2023-2024 PROGRAM YEAR: A Spirituality of Place
Building on recent Wisdom School themes A Spirituality of Desire (2020–22) and An Embodied Spirituality (2022–23), a focus on “place” as the locus of spiritual experience affords a consideration of the world of “home” and pilgrimage. Place is the landscape of memory, meaning, and soul-grounding beauty. Place aids us in situating our story contextually into God’s story of immanent devotion to and presence in creation and into the grand narrative of the communal spiritual enterprise across the ages.
Opening Plenary: A Spirituality of Place: The Pilgrim’s Journey and Finding Home
TWO WEDNESDAYS, SEPTEMBER 20 & 27, 2023
led by the Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason
Place matters. It is the locus of spiritual purpose, whether at home, on the pilgrim’s way, or in the wilderness. It is the locus of belonging, of grounding, of meaning. The mystics remind us to “look deeply and discover God there.” The geography of the heart is shaped by the land and the ties that bind us to particular places, especially when we come to see it all as holy ground. This two-part series explored the spirituality of place, pilgrimage and finding home, with spiritual practices that serve as maps for the journey.
SLIDES AND VIDEO OF PARTS 1 & 2 ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
Spirituality of the Meal: Our Daily Bread
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2023
led by Marc Aubertin & Deborah Person
The act of feeding ourselves and sharing food with others is a daily necessity. It can also provide opportunities to deepen our spiritual paths and practices. We explored how, in practice, we connect our faith to the daily work of providing “daily bread”. How does our theology of abundance play out in the grocery store? How do we model God’s love for us, nurturing others and ourselves, while caring for creation through supporting a just food system? The day also included putting our ideas of abundance and stewardship into action by preparing a meal together with food that participants bring from home—either from their gardens or their pantry shelves.
Discovering Call
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023
All of us know that it is in giving our lives that we find life, full of joy and meaning. But there are so many ways to give our lives. How do we discover the specific way we are to offer our lives, the place our gifts connect with some need in the world? This evening in both the presentation and small group discussions we worked with the “hallmarks of call” and listened for any new call within our long-time call or any new, emerging call on our lives.
A complete video is posted here.
Sacred Stories of Place
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023
led by the Rev. Canon Jennifer King Daugherty
Why do the sights, smells, and sounds of certain places and landscapes evoke deep spiritual resonance? How do our own stories and spirituality connect to the places of our ancestors? Canon Daugherty explored these questions and how our experiences of place provide grounding for our identity and relationships with God. She also shared spiritual practices that consider place as the ongoing revelation of divine movement across generations.
A complete video is posted here.
Men's Retreat: Speaking the Truth in Love: Finding the True Self’s Home Once More
Led by Dean Steve Thomason
FRIDAY–SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10–12, 2023, at Camp Huston Retreat Center in Gold Bar, WA
We hear a lot these days about patriarchy and the ways men are raised to behave in culturally-expected ways that are not life-giving. We are taught that communication forms along a binary of aggression or weakness, but there are healthier ways to speak our truth assertively. God is calling us to something else, to be someone else—to be our true selves while respecting the dignity of others. How we communicate matters. This weekend retreat was designed to create the space for quiet reflection, time away from the burdens of daily life, spacious time in nature, conversations with other men of faith, and worship.
Isaiah, the Prophet of Advent
THREE WEDNESDAYS: NOVEMBER 29, DECEMBER 6 & 13, 2023
led by The Rev. Hillary Raining, Ph.D., The Rev. Canon Jennifer King Daugherty, and Canon Wendy Barrie
Former Saint Mark's Theologian-in-residence, The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, led this three-session series centering on the wisdom of the Prophet Isaiah. Each section focused on an essential and living affirming theme from this book of prophecy. We explored how Isaiah has been used in the Christian tradition, especially in the mysterious Advent season.
Womanist Midrash & Biblical Interpretation
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2023
Womanist Biblical scholar and renowned author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, The Rev. Wil Gafney, Ph.D. led a seminar on Womanist Midrash, exploring the complexity of scripture and importance of translation as she interprets the Hebrew Biblical tradition of women prophets and leaders.
A video of this workshop is posted here.
