OPENING PLENARY VIDEO NOW AVAILBLE.
GROUPS MEET: ONCE A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS, BEGINNING OCTOBER 7
In January of 2020 the cathedral launched The Radix Project: Small Groups/Deep Roots. Over 150 people met together weekly for 6 weeks to study scripture, share stories, and pray for one another. Then, when the Cathedral closed in the Spring, 80 people met in small groups via Zoom to study the Resurrection narratives in the season of Easter. This fall, you are invited to a third series centered around stories of Biblical surprise. New groups are formed for each series, and meet once a week online for six weeks, beginning the first week of October. More information is available on the Radix Project webpage, where material from previous iterations of the Radix Project are now posted, and where materials for the upcoming series will be posted as they become available.
Registration for the small groups is now closed, but the Opening Plenary is open to everyone, whether or not they are participating in the meetings.
SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
Dean Thomason will offer some theological reflections on the element of surprise in scripture and in our lives. We’ve had a lot of surprises this year, good and bad! How do we understand them in light of the spiritual journey? (Note: this forum serves as opening plenary for the Radix Project, but all are welcome to attend.) No pre-registration necessary.
Earlier this week, an email was sent to the community announcing the upcoming season of The Wisdom School, now entering its fifth year. The complete schedule may now be seen at saintmarks.org/wisdom, and the full season brochure can be downloaded as a pdf. The earliest special event on the schedule is the annual Advent Quiet Morning at St Andrews on December 12, 2020 (update: Quiet Morning cancelled); the main programing of the season, organized under the theme of The Spirituality of Desire, begins with an opening plenary on January 13, 2021. Other events include visits by the teacher and theologian Belden C. Lane; author and therapist Dr. Hillary McBride (co-host of the well-known podcast The Liturgists); a men's retreat and a women's retreat; a capstone pilgrimage to Britain rescheduled from summer 2020 (update: Pilgrimage postponed to 2022); and more. In light of the ongoing pandemic, contingencies have been built in to the planning—events will be in-person, all-online, or blended as conditions allow. Check back on The Wisdom School page as the events approach, and use this form to sign up for the special Wisdom School mailing list.
UPDATE (October 2020):
In late October, it was announced that Laura Ellen and Robert Muglia had made a gift of their share of the St. Nicholas property. This is the largest single gift in the history of Saint Mark's Cathedral! Read about it here.
FORUM: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 7 P.M., via Zoom
On September 2, Dean Thomason sent an email to the cathedral community announcing that the Vestry has recently engaged a development consultant to assist us in exploring potential uses of the St. Nicholas building with a goal of advancing the cathedral’s mission and ministries. John Hoerster serves as the chair of a committee guiding this process. The text of the summary report is available below.
On Sunday, September 20 at 7 p.m., Mr. Hoerster and Dean Thomason will share details of the process, plans for parish input along the way, and address questions folks may have at this early stage.
There will be time in this meeting for parishioners to ask questions about the process as well. It is important to note that this is an exploratory process, authorized by the Vestry, which will unfold across the fall, and the committee will provide periodic updates to the parish at key intervals. You may also email committee leaders using the special email address: stnicholas@saintmarks.org
Saint Mark’s Cathedral is receiving a generous gift this Fall by which it will become the sole owner of the St. Nicholas property that is north of the main cathedral building. As a result, Saint Mark’s is undertaking a process to explore how the property can best be used to further the cathedral’s mission and ministries after 2023, when the current subleases with Gage Academy of Art and Bright Water Waldorf Society expire.
Here are pdfs of lists of references and resources related to the two sessions:
Session 1: Celebrating the Harvest, Sept. 16
Session 2: Take a Next Step: Mindful Steps, Sept. 23
Video of both sessions is now available:
The 2020–21 Saint Mark's Music contains a variety of offerings, from beloved annual traditions to encounters with the unfamiliar. You can read the series announcement email here. This year, all the event on the Music Series will be livestreamed and viewable for free.
Highlights include:
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020, 7:30 P.M.,
Flentrop Organ Concert with Canon KleinschmidtFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020, 7:30 P.M.,
Native American Flute Songs with Gary StroutsosFRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021, 7:30 P.M.,
Fritts Organ Concert with John StuntebeckFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021, 7:30 P.M,
Concert à 3: with Jillon Dupree, Rebekah Gilmore, & Page SmithPALM SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2021, 4:30 P.M.,
Messiaen's Quartet for the End of TimeFRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021, 7:30 P.M.,
All-Bach on the Flentrop Organ with Alex Weimann
Check out the Music Series page to learn more!
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, before, during, and after the morning worship service.
Here is the slideshow of cathedral ministries presented before the service on Sunday morning, including live organ accompaniment by Canon Michael Kleinschmidt:
Just before the morning liturgy, at 10:45 a.m., a slideshow of images of cathedral ministries in action in recent years will be presented (see above).
After the service, Zoom into a lively online Coffee Hour for a special presentation on the ministry life of Saint Mark’s and preview of our new Ministry Guide, and talk together as we kick into our fall season!
If you have not already received the link to join Zoom Coffee Hours, please email Peter McClung for instructions: petercamfan@gmail.com.
On Wednesday, September 8, an email message was sent to the cathedral community with information concerning the eventual reopening of the cathedral building and resumption of in-person worship. Dean Thomason announced over four months ago, in May, that "we will not be among the first churches to reopen." As of now, there is no date set to reopen. But a committee of staff and volunteers has worked hard to think through what it will look like when the cathedral's doors do eventually open, and to create policies and procedures to keep everyone as safe as possible during this ongoing crisis.
The work of that committee may be seen on the "Reopening Planning" page here. At this time, the page contains the complete Reopening Plan document downloadable as a pdf, a summary version of the policies and procedures, as well as some Frequently Asked Questions. The Reopening Planning webpage will be continually updated as the situation develops. When the date for the resumption of in-person worship is set, further information including a link to register online to attend a Sunday service will appear there.
EVERY TUESDAY, 11:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M., currently meeting via Zoom, although a return to in-person meetings is under consideration
Tuesday Bible Study provides a weekly conversation around the scripture readings for the following Sunday. It has recently re-launched using the Zoom platform. Each week a discussion is facilitated and lively conversation ensues as people share their thoughts about the lessons.
The group meets from 11:30–12 p.m. for social time and 12–1:30 p.m. for study and prayer over the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday.
Hello to all the supporters of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral’s ministry to the Saint Martin de Porres shelter on Alaskan Way in Seattle!
I hope that you are enjoying your summer. I wanted to report to our wider group of supporters and volunteers as to what has been happening during July and August for our ministry.
We have had a very busy two months! We are as active as possible in providing meals to some of our homeless friends, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. As you know, our friends in need require more support than ever due to the hardships imposed by the pandemic.
In early July, Reverend Cristi Chapman asked if some of us involved with the Saint Martin de Porres ministry would be able to cook some meals for our church visitors with Tent City 3 in the church parking lot. We decided that the lead cooks in our ministry and those in Teen Feed program ministry should join together to help out.
On Sunday night, July 26, four of us met in the church parking lot to help prepare 50 meals for our guests. You can see the four of us in the photo at the bottom of this email. On the left side of the photo, you will see some of the paper bags we prepared for each Tent City resident. We prepared 50 paper bags, each with a sandwich (Maris Olsen and Mark Stumpf), homemade cookies (Earl Grout), an orange, two containers of potato salad, a bag of chips, a small granola bar, and a can of seltzer water. It was a perfect outdoor dinner on a pleasant summer evening!
On August 23, our other lead cooks Brook Brayman, and Teresa Pliskowski hosted Tent City again with Kathy Albert ‘s help. You can check us out below! This time we offered homemade sandwiches, potato salad, fresh fruit, and cookies. The photo below shows Kathy, Brook, and Teresa in the church parking lot.
Meanwhile, we continue to provide hearty dinners twice a month to the Saint Martin de Porres shelter on Alaskan Way. In July Kathy Albert and Rabi Lahiri, a new volunteer, helped do the grocery shopping. In August Earl Grout and Jay Quarterman helped us at Restaurant Depot. In the final photo you can see Jay Quartermain, Brook Brayman, and Earl Grout with our meal supplies from Restaurant Depot. Thank you all!
Do any of you read the Real Change newspaper sold by Seattle street vendors? In the July issue (Volume 27, Number 28), vendor David Dunn (and Saint Martin’s resident) refers approvingly to Saint Martins as “the ranch.” He talks about how challenging the pandemic lockdown was for many shelter residents. The good news is that Real Change vendors are back selling their papers. Maybe you could buy one and help the vendors out?
Why in the midst of a worldwide pandemic do we continue to provide meals to our neighbors in need? Volunteer Kathy Albert summarized her thoughts and values when she wrote our team members in March. (With her permission):
I'm glad the prep and delivery of the lunches for the Saint Martin de Porres men was such a success! I'm proud that my faith community is doing the saintly work of serving the needs of our most vulnerable during this pandemic, the people who in the long run will be the most forgotten as we find our way through. We need to continue doing this kind of work! We could conceivably shut down this ministry, out of consideration for our own health needs and those of the people around us. But what about the needs of these homeless people whom we serve? They are just as important, and our faith tells us their needs are to be considered first.
Perhaps it also helps us to re-read the mission statement from the local Saint Martin de Porres on its website:
Our Ministry of Presence
“Do not depend on the hope of results…In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything.”
—Thomas MertonOur ministry of presence is rooted in the Gospel Values and entwined with our idea of friendship and community. We believe our ministry is to live out an unconditional affirmation and passionate pursuit of the best in every person.
We have faith that the good is there and that we can discover it together through our solidarity with one another in all the pain and joy of life.
We recognize our shortcomings and we ask forgiveness when we fail to sustain our vision of home for one another.
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer! We will periodically keep you all advised of our activities. Thank you again for your continued support in helping to keep our ministry alive and vibrant.
—submitted by Chris Rigos, Team Coordinator
SEPTEMBER 1–OCTOBER 4, 2020
Saint Mark’s and the greater Episcopal Church joins Christian churches across the world in celebrating the Season of Creation September 1 – October 4. From the Season of Creation website:
“The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator through repenting, repairing, and rejoicing together. During the Season of Creation, we join our sisters and brothers in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.”
This August marks the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima, on August 6, and Nagasaki, on August 9, 1945. As the world community remembers and addresses the ongoing threat of nuclear aggression, the Vestry of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral Parish in Seattle has released a resolution “calling upon U.S. policymakers to determine a timely process for the dismantling of existing U.S. nuclear weapons while urging other countries to do likewise, and urging the President and Congress to explore a moratorium on production of new nuclear arms.”
In solidarity with so many churches and faith-based organizations, Saint Mark’s Cathedral has taken a stand against unjust wars and nuclear weapons going back decades. Dean & Rector The Very Rev. John Leffler repeatedly denounced the Vietnam War from the pulpit in the 1960s, and his successor, The Very Rev. Cabell Tennis, notoriously spoke out against the bombing of Cambodia in a televised sermon on Christmas Eve, 1972. In the subsequent decades, the cathedral has continued to use its voice on these issues, partnering with groups such as the Washington Against Nuclear Weapons Coalition (WANW).
Nuclear disarmament is a particularly significant concern in the Pacific Northwest, since the largest concentration of deployed nuclear weapons in the U.S. is just 20 miles away at Naval Base Kitsap. Washington State’s Hanford Site, which produced the plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, continues to store millions of gallons of high-level nuclear waste in unsafe conditions, leaking contaminated material into the environment to this day—an enduring consequence of the country's nuclear weapons program.
Betsy Bell of Saint Mark’s Cathedral, who leads the Nuclear Disarmament Ministry, said, “To the majority of people alive in 2020, both WWII and the Cold War seem like history far in the past, and so it is a shock to realize that the United State continues to build and stockpile nuclear weapons at such a vast scale, and even more shocking in light of how invisible the subject has become in our national discourse. The mere existence of these weapons today is an atrocity!”
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 5:30 P.M.
On the first Sunday in August, at 5:30 p.m., you are invited to attend (via livestream or in person) a brief service of dedication and blessing of four benches that have been placed around the perimeter of the labyrinth on the front lawn of Saint Mark’s Cathedral.
