COMMUNITY LIFE

UPDATE: Rev. Brownridge’s first sermon for Saint Mark’s will be offered during the 11 a.m. liturgy on Sunday, January 17 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 … Read More

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. … Read More

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, … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY AFTERNOONS IN ADVENT Register for a 20-minute time period. Wednesdays, December 2, 9, 16, or 23 between 12 and 2 p.m. Sundays, December 6, 13, or 20 between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. There are two slots available in each time period. A party of individuals from the same household may claim a single slot. or call Erik Donner at 206-323-0300 x217 for a reservation. Personal Prayer Time in the Cathedral is for anyone who wishes to come … Read More

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 … Read More

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 … Read More

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 4:30 P.M., via Zoom Dean Thomason and Canon Kleinschmidt’s Hymn Sings are quickly becoming a favorite pandemic pastime! For this Christmas Hymn Sing, they invite you to join in singing hymns and carols via Zoom. Do you have a favorite carol that celebrates the birth of the Christ child? This is your chance to carol with the Saint Mark’s Community. Requests are encouraged, from any hymnal. Make your hymn request here (one per person, please!) by December 26. Zoom … Read More

Did you know? Just as we light a new candle in the wreath each week of Advent, so the cathedral altar also changes each Sunday… Cathedral Sacristan and Head Verger Michael Seewer sends an email several times a year to those at Saint Mark’s involved in liturgical ministries, including both practical announcements about scheduling, training, etc., as well as spiritual reflections and items of more general interest. In his Advent newsletter, Michael included interesting information about the Advent “paraments” (matched … Read More

Support the Cost of Evergreens and Poinsettias for the Cathedral Nave Although the traditional greening of the nave will be smaller than usual, green boughs and poinsettias will still grace Saint Mark’s this year. You are once again invited to underwrite the costs of greenery as a memorial or in thanksgiving for a loved one. There are four ways to give: mail a check to the cathedral office (memo: Poinsettias) online through saintmarks.org/give (select “Christmas Memorials and Thanksgivings) through the Venmo mobile app … Read More

Update (June, 2021): Alexa’s time with us has now come to an end, but her work here has made a contribution that will endure. Thank you, Alexa! A NEW INITIATIVE TO ORGANIZE AND PROTECT THE CATHEDRAL’S HISTORY As anyone who has ever ventured into the crypt of Saint Mark’s will tell you, the cathedral is in possession of an enormous quantity of documents and artifacts, from all periods of the parish’s existence. In fact, such historical material has not even … Read More

Please take a moment to watch a brief video message from Dean Steve Thomason, reflecting on the season of Advent that is about to begin, and highlighting a few of the cathedral’s upcoming offerings. See the complete schedule of events, and stay up to date with the changing situation at: saintmarks.org/advent