Advent Quiet Morning
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2023
This morning of Spiritual Retreat, in the comfortable Living Room at Leffler House included Centering Prayer, a meditative breath work session, and a Contemplative Eucharist. There was ample spaciousness for rest in the sacred stillness, for journaling, and for personal prayer.
New Year’s Eve Labyrinth Walk
DECEMBER 31, 2023
By candlelight and contemplative music, many people marked the turn into a new year by engaging in this spiritual practice. With pews removed, the labyrinth was laid down in the center of this sacred cathedral, allowing people to “circle to the center” as a practice designed to illuminate the inner path of wisdom. At the stroke of midnight we celebrated the Eucharist with the labyrinth’s rose as our grounding.
Lenten Quiet Morning and Not-So-Quiet Afternoon
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024
The nave was open as a space for prayer and quiet contemplation for this self-curated Quiet Morning; optional offerings included Morning Prayer, breath work, and centering prayer. Afternoon offerings will include a sound bath, drumming, art activities, and more.
Women's Retreat: Contemplation & Community
Led by the Rev. Linzi Stahlecker
FRIDAY–SUNDAY, APRIL 19–21, 2024, at St. Andrew’s House Retreat Center in Union, WA
Heal Thyself: Spiritual Practices that Lead Us into Joy
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2024
Author of Sober Spirituality, spiritual director and life coach, the Rev. Erin Jean Warde guided this day retreat exploring spiritual healing in mind, body, and soul. She offers: “Together we will learn how community, creativity, rest, and joy can care for us when we are struggling, whether that's with mental health challenges, the inevitabilities of being alive, or with habits that don't serve us.” The day explored barriers to feeling joy and fulfillment and how to make small, accessible life changes to care for ourselves, even in overwhelming times.
A complete video, along with slides and handouts from this presentation, are available here.
No More Special Pleading: How Opening Up to LGBTQ+ Reality Flows Organically from Basic Christianity
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024
Catholic theologian James Alison presented on a project he’s been at work on for several years—a book, provisionally titled You Can… If You Want To, to be published in 2025, which aims to empower Christians to move on, in good faith, regarding LGBTQ+ issues. The narrative that Christianity itself demands the condemnation of LGBTQ+ lives as sinful has been so prevalent for so long, that many Christians, including LGBTQ+ people themselves, may still harbor niggling doubts in the back of their minds, voices whispering “maybe being queer really is incompatible with taking Jesus and the Bible seriously…” Alison aims to confront these doubts directly, showing that the fundamentals of the Christian faith, even when presented from a quite conservative perspective, do in fact open up the possibility of reaching beyond any and all of our cultural comfort zones—of which sexuality and gender identity are only two of many—if we want to go there. It follows that those who continue to uphold old prejudices are doing so by their own choice, and cannot blame any supposed “higher authority.”
A SEASON OF PILGRIMAGE
The Wisdom School at Saint Mark’s offered a suite of pilgrimage experiences in the summer of 2024 as we ponder the theme, A Spirituality of Place.
- A Celtic Pilgrimage to Ireland, July 24–August 2, 2024
- Compline Choir Pilgrimage to England’s Historic Cathedrals, August 1–19, 2024
- An Intergenerational Racial Justice Pilgrimage to Georgia & Alabama, July 2–9, 2024
There will also be local pilgrimages to significant sites in our region, such as St. Andrew's Parish and the Bainbridge Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial, The Northwest African-American History Museum, and the Duwamish Longhouse. Learn more about all of these opportunities on the pilgrimage information page: saintmarks.org/pilgrimage
2022–2023 PROGRAM YEAR: AN EMBODIED SPIRITUALITY
Building on last year’s theme (Spirituality of Desire), the body is home to the complete human being; we stand in a long tradition of mystical wisdom that rejects epistemologies inclined to separate physical from spiritual, or other dualisms that distinguish the embodied experience as “bad.” The body is the realm of spiritual transformation; it is at once a microcosm of subjective experience and an integral part of the universal Mystery that is spiritual union with the Ground of Being.
