Cathedral Day 2025 is Saturday, May 3!
Cathedral Day is a “family reunion” for Episcopalians from across western Washington. It’s a time for connecting across congregations and experiencing all your cathedral has to offer.
Cathedral Day 2024 celebrated the idea of pilgrimage, with Saint Mark’s serving as your sacred destination.
Our Christian tradition holds dear the spiritual practice of making pilgrimages that profoundly shape our understanding of what it means to follow Christ. One need not travel across the globe to do so; one need only be open to the holy experience of discovering God anew on the way.
For centuries, cathedrals have served as Christian pilgrimage sites, drawing people of faith into the orbit of wonder and awe. This year, for Cathedral Day in the Diocese of Olympia, all were encouraged to consider the day’s journey as a pilgrimage to your cathedral.
As Jesus said to the first ones to follow him as people of The Way: "Come and see…" so are we invited to join on this journey together this Eastertide. Come and see…
VIEW THE 2024 LITURGY RECORDING
2024 SCHEDULE OF THE DAY
9 a.m.: Confirmation Rehearsal – Confirmands, Sponsors, Clergy, Church Representatives arrive for rehearsal, meet with Bishop Melissa Skelton.
10:10 a.m.: Assemble for Procession – Candidates, sponsors, clergy, and banner holders line up and prepare to process into Saint Mark’s. All congregations attending Cathedral Day are invited to bring their banners and be a part of this procession.
10:30 a.m.: Confirmation Liturgy – A liturgy of Holy Eucharist with the rites of confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation for candidates from parishes near and far will open with a grand, colorful procession of parish banners.
12 p.m.: Lunch – Food trucks will be at-the-ready outside the cathedral. Register your whole family here for a free lunch at your choice of three eateries.
12:30 p.m.: Activities for All Ages – Take a docent-led tour of the cathedral and crypt and see chalk art by WWII soldiers; jump in a bouncy castle sponsored by Camp Huston; hear a demonstration of the mighty Flentrop organ; launch recycled paper airplanes from the organ loft; participate in a collaborative art project; walk the labyrinth and greenbelt; visit the Leffer Garden; and, as a souvenir, bring seeds from our seed library back to your home or church!
What is Cathedral Day?
Cathedral Day is a celebration of the community of the Diocese of Olympia— a time for connecting across communities, experiencing your cathedral in a new light... and having a lot of fun. There’s something for everyone—no matter your age!
A liturgy of Holy Eucharist with the rites of confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation for candidates from parishes near and far will begin at 10:30 a.m., opening with a grand, colorful procession of parish banners. Following the service, all are invited to enjoy lunch from food trucks and participate in activities for all ages.
Everyone is welcome to attend the liturgy at 10:30 a.m., and if you are unable to attend, you are still most welcome to participate in the afternoon activates and enjoy some delicious food.
Check out the 1-minute "teaser" video filmed in 2018 below:
Video Invitation to the Most Recent Cathedral Day
Above: The first Cathedral Day in Seattle, May 1931. Below: Views of Cathedral Day through the years. Click to enlarge.
Past Cathedral Day liturgy videos and leaflets:
Video and service leaflets from past Cathedral Day liturgies can be found here: