COMMUNITY LIFE

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2024, 6:45–8:15 P.M., in person in Bloedel Hall and online via Zoom.  Program is free; optional community dinner at 6 p.m. ($8/adult; $25/family max.) “Cathedral Commons” resumes this Wednesday, September 11. Join Dean Thomason and invited guests—Deacon Frank DiGirolamo and others from Operation Nightwatch, with whom Saint Mark’s is partnering to provide a new Women’s Shelter on the cathedral property, launching later this fall in space formerly occupied by Gage Academy of Arts in the St. Nicholas … Read More

Bishop Phil LaBelle is being seated at Saint Mark’s Cathedral at a 4:30 p.m. Choral Evensong on Sunday, September 15—see more information below. We, the congregation of Saint Mark’s, are providing a festive and elegant reception in the cathedral nave following the liturgy. Contributions of refreshments are needed! Please take a look at this signup form to see what is needed, or speak with Virginia Lenker at a table in the nave on Sunday, September 1, following the 11 a.m. … Read More

UPDATED WITH VIDEO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 10:10-10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall Attend this special Sunday forum in Bloedel Hall between the 9 and 11 a.m. liturgies this Sunday for a summary of the events of the 81st General Convention, the governing body of The Episcopal Church. General Convention takes place every three years, and this year occurred in Louisville, Kentucky from June 23–28. Hear from three Saint Mark’s members—Michael Seewer, Michael Perera, and Hannah Hochkeppel—who were at General Convention and serving … Read More

UPDATED WITH VIDEO TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 6–7 P.M., via Zoom Join members of the 20s/30s, 40s/50s, Third Acters, and Queer in Christ as we learn about and celebrate a new ministry opportunity at Saint Mark’s, Operation Nightwatch’s Broadway Street Ministry. Operation Nightwatch is a local non-profit that reduces the impact of poverty and homelessness, in keeping with Jesus’ teaching to love our neighbors. At this special Tuesday night forum, The Rev. Michael Cox, pastor at All Pilgrim’s Church in Capitol Hill and Director … Read More

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2–5 P.M., Leffler House The members of Saint Mark’s Writer’s Group invite you to join us at our first in-person Salon, to listen to, and/or share writing from the heart and soul. We welcome 20s/30s, 40s/50s, and Third Acters (60 plus). You may bring an original work, or a work by a favorite author (limit: 5–7 minutes). If you have a piece you would like to share but are shy to read to the group, one of … Read More

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 12:15 P.M. (following the 11 a.m. service), on the labyrinth and front lawn; RSVP requested. This year, we’re delighted to provide a delicious picnic lunch of grilled burgers and hot dogs (vegan alternative available), macaroni salad, chips, watermelon, and cookies following the 11 am service on the front lawn. There’s no charge, but please register here so we know how many people to cook for. Activities will include: Ministry Fair! (naturally!) Live bluegrass music! Blessing of Backpacks … Read More

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1:30-4:30 P.M. (Renewal of Baptismal Covenant at 3 p.m.), in the cathedral nave and outdoors; registration requested In the Baptism rite of the Book of Common Prayer, parents and godparents of younger children are asked “by your prayers and witness, will you help this child to grow into the full stature of Christ?” Adult baptizands have sponsors, too, and the entire community is asked if we will “do all in your power to support these persons in … Read More

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 7 P.M.–8 P.M., outside on the labyrinth and front lawn All ages are welcome to join the 20s/30s group for an outdoor evening of music and prayer. Using Night Prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book as our guide, we will end our day gathering on the Labyrinth in front of Saint Mark’s. We will also intersperse simple singing together inspired by music from Taize and other short refrains. If you play an outdoor appropriate instrument and … Read More

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2024, 9 A.M.–12 P.M., registration required; total capacity limited to 35 participants. Now at capacity.  UPDATE: Due to cancellations, a few spots have opened up. Please email Dean Thomason: sthomason@saintmarks.org LED BY THE REV. SR. MIRIAM ELIZABETH BLEDSOE, OSH In a world of constant commotion, what does it mean to practice silence? In a culture of shifting change, how do we practice stillness? In the crowds of everyday life, where do we find solitude? While silence, stillness … Read More

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2024, 10:00 A.M.–2:00 P.M. Drawing on traditional cyclical wisdom that holds seasonal, weekly and daily rhythms as sacred, how we mark time matters, and it informs the ways we live intentionally in the ordinary routines of daily life. Guided by contemplative practices that help us align with the rhythms of the natural world, those gathered will prepare and share a meal as a way of framing our lives by rooted intention. Register here.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: AUGUST 12 Dean Thomason invites members of the cathedral community to prayerfully consider applying to join the inaugural cohort of the The Center for Spirituality and Action (CSA), a new ministry of Saint Mark’s launching this fall and based in Leffler House. The CSA will function as an intentional Christian community for individuals who seek to order their lives by a contemplative spirituality and regularly gather for prayer, formation, retreats, spiritual direction and service. In the monastic … Read More

The Visual Arts Ministry of Saint Mark’s has mounted a community photography exhibition for the “Hallway Gallery”—the semicircular office hallway on the floor above Bloedel Hall. A dozen parishioners responded to the call for submissions for photographs reflecting on a personal experience of sacred travel, and the subject matter of the photos in the exhibition ranges from the cathedral’s own 2023 Celtic pilgrimage and 2022 journey to the Holy Land, to experiences of the Camino de Santiago, to our own backyard. The … Read More

Click below to enlarge a feature from The Rubric about the first Women’s Compline Choir services: NOTE: The post below describes the services in the summer of 2024. For the 2025 services (on June 29 and August 24, 2025) please see this post.  THREE SUNDAYS: AUGUST 4, 11, AND 18, 2024, 9:30 P.M., in the cathedral nave, broadcast, and livestreamed Following their debut in the summer of 2019, the Women’s Compline Choir, led by Saint Mark’s Associate Musician Rebekah Gilmore, … Read More

A MESSAGE FROM DEAN THOMASON: On Being Christians in the Civic Discourse  An email to the cathedral parish community, sent July 4, 2024 Dear friends, The tragic irony is not lost on me that in this week when we observe the 248th anniversary of the signing of this nation’s Declaration of Independence, with its litany of the king’s calumny, we have received another document into the public discourse—this time delivered by six Supreme Court justices who have rendered a starkly … Read More

SUNDAY, JULY 14, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Leffler Vegetable Garden Everyone is invited to gather for the blessing of the Leffler Vegetable Garden between the 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday services on July 14 at 10:10 a.m. Following the blessing, enjoy a glass of lemonade and a tour of the garden. Bundles of oregano, mint, sage, parsley, and rosemary from the garden will be available to attendees! Contact Else with questions at: elsectb@gmail.com (The Leffler Vegetable Garden will be open every Sunday … Read More

BRAINSTORMING CHAT: THURSDAY, JULY 25, 4:30 P.M., via Zoom MARKET: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24 Last year’s Alternative Gift Market was a terrific success, with an overwhelming response to the many items on sale and the many opportunities for donations. This year’s Alternative Gift Market will be on Sunday, November 24 in Bloedel Hall following both the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. This is slightly earlier than last year, on the Sunday before both Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent, which … Read More