These benches are given in loving memory of four long-time members of the cathedral who have recently died—The Rev. Canon Mike Jackson, Randy Revelle, Kathie Moen, and The Rev. Canon Timothy Nakayama. Their families will be on hand for the occasion, and we hope that many in the parish community will gather around them, masked and socially distanced of course, as we remember these beloved people and give thanks for their lives, and place into service these four benches designed to be seats of urban rest around the mystical beauty of the labyrinth. This is one more way we intend to say to the world: wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here…
Following the brief rite of dedication of the benches, The Pacific Brass Quintet—a professional ensemble with which parishioner and resident trumpeter, Bob Gale, has performed for over twenty years—will gather on the cathedral front terrace and offer a festive musical offering for those present and those joining via livestream.
The cathedral building has two beehives on the roof of Bloedel Hall. Thanks to beekeeper Rob Reid, our bees are thriving! Scroll down to view pictures.
Your prayers for the health of our hives are welcome. For more information about protecting pollinators, visit this link.
If you are interested in helping out with the bees, contact the cathedral and we will put you in touch with Rob.
Sundays & Beyond Update August 30, 2020
Sundays & Beyond Update July 19, 2020
The active honeybee hives on the roof of Bloedel Hall have been busy. And, apparently, they have a sense of humor: Q: Why do virgin bees mate in the air? A: They can’t get any privacy in the hive. Consider planting pollinator-friendly plants in your own garden or window box. And reduce or eliminate pesticides on your plants.
Sundays & Beyond Update July 12, 2020
Did you know St. Mark’s has two active honeybee hives on the roof of Bloedel Hall? Installed on May 10, they include thousands of residents. Recently, our apiarist Rob Reid suspected one of our hives had lost its queen because, when inspecting the frames, he was unable to find eggs. But wild bees are able to create a new queen with remaining larvae. To assist our bees, Rob and Jaime Rubio moved eggs from the healthy hive to the queenless one. Now the bees can create queen cells and feed them “royal jelly.” If all goes well, in less than a month, the new queen will mate in mid air with drone bees and start laying fertile eggs. There’s lots of miraculous science involved. You can see where the expression “the birds and the bees” comes from.
Sundays & Beyond Update July 5, 2020
This week’s thought: The world is facing a mass extinction of species, including pollinators. Bees are critically important to our global food production and nutritional security. Estimates suggest that pollinators directly contribute US$235–$577 billion to global food production each year. Without pollinators, many of the foods we depend on would become scarce, putting life on our planet at risk. When planting your flower garden this summer, consider planting pollinator-friendly plants. Take Earth Day Network’s Pesticide Pledge, and learn about additional actions you can take to help protect pollinators.
June Update from Beekeeper Rob
The bee population in our hives is increasing rapidly. We have added a second deep hive box to both hives. I may try to split an existing hive and create a third hive. Providing another queen can be tricky though.
Some of you have joined me in caring for the bees already. Thank you for your company, Jaime, Keiko, Yoshi, Barbara and Steve, and Nancy.
May Update from Beekeeper Rob
Penny and I picked up bees from the Snohomish Bee Company at the Monroe Fairgrounds last Sunday afternoon. Then, we “installed” two “nucs” of bees into two of the existing hives on the roof of Bloedel Hall. I ordered them several months ago and they were shipped here from Northern California a week ago. Each nuc comes with 5 frames and a working queen and thousands of worker bees. It was quick and easy to move the 5 frames, one at a time, into our hives. In fact, miraculously, I saw the queen on one of the frames as I was moving it from nuc box to hive.
The Flentrop Orgelbouw, founded in Zaandam in the Netherlands in 1903, created the organ for Saint Mark’s Seattle in 1965, and is still producing world-class instruments in 2020. On Saturday, July 18, 2020, the firm presented a virtual open house via YouTube livestream, during which they presented a tour of their workshop, presented videos and sound recordings illustrating their work, answered live questions from viewers, and revealed their current project, a large instrument for the Royal Birmingham (U.K.) Conservatoire.
View the video below to go step by step through the making of the organ.
UPDATE 8/18: With the return of a Sunday Morning service of Holy Eucharist on August 23, the cathedral's experiment with Morning Prayer has concluded. Eucharist will be continue to be offered every Sunday as we enter the fall season. Please reach out to the cathedral or to Dean Thomason directly and let us know what your experience of this liturgy was like.
