SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2024, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall
Poetry of the Season
The birth of Christ, celebrated at the time of the Winter Solstice here in the north, announces the return of light to the world but also the birthing of the Word, the Logos, into the world. That Word brings consciousness, brings truth, brings love, and yes brings light, which we celebrate this morning with a reading of relevant poems that speak into this darkness and affirm that it does not and will not silence us. Hosted by Professor Emeritus Doug Thorpe along with the Creation Care Committee and the Cathedral’s vibrant and light-bearing 20’s & 30’s Group. For information contact dthorpe@spu.edu
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2025, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall
Dedication of the New Shelter Space with Bishop LaBelle
Bishop Phil LaBelle will be at Saint Mark's on Sunday, January 12, for his official visitation (see details below), and between the 9 and 11 a.m. services he will join with Dean Thomason, representatives from Operation Nightwatch, and lay leaders to formally bless the new Emergency Women’s Shelter on the Saint Mark’s Cathedral campus. The shelter, which will begin operating on January 15, is a partnership between Saint Mark's and Operation Nightwatch—street ministry in Seattle in which cathedral members also serve as volunteers—and will be called Donna Jean’s Place at Saint Mark’s, named in honor of Donna Jean Palmberg, whose late husband, Pastor Bud, founded Operation Nightwatch nearly 57 years ago. The shelter will serve up to twenty women nightly, and provide not only beds to sleep in, but showers, laundry, and lockers to store their belongings. There will also be a small clinical room for the women to receive medical and mental health care services. Gather in the space on the first floor of the St Nicholas Building following the 9 a.m. service—signage will guide you.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2025, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall
A Crash Course in the Principals of Non-Violence
Led by Canon Wendy Claire Barrie. Details TBA.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall
Candle-making on Candlemas
Details TBA.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2025, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall
Sacristan Michael Seewer Sabbatical Report
Details TBA.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2025, 10:10–10:50 A.M., Bloedel Hall
"Friends Talking"—Iconographer Peter Pearson with Dean Thomason
Iconographer, Priest, and Franciscan Brother Peter Pearson will be at Saint Mark's the week of February 12, leading a Wednesday forum on icons as well as a three-day hands-on icon writing workshop. On Sunday, February 16, he will offer a guest sermon at the 9 and 11 a.m. services, and then participate in an informal "Friends Talking" Sunday Morning Forum with Dean Thomason in the 10 a.m. hour. Learn more about Rev. Pearson and his other offerings here.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2024
"Friends Talking"—The Very Rev. Michael DeLashmutt, Ph.D. with Dean Thomason
The Very Rev. Michael W. DeLashmutt, Ph.D. is the Dean of Chapel and Senior Vice President at The General Theological Seminary. Dean Michael teaches and researches at the intersection of theology, arts, and culture, with work that spans teaching, writing, and spiritual formation. Raised in Poulsbo, Washington and with family on Camano Island, he and his wife, Julia (born in Bremerton!) have deep ties to the PNW and are delighted to be at the cathedral. Dean DeLashmutt will be the guest preacher at the 9 and 11 a.m. services at Saint Mark's on December 8, and participate in an informal forum with Dean Thomason in the 10 a.m. hour between the services.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2024
2024 Alternative Gift Market
Saint Mark's launches the holiday season with this festive community celebration with a variety of unique gifts to purchase, opportunity to donate, and refreshments to enjoy.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2024
Sunday Forum on Taizé
This Sunday forum will include a number of reports and updates related to prayer in the style of Taizé at Saint Mark's. Sacristan Michael Seewer will offer a brief report on his visit to the monastery of Taizé in France during his just-concluded sabbatical. (Note that his complete sabbatical report to the community will be scheduled on a future Sunday, likely in January.) Hannah Hochkeppel will introduce some of the songs that will be sung at the upcoming Taizé liturgy on Tuesday, November 19. Canon Wendy Barrie will offer a brief introduction of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, in commemoration of whom the upcoming liturgy is offered. Finally David Poortinga will make some exciting announcements regarding plans for the development and expansion of Taizé prayer at Saint Mark's in 2025.
