Holy Week is upon us, and for the first time in three years the full cycle of Holy Week liturgies will be offered in person, with a full complement of musicians and liturgical ministers. Thanks be to God!

Many elements of the liturgies for these sacred days have been passed down to us from the earliest centuries of Christianity, while other elements are unique to Saint Mark's, having become beloved traditions of this community through the decades, and can be experienced nowhere else. In addition, there are some new or revised liturgies that will be offered for the first time in 2022.

The liturgies of this most sacred time are an invitation to enter more fully into the mystery of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Please participate as you feel called. Consider joining in an experience new to you. The entire community is blessed by your presence.

A note about pandemic safety: The current state of pandemic safety precautions is explained in this message and video. There will be no pre-registration or screening at the door for any of this year's services. Masks are now optional in the cathedral building, but a "masked & distanced" section is set aside on the south side of the nave. Spaces in the masked and distanced section are limited, and available on a first-come, first served basis.

The following services will be livestreamed: Palm Sunday 11 a.m., Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday noon, Good Friday 7 p.m., The Great Vigil of Easter, and Easter Sunday 11 a.m. All other liturgies are either in person only, or online only via Zoom, as indicated below.
HOLY WEEK
Sunday, April 10: PALM SUNDAY—The Sunday of the Passion
8 a.m. • Palm Sunday Liturgy (Thomsen Chapel)

9 a.m. • Palm Sunday Liturgy (Cathedral nave)

11 a.m. • Palm Sunday Liturgy (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)

  • Liturgy of the Palms
  • Outdoor Procession (9 & 11 a.m.)
  • Reading of the Passion
  • Holy Eucharist

Music to accompany the outdoor procession by special guests The Super-Krewe.

12:15 p.m. • Bilingual Stations of the Cross Liturgy - Liturgia del Vía Crucis bilingüe (Cathedral nave)

  • A new offering this year, presented in English and Spanish

All are welcome, whether or not you speak Spanish yourself; in fact, experiencing these familiar scriptures and prayers in this new way may provide a new perspective and fresh insight.

7 p.m. • Contemplative Eucharist on Palm Sunday (Thomsen Chapel)

9:30 p.m. • The Office of Compline for Palm Sunday (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)

Featuring the anthem Lamentations by Peter Hallock, written in 1973 for the Compline Choir with solo cello, performed by the cellist for whom the work was composed, Page Smith.
Monday, April 11: Monday in Holy Week

7 p.m. • Contemplative Eucharist (Cathedral nave)

  • A special version of the liturgy used at the regular Sunday 7 p.m. Contemplative Eucharist
  • A liturgy of silence and stillness

If you have never experienced the regular 7 p.m. Sunday service, you are especially encouraged to attend. Meditative music will be provided by cellist Page Smith.
Tuesday, April 12: Tuesday in Holy Week

7 p.m. • Healing Eucharist (Cathedral nave)

  • Holy Eucharist prayers for healing (for yourself or others)
  • An opportunity to receive anointing and laying on of hands
Wednesday, April 13

8:30 a.m.• Morning Prayer on Wednesday in Holy Week (online via Zoom only)
7 p.m. • Tenebrae (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)

  • Chanted psalms and lamentations as the cathedral in gradually engulfed in darkness
  • An extended mediation upon, and a prelude to, the events of the Triduum

Music is offered by the adults of Evensong Choir.
TRIDUUM (THE SACRED THREE DAYS)
The Liturgies of the Triduum—that is, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Holy Week—are often considered to be a single liturgy stretched over three days. They trace Jesus' journey to the tomb, gradually increasing in intensity, until the proclamation of the Resurrection at the climax of the Easter Vigil, late Saturday night.
April 14: Maundy Thursday

7 a.m. • Morning Prayers on Maundy Thursday (Online via Zoom only)
7 p.m. • Maundy Thursday Liturgy (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)

  • We remember the Last Supper and Jesus' final teachings to his friends.
  • Liturgy of Foot Washing
  • Holy Eucharist
  • Stripping of the Altar

A liturgy that moves from the intimacy of washing others' feet to the powerful and unsettling act of preparing the altar for Good Friday. Everyone is invited to join in the foot washing, but participation is optional. Music for this liturgy is offered by the Saint Mark’s Singers & Senior Choristers of the Choir School.
April 15: Good Friday

11 a.m. • Communal Walking of the Stations of the Cross (Cathedral nave)
12 p.m. • Good Friday Liturgy (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)
7 p.m. • Good Friday Liturgy (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)

  • A stark liturgy, without Eucharist
  • The Passion Gospel (read at noon, chanted at 7 p.m.)
  • Solemn Collects
  • Contemplation of the Cross

At noon, music will be offered by noted Seattle musician James Falzone. At 7 p.m. music is offered by the Cathedral Choir, who, for the first time this year, will be joined by the Schola of the Cathedral Choir School.

(It is the tradition at Saint Mark's to offer The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as “private confession,” on Good Friday. If this is something you would like, please contact any member of the clergy.)
April 16: Holy Saturday 

12:15 p.m. • Holy Saturday Liturgy (Cathedral nave)

In recent years it has been the practice at Saint Mark's to offer this brief but powerful liturgy in the Chapel of the Resurrection, but as this is a small space with poor ventilation, the service will be moved to the cathedral nave this year. This change of venue has prompted an expansion and enrichment of the liturgy, with scripture and silence providing space to contemplate both the grief and promise of the tomb.
8:30 p.m. • The Great Vigil of Easter (Cathedral nave and livestreamed)

  • Kindling of the New Fire
  • Sharing of the light of the Paschal Candle
  • Chanting of the Exsultet
  • Service of Lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures
  • Baptisms
  • The proclamation of the Resurrection accompanied by the opening of the great doors
  • The Gospel of the empty tomb,
  • First Eucharist of Easter

This is the most solemn night of the Christian year. Incense is used at this service, and music is offered by the Senior Choristers, the Schola, and the Cathedral Choir.
THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
April 21: Easter Day
8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. • Easter Day Liturgy (Cathedral nave; livestreamed at 11 a.m. only)

  • Holy Eucharist with Renewal of Baptismal Vows.

Music will be offered by the Cathedral Choir with organ, brass, percussion, & handbells. This year, the choir is joined by the brass and percussion for Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem, composed in 1982 by former Saint Mark's canon musician Peter Hallock, especially for this choir and this space.

The 8:30 and 11 a.m. services are identical in most ways, although incense will be used at 11 a.m. only.

10 a.m. • Easter Egg Hunt (Labyrinth/front lawn)

The Easter Egg Hunt on the front lawn follows the conclusion of the 8:30 service, starting at approximately 10 a.m.

7 p.m. • Contemplative Eucharist on Easter Evening (Thomsen Chapel)

Dean Thomson will preside, with music offered by Charles Coldwell, recorder.

9:30 p.m. • The Office of Compline on Easter (Cathedral nave)

On Easter Sunday, Compline always begins with the canticle Pascha nostrum, sung in procession with hand bells.
Saint Mark’s Cathedral acknowledges that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, who are still here, and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the life of the Duwamish Tribe. [Learn more]
Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral
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www.saintmarks.org
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