This pattern or services, with Eucharist only once a month, and morning prayer at other times, was the normal practice at churches of the Anglican tradition until the liturgical reforms of the mid-to-late 20th century. Morning Prayer, or Matins, is part of the cycle of prayer services contained in the Book of Common Prayer collectively known as "The Daily Office," which in the current prayer book includes Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer (called "Evensong" when sung), and Compline.
Writing at the dawn of the current global pandemic, The Most Rev Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church, wrote:
Many factors contributed to a general decline in the celebration of the Eucharist well into the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Morning Prayer became the common service of worship on the Lord’s Day. And while it is good and right that the situation has changed dramatically, that the Holy Eucharist has again become the principal act of worship on Sunday across our church, few would suggest that the experience of Morning Prayer somehow limited God’s presence and love to generations of Anglican Christians. [...]
While not exclusively the case, online worship may be better suited to ways of praying represented by the forms of the Daily Office than by the physical and material dimensions required by the Eucharist. And under our present circumstances, in making greater use of the Office there may be an opportunity to recover aspects of our tradition that point to the sacramentality of the scriptures, the efficacy of prayer itself, the holiness of the household as the “domestic church,” and the reassurance that the baptized are already and forever marked as Christ’s own.
For a few weeks this summer, Saint Mark's will be taking up the Presiding Bishop's invitation. Please write to info@saintmarks.org or contact any of the clergy and let us know what you think of this experiment.
THIS SERIES MET IN JULY AND AUGUST, 2020
Although this offering is now concluded, you are invited to view the video of the plenary presentation, and explore course materials below.
At this critical moment in our nation’s and community’s history, we are confronted again with fresh knowledge of longstanding racial injustice – in policing, the justice system, health care, housing, education, the Church, and many other sectors of our common life. Our faith community is grappling with important questions – what do I need to learn? How should I and our church respond?
This four-week study and discussion series in summer 2020 brought the Saint Mark’s community together to confront racism—its theology, history, and presence in our lives today—and ways to move forward toward justice. The in-depth series open to all recognized the responsibility for change falls on white people. We met on four Wednesday nights, with a required advance registration and commitment to attend all sessions and read/watch articles and videos in advance, and began with encouraging participants to read ahead of time Ijeoma Oluo’s book, So You Want to Talk About Race.
Saint Mark’s has ongoing programming each season to continue the work to take up our responsibility for racial justice, and encourages each of us to continue doing our own inner work, and learning, and action. As programs at the cathedral are scheduled, details will be available on the Racial Justice resources page, here.
PDFs of the power point slides of the opening plenary may be downloaded here..
UPDATE 7/22: Video of the service of July 19 may be seen below:
UPDATE 7/28: Video of the service of July 26 may be seen below:
Back in March, Sandra Smith submitted the very first reflection posted on the cathedral website on the events that were then rapidly unfolding, from her perspective as an immune-compromised person. Now, three months later, she has submitted the following thoughts about the current situation.
I believe all people in our human community do matter, especially the vulnerable and oppressed. We must keep ourselves safe. For people who don’t chose to mask, I have felt righteous indignation with my inner bully/tyrant rising up with anger because my health is threatened. I don’t want to be a bully nor a tyrant nor do I want to hate others whose values and behaviors are different than my own. I want to disarm myself, and ask God’s grace to diminish threats, save all of us, God’s people, and help me to truly walk in love, literally.
So, I walked for exercise with my neighbor. We were masked and maintained 6 feet social distancing from each other. As the months continued, I noticed people on my walk who didn’t wear their masks and it worried me; I felt threatened by their choice as they approached on the street. It surprised me how much woeful energy I felt as I encountered the unmasked. I wondered, why such a threat?
Having walked along a busy street for my daily walk, I felt a slow crescendo of anxiety, both my own and others’. After stepping aside from my frustration and fear, I took time to reflect and realized that I want others to behave in a way that protects me. After all, I wear a mask to protect them. Didn’t they have the desire to protect others, like me?