You can watch a video of this forum here.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2024
Community Conversation
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024
Supporting Lowell Elementary School
Lowell Elementary is a vibrant place of challenges and strengths. Students speak dozens of languages and join from across the globe, but as the designated elementary school for numerous Seattle homeless shelters, nearly one in three students are unhoused. We hosted a panel of Lowell staff for a forum on ways the Saint Mark's community can support these students.
Photos and slides from this forum can be found here.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024
Contemplating Angels in Art
A presentation of the Saint Mark's Visual Arts Ministry
Contemplating Angels in Art: Their Essence, Form, and Works is a slide presentation of beautiful fine art imagery drawn from a variety of sources. Victoria Scarlett, Director of the Center for Sacred Art, guided us through a visual meditation on angels as messengers of God’s light and love. The program was offered with Michaelmas (The Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, which falls on September 30) in mind.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024
Stewardship Forum with Consultant Timothy Dombek
The Rev Canon Timothy Dombek is Saint Mark's stewardship consultant this year, and will be offered remarks at the All-Parish Gratitude Dinner.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024
Cathedral Communications: How to get the word out!
The Communications Committee of the Vestry and Communications Director Gregory Bloch presented a Sunday morning forum for all members of the cathedral community, exploring the various communications channels used by Saint Mark's, and how parishioners and ministry leaders can best take advantage of those channels. One of the main themes of the 2024 Strategic Plan is "Connecting and Telling Our Stories," and the whole community is enriched when the stories of this place are shared. The forum introduced a "Communications Toolkit" for the community, and some individual parishioners shared their experiences.
A video and slides from this forum are now available here.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
Volunteer Opportunities at Lambert House
A panel of youths from The Lambert House LGBTQ Youth Center moderated by Lambert House Executive Director Ken Shulman (currently relocated to Leffler House and the Carriage House on the Saint Mark's Campus) told us about what Lambert House is, why they go there, and what they get out of it, and then will took questions. We heard about the mission and programs of Lambert House, how their move to the cathedral property is going, and learned about opportunities to get involved.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2024
2024 Ministry Fair
Representatives of the ministries of the cathedral were at tables around the cathedral nave ready to answer questions and discuss how you might get involved.
The ministry leaders and volunteers of Saint Mark’s are passionate about what they do and are eager to share that passion with you. Learn about the many opportunities to grow in faith, gather in community, and serve our neighbors. Bring your curiosity and learn about an aspect of cathedral life that might be new to you.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2024
Report from the 81st General Convention
This forum offered a summary 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. We heard from three Saint Mark’s members—Michael Seewer, Michael Perera, and Hannah Hochkeppel—who were at General Convention and serving in different roles about the activities from the Houses of Deputies and Bishops, the Exhibit Hall, the election of the next Presiding Bishop (The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe), and more.
A video and slides from this forum are now available here.
SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024
Sunday Forum with Artist Sandy Nelson
Artist Sandy Nelson led a discussion about the three large installations on view in the cathedral nave. Sandy shared her process, early ideas, and some behind-the-scenes photos of the creation of these works, part of this summer’s Sacred Spaces offerings.
SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2024
Special Hybrid Forum with Palestinian Priest Fr. Fadi Diab
Fr. Fadi Diab, an Anglican priest at St. Andrew’s in Ramallah, Palestine, will join us once again on Sunday morning via Zoom to share a report of life in the West Bank in these extremely difficult times. Last year, he preached at Saint Mark’s in July, and then conducted a similar hybrid forum in December from his home in Ramallah after the war in Gaza began. He and Dean Thomason have remained in communication, and Saint Mark’s has continued to offer financial support to St. Andrew’s school and orphanage.
We continue to pray for peace and for all devastated by the violence, and this partnership with our Christian siblings in the Holy Land is a tangible sign of our commitment to “strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being.”