Mary Magdalene—A Tower of Lineage
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2022
Led by The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining
Mary Magdalene has rightly been called “the Apostle to the Apostles” because of her important witness to the life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus. However, few people today truly understand the sheer magnitude of her contribution to the Jesus movement itself. Recent scholarship counts her as one of the shapers of many of the rites and rituals of Christianity thanks to her deep firsthand knowledge of Jesus’ healing ministry. Indeed, she is often called “The Magdala” or “The Tower” by those who understand her to be the lineage-bearer of some of Jesus’s most important teachings on healing, anointing, exorcism, and giving witness. The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, Saint Mark’s 2022 Theologian-in-Residence, shared some of the latest research on Mary Magdalene’s lasting impact and engage in spiritual healing practices based on her towering lineage.
A complete video of this event is available here.
The Paradoxical Friendship of Grief and Joy
TWO WEDNESDAYS: OCTOBER 19 & 26
Facilitated by Canon Jennifer King Daugherty
Grief and joy can seem like opposites—experiences of sadness and loss are profoundly different from those of happiness and delight. Yet, both grief and joy reveal our vulnerability and capacity to love; they both soften our hearts and make us aware of our dependence on God. We explored the paradoxical kinship of grief and joy and how the wisdom and grace we gain from either experience deepens our understanding of the other—and our relationship with God.
Video and slides from parts 1 and 2 are available here.
Liturgy and Intersectionality: Appropriation or Appreciation?
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12
with The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, Saint Mark’s 2022 Theologian-in-Residence
How do we pray and worship in a way that fully reflects the fullness of the Kin-dom of God while also honoring the integrity of identity? How can our liturgies be shaped with appreciation of all people vs. appropriation without true integration? Reconciling liturgical traditions that were shaped from a primarily white viewpoint takes the ability to have open and honest conversations around creativity and change, and requires alliance on the Holy Spirit’s call to be one in Christ. Learn more about this event here.
A complete video is available here.
Becoming and Belonging: Embodied Spirituality in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
TWO WEDNESDAYS, DECEMBER 7 & 14
Facilitated by Dean Steve Thomason
We are in a paradigm shift of seismic proportions. Drawing on the evolutionary theology of Teilhard de Chardin and the ground-breaking postulations by Ilia Delio, we explored what embodied spirituality means in a post-human world where climate change, artificial intelligence, and modern medicine converge to create an altered dynamic in which humans exist and evolve. What is the role of spirituality in this increasingly complex and complicated world?
Complete video, slides, and references from part 1 and part 2 are available here.
Addiction and Love: Reclaiming Our True Identity
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023
Facilitated by Killian Noe
Most of us suffer from mistaken identity. We identify as the trauma we have endured or the behaviors that emerge from that trauma. The spiritual journey is the life-long journey of reclaiming our truest identity, which is Love. We reflected on the many ways we numb our pain instead of staying present to and being transformed by our pain and we celebrated the hope/joy of living from Love.
The Art of Pilgrimage: A Workshop on Sacred Journey
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2023
Facilitated by Phil Cousineau
A pilgrimage is a spiritually transformative journey to a sacred place. This workshop focused on seven spiritual practices intended to augment your travels, whether sacred or secular. Each practice is designed to help the traveler be present in the moment, to experience the miracles of the world with all the senses, to show respect and reverence for the sites you visit, and to honor those who walked there before you. Richard Neibuhr once said: “Pilgrims are poets who create by taking journeys.” Using photography, brief film clips on pilgrimage, contemplative music and other media, participants explored this sacred work together. Saint Mark’s is devoting intentional focus to the spiritual practice of pilgrimage in 2023 and beyond with an invitation to see how travel, near and far, can be a sacred enterprise.
A complete video and other resources are available here.
A Not-So-Quiet Day
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Facilitated by Wendy Claire Barrie, Cathedral Canon for Intergenerational Ministries
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Lent 2023
MARCH 3–13, 2023
Led by The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason & The Rev. Katherine Sedwick
Participants in the pilgrimage presented their experiences and reflections at a forum on March 29, 2023. A video of that forum may be seen here.
"Is Christianity Worth Saving?" A One-Day Interactive Event with Brian McLaren
FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2023
- SESSION 1—“NO”
- SESSION 2—“YES”
- SESSION 3—“NOW WHAT?”
Is Christianity Worth Saving? is produced by Off The Map, who've gotten lost so many times they're no longer much afraid.