Then I looked deeper and realized that I had a part in this. Perhaps my need to control the masking behavior of others only increased my frustration. Stepping back from my worldview of what compassionate life may look like, it had now become time for me to admit again, that I only have power over my own behavior and actions. I began to consider the question a very wise woman said, “what can I do differently?”
So, my walking buddy and I chose after Easter Monday to walk a new less busy route while reflecting on a scripture passage each of us brings to the walk, maintaining our six-foot distance between ourselves and the fewer unmasked anxious others we encountered. I avoided the nearby unmasked contractor who was consistently not adhering to the Governor’s directive for him to be masked. As he continued in his illegal neglect, I calmly and firmly wrote to my condo neighbors that the behavior of this unmasked contractor was unacceptable. I asked what does he not understand and why? He is now abiding and masked. I also acknowledge the passing joggers’ rights as equal to my right to be outside and avoid or face away from them as they pass quickly to protect myself.
I try to let go of what is not mine to do responsibly. I don’t want to act in a tyrannical way to any of my neighbors. I fervently want to express my needs in a firm and loving way. I ask God to help me walk in love which is hard to do. I pray that I can continue to choose to do the best I can. God bless you in your journey with the unmasked. Be Safe. Let us pray for one another. Amen.
Dear friends,
Several weeks ago, in the throes of feeling the acute loss of human interaction, it washed over me how much I missed hearing the voices of children in my life—the murmurs of little ones on the carpet in the nave during worship, the screams of playful delight on the Lowell Elementary School playground across the street from my home, the infectious giggles of toddlers swept up in a moment of joy, even the wailsome cries of a child who intuitively knows all is not right with their world. Children bring a spiritual wisdom to the mix, unhindered by worldly ways that tilt toward cynicism. I have learned much from these little ones through the years, when I take time to listen, really listen.
The idea of asking children questions and capturing their words in audio files matured under the leadership of Kelly Moody, our Associate for Spiritual Formation, and Canon Cristi Chapman, and we are delighted to share the voices of several children of Saint Mark’s here, in this time of pandemic. Entitled The Wisdom of Children, the invitation is simply to have your heart lifted, and perhaps opened a bit more to the spiritual connection we all share, as beloved children of God. There is wisdom here, and nourishment for the soul. Enjoy!
Blessings and Peace,
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 12 NOON
This Friday, June 5, at noon, a group of Seattle clergy from many faith traditions will gather on the terrace and steps of St. James Cathedral to pray and observe eight minutes, 46 seconds of silence while the Cathedral’s funeral bell tolls. Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown, Lead Pastor, Plymouth Church, will speak and invite all to the time of silence. Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral will be represented at the event by Dean Steve Thomason. Learn more in Dean Thomason's message here. Participating clergy will wear face coverings and observe appropriate physical distancing. The brief service will be livestreamed at https://vimeo.com/425970811 and on St James Cathedral’s Facebook page: facebook.com/stjamesseattle/
NOTE: To comply with the recent directive regarding outdoor religious services, in-person attendance at this event must be strictly limited. Please DO NOT plan to attend this event in person.
UPDATE: A full video of the event may be seen below:
What can I do? There are articles galore, lists galore, books galore – no dearth of resources and actions online and in publications. It’s not about you doing everything; it’s about all of us doing something.
You are encouraged to be willing to be uncomfortable, to read challenging works from sources you may not ordinarily seek out, and to be intentional in doing both the inner work and the active work in the world that we are called to as Christians: to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.
Black Lives Matter: A Guide to Resistance Events, Black-Owned Restaurants, and Other Ways to Stand Against Racism in Seattle
The Stranger has published this excellent list of resources, references, and recommendations.
The Bureau of Fearless Ideas [pdf]
The Seattle branch of the Dave Eggers-founded writing nonprofit suggests accounts to follow, books by black authors, donation sites, direct action literature, and podcasts about race.
Seattle Rep’s Racial Justice Resources
Seattle Repertory Theatre has compiled links to local and national donation sites, memorial funds, petitions, and education material, plus numbers to call to demand justice for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade.
Resources from The Episcopal Church, including Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's recent Pentecost sermon, scriptures and liturgies for prayer and healing, and ways to participate in justice initiatives.
Anti-Racism Resources [google doc]
This list compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein includes tons of articles, videos, podcasts, books, films and TV, and other links “intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work.”
