11 a.m. • The Holy Eucharist with the Great Litany in Procession

in person and livestreamed

4:30 p.m. • Choral Evensong

in person and livestreamed

in person and livestreamed

Intergeneration Lent Forum

QUICK LINKS: LEAFLETS | CATHEDRAL PRAYER LIST | VIDEO ARCHIVE | SERMONS | CALENDAR

With Ash Wednesday on March 2 we have entered the sacred season of Lent. A schedule of Lenten liturgies and other offerings is now available at saintmarks.org/lent.

On Wednesday, Dean Thomason sent a message to the community inviting everyone to explore two activities especially appropriate now. As in previous years, all are encouraged to create or review their funeral plans, and to share those plans with their loved ones and with the cathedral. New this year, we are also encouraged to write or review our wills. Saint Mark's, the Diocese of Olympia, and the Cathedral Foundation all have resources available to help with these holy tasks. Read the Dean's full message here.

As a reminder, Dean Thomason announced last week that discussion about Saint Mark's response to Governor Inslee's changes to mask guidelines, which are now slated to go into effect March 12. He said, "We do expect to share some updated information related to worship services, ministry groups, and other gatherings on the cathedral campus, but will do so after Dean Thomason confers with the Wardens and Senior Leaders on Staff. For now, the mask requirement remains in place. Be assured we are considering the well-being of all in our community, especially our young children, as we adapt in these next phases of the pandemic."

On Thursday, March 3, the Dean announced that, beginning this Sunday, March 6, the chalice will again be offered, on a strictly optional basis, during Holy Communion, for those who wish to partake. See the Dean's brief (2-minute) video message on this subject below. Please address questions or concerns to Dean Thomason directly.

THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2022, 10:10 A.M., Bloedel Hall

All ages are invited to Bloedel Hall in the 10 a.m. hour this Sunday to learn about the season of Lent and try some spiritual practices like Praying in Color, making a finger labyrinth, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s pebble meditation. There will be materials available to take home and use throughout the forty days.

THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 4:30 P.M., in person and livestreamed

All are invited to join hearts, hands, and voices in Eventide prayer and praise to God in this service of Choral Evensong on the first Sunday in Lent. The Evensong Choir will sing a setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis composed in 2001 by Gabriel Jackson for the choir of Truro Cathedral, England; and a much-beloved setting of the evening hymn, Hail, gladdening light! by Charles Wood. The whole assembly will join in the sublime and timely hymn by Edward Grubb, Our God, to whom we turn when weary with illusion (#681 in The Hymnal 1982).

THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 12 p.m., and the first Sunday of each month

A special virtual coffee hour for newcomers, visitors, or anyone with questions about Saint Mark's is offered over Zoom each month. Find the link to join here. Please share this information with anyone you know who might be interested!

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 7:30 P.M., cathedral nave. Tickets required for in-person or livestream attendance.

Northwest Art Song presents a program of music by Arwen Myers, soprano, and Susan McDaniel, piano, on secular themes by Herbert Howells and Ralph Vaughan Williams, both giants in the Anglican church music repertoire, and music on sacred themes by the secular composers Louis Vierne, Florence Price, Harriet Cohen, and Leonard Bernstein—culminating in Samuel Barber's transcendent Hermit Songs. Complete program may be seen here. Purchase tickets here.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 6–7 P.M., at Temple de Hirsch Sinai, 1441 16th Ave. on Capitol Hill

Rabbi Daniel Weiner has invited Dean Thomason to be guest preacher at Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s Friday Shabbat service, which is open to in-person attendance as well as available via the synagogue's livestream. All are welcome to join. (Rabbi Weiner will preach at Saint Mark’s on Sunday, May 22, at the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. Both these dates were rescheduled from January due to COVID.)

FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 6:30 P.M.–12 A.M. (Dance Social 9–12 a.m.), Bloedel Hall, registration required.

