Canon Steedman Sanborn was ordained to the Diaconate on January 27, 1992, and served a short time at St. Andrew, Tacoma, before being moved to Saint Mark’s Cathedral. She was ordained to the priesthood on November 22, 1996, and accepted a call to be Associate Rector at St. James, Kent, beginning Ash Wednesday, February 12, 1997. Marda became the Rector of St. James Kent in 2004, and served in that role for ten years. In 2014 Bishop Rickel appointed her as Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Olympia (a role equivalent to a Bishop’s chief-of-staff), a position she held until 2020. She has also served as the Secretary to Diocesan Convention, and one of the Trainers for the College for Congregational Development. Since 2020 she has been Priest Associate at Saint Mark’s Cathedral.
Marda has been married to Doug for 25 years and they have a daughter Melissa who recently graduated from WSU with a degree in chemistry; Melissa is continuing her studies at Bellevue College. They have a Schnauzer and Cocker Spaniel which rounds out their family.