overview from REI: What to bring Day Hiking and other essentials
Can I bring my dog? Leashed dogs are permitted except on the Ceremonial Ponds trail; there is an alternate path that will allow us to arrive at the same destination, the Daybreak Star Cultural Center.
Is there a pass required? No, although parking is limited. Public transit is recommended.
ON EXHIBIT APRIL 24–JUNE 5, in the cathedral nave UPDATE: Now extended through JULY 10
SUNDAY MORNING FORUM WITH THE ARTIST: APRIL 24, 10:10 A.M., in Bloedel Hall
UPDATE: A complete video of the forum may be seen below.
OPENING RECEPTION: SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 12:30 P.M., cathedral nave
The Visual Arts Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral and Saint Mark's Creation Care Ministry are delighted to co-sponsor an exhibition of works by Peter Boome, Coast Salish Artist and member of the Upper Skagit Tribe of Washington State, April 24–June 5 in the cathedral nave. He works in a variety of mediums, and his exhibition at Saint Mark's will include both prints and paintings. Each of his works tells a story, and his exhibition at Saint Mark’s will explore themes including the connection between spirituality and natural world. Works on display in the nave will include new work created especially for this exhibition, a template for a mural on the Seattle waterfront displayed here publicly for the first time, large-scale works on canvas, and smaller prints and paintings. Works will available to be purchased from the artist.
Join the artist for a conversational forum at 10 a.m. between Sunday morning services on April 24, offered in person and online, and for the opening reception at 12:30 p.m. that afternoon. The reception will feature music by members of the Native Jazz Quartet.
Peter Boome is a member of the Upper Skagit Tribe of Washington State. He earned his AA from Northwest Indian College, his BAS and MES from the Evergreen State College, and his JD from the University of Washington School of Law.
Peter’s work has been aggressively sought after by collectors around the world. He has emerged as a leading Coast Salish artist, winning prestigious awards at shows such as Indian Market in Santa Fe, The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, the Heard Museum in Phoenix and many more. Peter has worked with both new and established indigenous artists from around the country and as far away as New Zealand.
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 9 A.M. to 12 P.M., cathedral nave
Do you have a beloved psalm? Join with the Evensong Choir for PSALMATHON 2022, a fundraiser for the choir’s 2022 UK Pilgrimage. Over 3 hours, we will sing 50 of our most beloved psalms, proclaiming them in a variety of musical forms. Parishioners are encouraged to sponsor one of our singers for a dollar amount per psalm or join in the singing with a sponsor of your own! Mark your calendars now; more info is to come on how the cathedral community can support the Psalmathon and the Evensong Choir’s residencies in Bristol and Chichester Cathedrals in August.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 6:45–8:15 P.M., online via Zoom ONLY; registrationrequired
You are invited! The next Liturgical Minister Training will be on Wednesday evening, May 4. We are offering this training for the first time at a Wednesday Evening Forum, and it will be online only via Zoom so that as many people as possible can attend. The format will be abridged from Liturgical Minister Trainings in past, as follows:
6:45-7:30 p.m.: Plenary and Theological Reflection led by Dean Thomason
7:30-8:15 p.m.: Breakouts by Liturgical Ministry, led by ministry leaders
All Liturgical Ministers, or those interested in joining a new ministry, are invited to attend. The goal is that everyone active in Liturgical Ministries attend one of these trainings at least every three years, so if you haven't attended one in a while, please join us! The next training will be offered again after Labor Day. Please contact sacristan Michael Seewer if you have any questions: mseewer@saintmarks.org
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 7 P.M., in the cathedral nave, registration required
This groundbreaking Christian worship event, hosted and co-sponsored by Saint Mark's, was created in 2018 by a team led by The Rev. Yolanda M. Norton (Disciples of Christ). Beyoncé Mass is a worship service rooted in womanist theology that uses the music and personal life of Beyoncé as a tool to foster an empowering conversation about Black women—their lives, their bodies, and their voices.
What if “Flaws and All” was a song about a complicated relationship with God?