A Women's Retreat: Our Lives as Sacred Stories
FRIDAY–SUNDAY, APRIL 21–23, 2023, at St. Andrew’s House Retreat Center, Union, WA
Facilitated by The Rev. Canon Jennifer King Daugherty & the Rev. Linzi Stahlecker
Sacred Listening as a Transformational Practice
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2023
Facilitated by The Rev. Linzi Stahlecker & The Rev. Canon Eliacín Rosario-Cruz
A complete video is posted here.
The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Connection Through Embodied Living
SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2023
with Hillary L. McBride, Ph.D.
Mothered by God: Divine Feminine and the Black Madonna
SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2023
A complete video is posted here.
2021–2022 PROGRAM YEAR: A Spirituality of Desire
Desire is often understood as existing in the realm of carnal experience, and is therefore to be denied or rejected. But mystics know a deeper truth—that desire is at the core of our spiritual awareness and informs all that we do and are, in response to God’s desire for us, or alternatively, as a shadow that hinders that union through false attachments.
CONSPIRE 2021: The final in a seven-year series
SEPTEMBER 24–26, 2021
Richard Rohr and friends joined us in this capstone experience building on Richard Rohr’s alternative orthodoxy to create a gateway into practical and authentic contemplation—a way of life rooted in radical openness to God’s loving presence. Learn more at the website of the Center for Contemplation and Action here.
OPENING PLENARY: A Spirituality of Desire
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021
Facilitated by Dean Steve Thomason
A complete video and materials from this presentation are now available here.
Following Jesus to a New Counter-Cultural, Post-Pandemic Normal
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2022
Led by Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
Slides and a complete video of this offering are available here.
Celtic Spirituality: Delight, Wonder, & Reverence
TWO WEDNESDAYS, FEBRUARY 16 & 23, 2022
Facilitated by Canon Jennifer King Daugherty
The pdf of scripture that was distributed at Part 1 may be found here: Celtic Prayers and Scripture Passages
The complete slides from Part 1 may be found here: Celtic Spirituality part 1 2.16.22
A video of part 1 is posted here.
Spirituality of the Meal
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022
Facilitated by Chef Marc Aubertin & Dean Steve Thomason
Food is a profound portal into spiritual growth even as it often carries trappings of stress and shame for many. It doesn’t have to. Sharing a meal is a holy experience, if we avail ourselves of the opportunity to practice presence and to see the bounty before us as opportunity to practice gratitude. Brief reflections across the day included history of the meal, reflecting on food as spiritual metaphor, and participants engaged in sensate tasting and shared a meal prepared by all present.
Ravished by Nature’s Beauty—Longing for God
A two-part workshop led by Belden C. Lane
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 and SATURDAY, APRIL 23
The Christian mystical tradition can be deeply earthy and sensual in its yearning for union with the Divine. Hildegard of Bingen and Teresa of Avila found a wondrous God in trees and flowing water. Catherine of Siena and Ignatius Loyola were drawn by the wild energy of fire and the darkness of the cave. These mystics call us back to a “Great Conversation” with the natural world, reconnecting our spiritual lives with the earth. Renowned theologian and best-selling author Belden Lane will guide this wholesome exploration through images, storytelling, poetry, and guided meditation.
The confluence of Earth Day, the Easter Season, and springtime delight afforded a spectacular opportunity to engage in conversation with nature, and through it, with God. Dr. Lane offered four reflections: The Great Conversation: Listening to Trees; Wilderness, Storytelling, and the Power of Place; Catherine and Teresa, Women of Spirit: Fire and Water (Feeding one’s Desire for God); Ignatius Loyola and the Cave as Teacher
A complete video recording and other resources are available here
Women’s Retreat—Desire and Holy Longing
APRIL 29–MAY 1, 2022, at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island
Facilitated by Canon Jennifer King Daugherty
What is God’s desire for you and how might you live more fully into God’s holy longing for you? We spent a weekend away with Saint Mark’s clergy women to connect with each other and listen for the movement of the Spirit in our lives. Time was set aside for prayer, reflection, creative expression, worship, and enjoying each other’s company. Learn more here.
