CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRIES

WEDNESDAYS IN LENT, BEGINNING FEBRUARY 24, 4:30 P.M., via Zoom During the season of Lent, the choristers of the Choir School will host a weekly Evensong service over Zoom on Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. All are welcome! Take a break in your week to be led in prayer by the voices of our cathedral choristers. (Daily Evening Prayer continues at 6:30 p.m. as usual.) Join using this Zoom link. Although these services are led by the choristers of the choir … Read More

What Lenten prayers are on your heart? We may be distanced from each other in these times, but we can share our prayers, a piece of ourselves, in community. All in the Saint Mark’s cathedral community are invited to contribute to a display of prayer banners around the labyrinth—a tangible and tactile expression of our prayers, both personal and communal. UPDATE: On Maundy Thursday all the banners will be gathered together, collectively blessed at the evening liturgy, and offered up … Read More

The season of Lent has provided a certain rhythm to the lives of Christians for twenty centuries now. Through thick and thin, Lent is a steadfast part of the journey for people of all ages. Of course, this year will be different, but there is also an opportunity to return to our roots in the early Christian community, before church buildings became normative, and the home was the principal place for gathering and growing in faith. Here are some resources … 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

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

UPDATE!  The generosity of Saint Mark’s parishioners to the 2020 Alternative Giving opportunity was overwhelming. The cathedral ended up sending more gift cards to Casa Latina and Lowell Elementary than they asked for! For Lowell Elementary and Casa Latina, you gave $14,700—for a total of 588 gift cards, and that does NOT include gifts to Mary’s Place (which collected donations directly). Know that our friends at Casa Latina and Lowell were so heartened—responding a resounding “WOW” and “That’s incredible!” THANK … Read More

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 10–11:30 A.M. (mini-pilgrimage), 12 P.M. (prayer service) Watch video of the concluding prayer service: Service Leaflet As the season changes and the weather becomes colder, Saint Mark’s offers an opportunity to remember and be of service to those in our community who lack safe and secure shelter. Participants will create small care packages, known as “Manna Bags,” containing items that people experiencing homelessness themselves have said are most useful to them. The act of assembling these bags … Read More

UPDATE: The video had its premiere at the conclusion of the “O” Antiphons liturgy, and watching it was a meaningful and moving experience for many. Huge thanks to everyone who participated, including community members from across the country and around the world! The completed video can be seen below, or with the other recent offerings on the Virtual Choir Video Collection page. You—yes, YOU—are invited to be part of a video offering of “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” the closing … Read More

The Wisdom of Children is an audio project recorded in June, 2020, featuring the voices of the children of the Saint Mark’s Cathedral community. Listen now using the embedded player below, or read on for other ways to listen. LISTEN NOW: A MESSAGE FROM DEAN THOMASON 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 … Read More

Earlier this week, the people of Saint Mark’s were invited to create home altars to serve as a focal point for their Holy Week observances. Visit this post for details. Below are some of the photographs that members of the community have sent in to the cathedral or shared in the Facebook Group. Click to enlarge!