What if “Survivor” spoke to how Black women thrive even as they’re undervalued and underestimated?
Beyoncé Mass is a womanist worship service. Womanism recognizes and celebrates the lives, beauty, culture, spirituality, and experiences of Black women and is committed to the survival, well-being, and wholeness of all people. The event explores how Black women find their voice, represent the image of God, and create spaces for liberation.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 6:45 p.m.–8:15 P.M., in Bloedel Hall and via Zoom
Join Zeiad Shamrouch, Executive Director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, as he discusses MECA’s Maia project, which is supported by Bishop Rickel and the Diocese of Olympia.
The Maia Project began in 2007 when the Student Parliament at the UN Boys’ School in Bureij Refugee Camp, Gaza were given the opportunity to choose one thing they most wanted for their school: They chose to have clean drinking water. The reason: 95% of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption. Since then The Maia Project has completed 73 water purification and desalinization projects, bringing clean water to 90,000 children in Gaza.
The Middle East Children’s Alliance is a nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East.
PROCESSIONAL: Easter Canticle – Peter R. Hallock (1924–2014)
PSALM 114 – Plainsong, Tonus peregrinus
HYMN: Come, ye faithful, raise the strain (Tune: GAUDEAMUS PARITER) – Medieval Bohemian Carol Melody, 1544; vs. 2 harm. Hymnal 1940; vs. 3 harm. Harvey Grace (1874-1944)
NUNC DIMITTIS: Plainsong setting, Tonus peregrinus; harm. William Byrd (c. 1540-1623)
ANTHEM: Haec est dies – Jacob Handl (1550-1591)
Jason Anderson, director • J. Scott Kovacs, reader • Kenneth Peterson, cantor
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
Compline is now open to all for in-person attendance.
Starting March 14, 2022, masks are optional inside the cathedral. The south section of seating is reserved for those who wish to remain masked and distanced from others. Learn more here.
OTHER WAYS TO WATCH
If you experience any problems with the video player on this page, you may wish to try joining the simultaneous stream on Facebook or YouTube instead.
NEWSLETTER
The weekly cathedral newsletter contains important announcements, offerings, and events. Click here to add yourself to cathedral emails lists.
Audio and printed text of sermons can be found here.
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.
Each year at the Easter Vigil, the choirs of Saint Mark’s gather in the gallery to sing a special anthem at the Offertory, as we turn into the first Eucharist of Easter and hold for a moment the splendid ways that God is working out divine purpose in our lives, and in the world. It is a setting of a Kyivan/Kievan chant melody written by the Russian composer Pavlev Gregorievich Chesnokov more than a century ago, and it is a favorite of many. For me, it marks the moment Easter speaks deep down into my soul. Music does that; this piece does especially so.
The text of the anthem is simple, lifted from one verse of Psalm 74, which when transliterated from Church Slavic to the Latin alphabet reads: Spaséniye sodélal yesí posredé ziemlí, Bózhe. Allilúiya. These are the words the choir sings. In English, it means:
Salvation is made in the midst of the earth, O God. Alleluia.
We sing of God’s acts of healing right in our very midst, and our response is a sublime Alleluia—a superlative expression of thanksgiving. We need not understand resurrection fully on this side of the grave to know this joy, this referential point in our lives oriented to God who is doing great things!
Chesnokov wrote this in 1912, on the eve of the capitulation of Russia’s last tsar. It would be one of his last sacred compositions before being forced by Soviet reformers to abandon that and turn to secular music for his final three decades of life. (He would never hear the piece performed, and would die of malnutrition during WWII.) He wrote this hopeful music against the backdrop of violence and bloodshed in his native land.
I am mindful this Easter, as the drumbeat of war in the same region weighs heavily on our hearts, we still sing this song, and let its grace pour into our hearts as healing balm once more. If Chesnokov could create this exquisite and hopeful work during such troubled times, surely we can lean on it in our time for solace and strength.
