CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRIES

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

The following message was included in the February 2021 edition of Be Present at Our Table, the monthly newsletter of Children and Family Ministries at Saint Mark’s.  Dear families, In the past year, the familiar heavy doors pictured above have not been swung open by little hands or harried parents very often. Prior to the pandemic, they were the physical threshold we passed through into the expansive and sacred space where we worship together, and the signal to our bodies … Read More

During Black History Month, check out the resources and materials made available at The Conscious Kid, an education, research, and policy organization that promotes healthy racial identity development in youth. Here are some quick tips from them: Name and take action against white supremacy with kids as early and as often as possible. Support racial identity as part of healthy child development. It is important to name whiteness, and for white people to identify as “white” in ways that acknowledge … 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

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