Men’s Retreat: In Returning and Rest We Shall Be Renewed
FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NOON, JUNE 10–12, 2022, at St. Andrew’s House Retreat Center on beautiful Hood Canal
Facilitated Dean Steve Thomason
All great spirituality is about letting go. Instead, we have made it about taking in, attaining, performing, winning, and succeeding. —Richard Rohr, Adam’s Return
This weekend retreat was designed to create the space for quiet reflection, time away from the burdens of daily life, spacious time in nature, conversations with other men of faith, and worship. It was a time of spiritual reflection and renewal.
CAPSTONE: Following in Celtic Footsteps: A Pilgrimage to Iona and Ancient Missions of Britain
JULY 17–29, 2022
Led by The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason & Canon Jennifer King Daugherty
An 11-day contemplative and communal trio, drawing on the ancient wisdom of Celtic spirituality and the monastic rhythms of worship, prayer, and life in community, while also delighting in the serene beauty of the landscape. We flew to Glasgow where we spent one night before heading to the island of Iona, known as a “thin place” of holy presence. Four nights on Iona created the space for the contemplative spirit to awaken. From there we traveled to Edinburgh for two nights, attending Sunday worship in the great cathedral and visiting historic sites in the region. We departed early to time our visit to the Holy Island of Lindsfarne and the tidal rhythms that allow safe passage before heading to Durham for four nights, with lodging just down from magnificent Durham Cathedral, containing Cuthbert’s shrine and Bede’s tomb. With Durham as our base, we moved about the ancient missions of Northumbria. Inspiration along our journey drew on the lives of early saints like Columba, Aidan, and Bede as well as writings by modern spiritualists like John Phillip Newell, John O’Donohue, and Esther de Waal.
The 2020–2021 Wisdom School program year was largely cancelled, with the planned offerings rescheduled for the following year.
2019–2020 PROGRAM YEAR
The Art of Forgiveness
led by Dean Thomason
Wednesdays, September 11, 18, and 25, 2019
Liturgical Living: Learning to Dance with God in Every Place
A workshop on faith at home facilitated by author & artist Gertrud Mueller Nelson
Friday, November 1, 2019 and Saturday, November 2, 2019
An Enneagram Primer
Facilitated by Dean Thomason
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
The Enneagram Instinctual Subtypes that Fuel Our Behavior
Facilitated by Sarah Walston, MA, M.Ed., LMHC, Certified Enneagram Instructor
Friday, January 10, 2020 and Saturday, January 11, 2020
The Power of Vulnerability: Moving Beyond Shame Toward Life
Facilitated by Cathedral Canons Daugherty, Ross, & Chapman
Wednesdays, March 4, 11, and 18, 2020
Conspire 2020—Nondual Consciousness: The Change that Changes Everything
Friday through Sunday, May 15–17, 2020
Men’s Retreat in the Easter Season
Friday through Sunday, June 5–7, 2020
Capstone: Following in Celtic Footsteps—A Pilgrimage to Iona & Ancient Missions of Britain
Led by The Very Rev. Steven l. Thomason & The Rev. Cristi Chapman and facilitated by Lightline Pilgrimages, LLC.
August 19 though 30, 2020
2018–2019 PROGRAM YEAR
Conspire 2018: The Path of Descent as Path of Transformation
A live webcast with Richard Rohr and friends
August 31, September 1 & 2, 2018
Enneagram 3.0—Diving Deeper on Your Spiritual Journey
Sarah Walston, MEd, LMHC, Certified Enneagram Instructor
Friday, September 14, 2018 & Saturday, September 15
Resilience in Troubling Times: Developing Spiritual Practices that Sustain Us on the Journey
Facilitated by Saint Mark’s clergy
Wednesdays, September 19 & 26, 2018
Dreams and Spiritual Growth
with Frances Parks, Ph.D., ABPP
Second Tuesday of each month, October–March, 2018
Engaging the Visual Arts as a Spiritual Experience
with Virginia Maksymowicz, Artist and Educator
Saturday, November 3, 2018
The Invitation to Wisdom and Grace
with Dean Steve Thomason
Wednesdays, March 13, 20 & 27, 2019
From Dark Night to Transformation
with Mirabai Starr
Friday & Saturday, March 29 & 30, 2019
Wisdom Praxis—Practice Circle
with The Rev. Patricia Rome Robertson
Saturday, April 6, 2019