The brilliant piece bears a patient ferment of hope, unrushed, girded by bass tones that afford a certain foundation on which to stand and trust that God is up to something, even if we cannot see it fully just yet. Salvation is made in the midst of earth—not heaven, not in the afterlife only, but in the midst of the earth—here and now, by God, for all the earth to experience. For you and me. That is the gift of Easter, of resurrection hope, of Christ come among us, and rising from the dead, the first fruits of this new life offered freely to all.
And so we make our song, even at the grave: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
I invite you to listen to the choir sing our way into Easter. May your season of Easter celebration be one of patient ferment of hope in God’s movement in your life, and in this world of ours so famished for such good news.
The Very Reverend Steven L. Thomason
Dean and Rector
It’s Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras—the night before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. As I’m waiting for a friend, a message on my phone alerts me to the information that it’s World Water Day. Water scarcity in the West Bank and Gaza is an issue I’ve explored in some detail, beginning with my first trip to Israel-Palestine some ten years ago with friends from Earth Ministry.
The water situation there hasn’t changed much since then. As Amnesty International reports, soon after Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, in June 1967, the Israeli military authorities consolidated complete power over all water resources and water-related infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Of the water available from West Bank aquifers, Israel uses 73%, West Bank Palestinians use 17%, and illegal Jewish settlers use 10%. While 10-14% of Palestine’s GDP is agricultural, 90% of them must rely on rain-fed farming methods.
I’ve not been to Gaza—it’s next to impossible to get in since its border has been controlled by Israel—but I have friends who endure the reality of life over there, where the water is essentially undrinkable, primarily because of the destruction of sewage plants during Israeli attacks. A recent report sums up the hard news.
We all have a chance to learn something about this through a Wednesday night forum on April 20th featuring staff from The Middle East Children's Alliance. They[1] will lead a discussion about the Maia Project that brings clean water to schools in Gaza by installing filtration systems. It’s a project endorsed by our Bishop; members of the Bishop’s Committee and the Cathedral’s Mideast Focus Committee are working at raising awareness and funds.
It's all part of what we’re calling Mutual Ministry: the recognition that we do not work in silos but that, for example, Creation Care connects directly with issues of environmental injustice, which in turn connects with ongoing racial injustice. And all of it calls us because of a love for a world seeded into us by the love given to us by Christ.
There are no borders in the geography of Jesus.
The next night, Judy and I go to the Cathedral for the Ash Wednesday service and listen to Eliacin give the homily, where he beautifully connects the mark of ash on the forehead received tonight—from dust you came, to dust you return—to the mark of oil on that same forehead that will come for the newly baptized at the Easter Vigil. Which this year will include my grandson Walter, who will be baptized at the Vigil at Saint Mark’s in the Bowery in New York. The hand of the priest, flesh on flesh, the sign of the cross.
You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.
From death and a desert wandering to new life, rising up out of the waters in a resurrected body that is not simply one’s old body but is every body, everyone, the body of Christ, raised with Him, meaning that we’re alive in love, immortalized in and through love. The waters of baptism—often just a few drops, a handful—signify this love which cleanses and heals and, yes, restores.
We take water so much for granted until we don’t have it. But of course the beauty and power of water is at the heart of this new life, both literally in our bodily need but also aesthetically in its sheer beauty. One of the first places I felt something of this was on the Gulf Coast of Florida where my grandparents lived. At night, as a teenager, I’d leave our rented apartment and walk down to the beach and just sit there and stare out at the dark waves, the sky and stars. It was there that I first sensed that we are truly as wide as the sky.
That feeling remains every time I’m at the ocean or simply sitting at the shore of Puget Sound or a river in the North Cascades. It is as deep as the sky, older than the universe itself. What’s left is gratitude, because you know you’ve done nothing to deserve it. And you know that what you feel is a holy thing. The old life gone. Nothing left but grace.
Rising up from the ashes.