UPDATE: A complete video is now available here.
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2024
Dean Steve Thomason 20th Ordination Anniversary
Cathedral Dean Steve Thomason was ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 26, 2004, in Springdale, Arkansas. The Vestry invites you to join in recognizing this special milestone of 20 years of ministry and to give thanks for Steve’s 12 years of service and continued leadership as Dean of Saint Mark’s Cathedral. Please join Saint Mark's for worship on Sunday, June 23, 2024 – light refreshments and a brief gathering in Steve’s honor will be held in Bloedel Hall after the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. Everyone is invited to sign the digital card for Steve. which will presented to him on the anniversary itself, Wednesday, June 26. If you wish, you can also make a gift to the Cathedral’s Threshold Fund in his honor. (The Threshold fund was established in 2018 to assist families and individuals in accessing safe and secure housing.)
The video shared at the reception can now be see here.
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2024
The Use of The St. Helena Psalter in Our Worship
A Special Hybrid Forum with Dean Thomason, Canon Kleinschmidt, and Two Sisters from the Order of St. Helena
During the past year, as part of our larger initiative of employing expansive language in our worship services, the cathedral has been regularly using translations of the Psalms as found in The St. Helena Psalter, a resource developed by an Episcopal monastic community of sisters in Augusta, Georgia. We are delighted that two sisters—Sr. Miriam Elizabeth and Sr. Ellen Francis—will join us via Zoom to share a bit of history and planned updates for the psalter. Canon Kleinschmidt and Dean Thomason will also guide a conversation about the historical role of psalms in worship and how we use them today.
SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024
"Friends Talking"—The Rev. Erin Jean Warde
Dean Thomason in conversation with author and sobriety coach Erin Jean Warde, following her Saturday workshop.
SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2024
Interfaith Taizé Preview
An informational forum in preparation for the Interfaith Taizé liturgy to be offered in the cathedral nave on Tuesday, May 21, a collaboration between Saint Mark's Cathedral and Clear Mountain Buddhist Monastery (the faith community which meets on the Saint Mark's property every Saturday morning). At this Sunday morning forum, the organizers of this special event introduced what inspired them to plan an interfaith liturgy, and walked through some highlights that will be included in the Taizé liturgy, including some of the chants, both Buddhist and Taizé.
A complete video of this Sunday forum is now available here.
Video of the May 21 Interfaith liturgy itself can be found here.
SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2024
All About Trees
The Creation Care Ministry and the Intergenerational Council hosted a forum on the importance of trees for our climate and in our lives.
SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2024
Spiritual Practices for the Easter Season
A discussion of different spiritual practices—yoga and music (Adrienne Hubbard), bird watching (Gordon Miller), and writings from Everyday Discipleship (Canon Wendy Claire Barrie).
A complete video and resources shared at the event are now available here.
SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2024
Friends Talking: The Rev. Canon Carla Robinson
The Rev. Canon Carla Robinson, Canon for Multicultural Ministries & Community Transformation of the Diocese of Olympia in conversation with Dean Thomason.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2024
Spotlight on Spiritual Practices
A discussion and resources on three different spiritual practices—photography (Michael Perera), Centering Prayer (Phil Fox Rose), and cold water swimming (Sarah Elwood).
A video of this forum is available here.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024
Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality
The Christian tradition of Ignatian Spirituality s inspired by St. Ignatius Loyola and is a spirituality for everyday life, beckoning us to see that God is ever-present in our world and active in our lives all around us. Learn about the basic tenets of this approach that can support deepening prayer and attuning discernment as we listen to how the Spirit may be moving in our midst. Facilitators include Erin Beary Anderson, Ross Hays, and Dean Steve Thomason. On February 7, a follow-up Cathedral Commons forum will go deeper into the The Daily Examen, a technique for meaningful reflection of your day.
A complete video, along with slides, handouts, and other resources, are now available here.