Additional Resources for Taking Up Our Responsibility for Racial Justice [pdf] During Saint Mark’s summer 2020 series of readings, videos, podcasts, and discussions, many resources were offered by participants in addition to the syllabus, examining racism and white privilege and how we as individuals, and as community, are both complicit and can learn more and be forces for change. Find this extended list here.
Summer Reading List [pdf]
A collective network of Episcopal formation leaders has put together a wonderful anti-racist reading list for students (bracketed by age) and parents. We love God by loving one another, and it's never too soon to talk to our children about the differences they see, and to practice love by dismantling racism. Let us know if you read them, and send us a quick review to share with other families
Talking Race With Young Children [podcast episode with links to additional resources]
Even babies notice differences like skin color, eye shape and hair texture. Here's how to handle conversations about race, racism, diversity and inclusion, even with very young children.
Raising Race-conscious children
A list of 100(!) race-conscious things you can say to your child to advance racial justice.
Nikole Hannah-Jones' work on school choice and segregation
Scroll through the list of Hannah-Jones' publications and interviews to read her provocative work on inequalities in education
Explore the many offerings for high school and junior-high students from this interfaith organization with longstanding ties to Saint Mark's.
What does Love Do? [pdf]
A printable document for families from The Episcopal Church. Put it on your fridge, and be reminded throughout the day that love is the way!
Dear friends,
Our hearts singe once more with the excruciating pain of seeing a police officer in Minnesota use an established torture technique to subdue a black man under suspicion of an alleged crime. Other police officers were complicit in their participation. George Floyd died at their hands.
There has been much talk in recent weeks of constitutional rights, but Mr. Floyd was not afforded his in this moment which has catalyzed outrage and terror. Yes, terror, for there are fellow citizens of this nation who must live in fear of such heinous and deadly acts being perpetrated on them, too, and their sons and brothers. They live in terror because this is not an isolated event. This nation’s deep roots of racism have given rise to more than four centuries of such terror. It is no wonder that terror intermingled with grief from a pandemic has stirred the masses into a riotous furor.
“A riot is the language of the unheard.” So said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who used his prophetic voice to call this nation to repent of its sin of racism, in 1968. That quote has become a soundbite in recent days, as it did four years ago in Baltimore, and eight years ago in Ferguson, and… and… and…
But in that same speech Dr. King went on to ask America — which is to say, he went on to ask you and me: “What is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor [sic] has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.”
The prophet’s voice singes our ears and our hearts a half century later, and his words are sadly as true now as they were then. Dr. King rejected violence as a means for societal change, and yet he understood the violent protests of the oppressed in relation to the violence and terror that racism has inflicted on a people for centuries.
Let’s be honest: we all want justice… for ourselves at least, but maybe not so much when it disturbs the status quo to which we have become accustomed. That is human nature, I suppose, but it comes with a heavy price for some as we organize our common life by a deeper logic that insists on inequity: insider/outsider; rich/poor; powerful/oppressed. Barak Obama reflected this week in the wake of George Floyd’s death that “it's natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’ — whether it's while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park.”
God’s relentless call to us is about working for a new creation in which the even deeper logic is abundant life for all. A “new normal,” if you will. As we renew our Baptismal Covenant tomorrow on the occasion of Pentecost, may we form the words on our lips and on our hearts: “I will, with God’s help.”
Your Brother in Christ,
The Very Reverend Steven L. Thomason
Dean and Rector
In preparation for the Feast of Pentecost, 2020, The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason invites the community of Saint Mark's Seattle to reflect on the Baptismal Covenant of our denomination's Prayer Book. Featuring voices from the congregation.
On Sunday, May 24, The Rev. Canon Jennifer King Daugherty moderated a panel discussion with three women priests who served at Saint Mark's, Seattle, in three different decades: The Rev. Carla Berkedal Pryne, the first woman priest at Saint Mark's, who served in the 1980s, The Rev. Kate Kinney, who served in the 1990s, and The Rev. Sue Reid, who served in the 2000s.
Thank you to everyone who submitted photographs for the Heritage Sunday Slideshow, shown immediately before the livestreamed liturgy on May 24, 2020.