After all the years of laboring you arrive here, at this place, this Easter, with the memory of ash on your forehead, yourself as dust and yet with the love for a newly baptized grandson seeded deep inside the soil of your heart. Knowing that there is work to be done in the vineyard, in this wounded world, and knowing too that there are new generations preparing for the task. May there be rainfall and snow melt, flowing rivers and clean lakes, for those who follow us. May there be clean water.
Longtime Saint Mark's parishioner and former vestry member Doug Thorpe is Professor Emeritus of English at Seattle Pacific University.
The Night Watch at the Altar of Repose will be offered via livestream and in person this year.
After Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday, some of the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist are placed on the altar in McCaw chapel, where they may be a focus for prayer and meditation through the night. We remember the agony of Jesus' final night before his crucifixion, and we remember his challenge to the disciples: "Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:37–38)
All are invited to spend some time in prayer and stillness before the altar of either from home (streaming live from the nave all night) or in person (in the cathedral until midnight). Spend the time in whatever way feels meaningful to you: meditating, reading scripture or poetry, journaling, knitting or just sitting in silence.
Altar of Repose Online
The virtual Night Watch will be streamed slightly differently than the usual liturgy livestreams. It will be streamed through YouTube only. Soon after the Maundy Thursday liturgy concludes, check the cathedral's YouTube channel for the live video. A short time later, the video will also be embedded in the usual livestream page of the cathedral website—you may need to refresh the page to see it. The stream will continue live until Friday morning.
Altar of Repose In Person
If you would like to sign up for an in-person time slot between 8:30 p.m. and midnight please fill out this form. You may sign up for more than one slot, and multiple people can sign up for the same slot.
When you arrive for your time slot, please come to the Hoerster Annex doors (southwest corner of the parking lot) and ring the doorbell. Someone will come let you in on the hour and the half-hour. (If you arrive at, for example, 10:15, you will need to wait until 10:30 to enter).
The Christian mystical tradition can be deeply earthy and sensual in its yearning for union with the Divine. Hildegard of Bingen and Teresa of Avila found a wondrous God in trees and flowing water. Catherine of Siena and Ignatius Loyola were drawn by the wild energy of fire and the darkness of the cave. These mystics call us back to a “Great Conversation” with the natural world, reconnecting our spiritual lives with the earth. Renowned theologian and best-selling author Belden Lane will guide this wholesome exploration through images, storytelling, poetry, and guided meditation.
The confluence of Earth Day, the Easter Season, and springtime delight affords a spectacular opportunity to engage in conversation with nature, and through it, with God. Dr. Lane will offer four reflections:
The Great Conversation: Listening to Trees
Wilderness, Storytelling, and the Power of Place
Catherine and Teresa, Women of Spirit: Fire and Water (Feeding one’s Desire for God)
Ignatius Loyola and the Cave as Teacher
Space and time are integrated to allow contemplative time in the urban green space, journaling, and plenary conversations. Fee is $60 which includes snacks and light breakfast and lunch Saturday for those in Bloedel Hall.
April 10, 2022 • The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
ORISON: Domine, ne longe facias – Plainsong, Mode VIII
PSALM 22:1-11 – Plainsong, Tone IV.1
RESPOND: In manus tuas – John Sheppard (c. 1515-1558)
HYMN 168: O sacred head, sore wounded (Tune: HERZLICH TUT MICH VERLANGEN) – Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612); adapt. and harm. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
NUNC DIMITTIS – Plainsong setting, Tone IV.2
ANTHEM: Lamentations – Peter R. Hallock
Jason Anderson, director • Page Smith, violoncellist • Jeremy Matheis, reader • Derek Tilton, cantor
IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
Compline is now open to all for in-person attendance.
Starting March 14, 2022, masks are optional inside the cathedral. The south section of seating is reserved for those who wish to remain masked and distanced from others. Learn more here.
OTHER WAYS TO WATCH
If you experience any problems with the video player on this page, you may wish to try joining the simultaneous stream on Facebook or YouTube instead.
NEWSLETTER
The weekly cathedral newsletter contains important announcements, offerings, and events. Click here to add yourself to cathedral emails lists.
Audio and printed text of sermons can be found here.
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.