Jaime Rubio was forced to take Sanctuary in March 2019 to avoid the separation of his family. Now he is finally preparing to transition out of Sanctuary and back into his family home.They are starting their lives anew with optimism and determination in the ongoing fight to keep their family together. Please join Jaime and Keiko to celebrate this new chapter and support us in this transition at a dance fundraiser: Welcome Back #KEEPJAIMEHOME. This event is for all ages, and kids are welcome! More details to come for event activities including performances, dance lesson, and more! Learn more and register here.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2022, 9 A.M.–12:30 P.M., in person only, at Saint Mark’s Cathedral

This gathering is open to all and free. The morning is designed to help us move deeply into the sacred seasons with morning prayer, centering prayer, walking meditation, and unstructured time for reflection held in shared silence. No fee, but freewill donations gratefully accepted ($10–15 suggested). No registration required. For more information, contact Canon Wendy Claire Barrie.

Choir Unvested: An Evening of Music and Refreshment with the Evensong Choir

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 7:30 P.M., Bloedel Hall. Tickets available here.

Tickets are now on sale for Choir Unvested, an evening of brilliant entertainment and a silent auction by the Evensong Choir. Enjoy delicious desserts by Chef Marc Aubertin and refreshing beverages as you listen to the choir sing favorites from The Sound of Music, Godspell, Pippin, and other Broadway hits. The Evensong Choir is comprised of advanced choristers with unchanged voices, and skilled teen and adult singers. Choir Unvested is a fundraiser for their upcoming pilgrimage to Chichester and Bristol Cathedrals, England, where they will serve as choir-in-residence for one week each in August. Tickets are $75 (plus a processing fee), $50 of which is tax deductible. Purchase tickets here.

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 6:30-8 P.M. (note evening time!), in Bloedel Hall or via Zoom, registration required

The St. Nicholas Exploratory Committee has completed 18 months of study and reported its recommendations to the Vestry, which has received the report and adopted those recommendations. Next step is to report to the cathedral parish. Committee members will do so in a special forum to which all are invited. Find links to earlier updates about this ongoing process here. Register for the Zoom meeting using this link.

Missioner for Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church to Preach at Saint Mark's

SERMON: SUNDAY, APRIL 3, at the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services

SPECIAL "FRIENDS TALKING" FORUM: 10:10 A.M.. in Bloedel Hall, or via Zoom

It is our delight to welcome The Rev. Dr. Bradley S. Hauff as Guest Preacher April 3. In 2018 he was called to serve as Episcopal Church Missioner for Indigenous Ministries, a member of the Presiding Bishop’s staff. In his role, Hauff is responsible for enabling and empowering Indigenous peoples and their respective communities within the Episcopal Church while also guiding the broader Church in intercultural competencies. Learn more about Rev. Hauff here, where you may also see a video that he has invited all to watch in advance of his visit.

JUNE 10–12, 2022, at St. Andrew’s House Retreat Center on beautiful Hood Canal. Registration required. Capacity is limited to 25, first-come, first-served.

In June, Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke and Dean Thomason will lead a men's retreat titled "Our Shelter from the Stormy Blast": Spiritual Reflections on 9/11, Pandemic, and Change. As a priest on staff at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City, Rev. Hoke happened to be standing under the North Tower of the World Trade Center when it was attacked on September 11, 2001. For his talks at our retreat, Stuart will narrate his eyewitness accounts of the day’s events and the recovery efforts that followed in his parish church and neighborhood in the ensuing months. He will also reflect on the many spiritual awakenings that emerged from the ashes—learnings that touch all of us as we navigate life in the 21st century, especially in the wake of a global pandemic. Join Dr. Hoke and Dean Steve Thomason for this weekend of spiritual reflection and renewal.

Fee: $250; includes two nights lodging (single rooms in the conference center) and all meals. Partial scholarships are available. Space is limited to 25 and is first-come, first-served. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your space. Payment in full is due May 1, 2022. Register at this link.

NOTE: The Women's Retreat, April 29–May 1, is now at capacity. Please contact Canon Jennifer King Daugherty to put your name on a wait list.

Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with Anglican agencies and other ecumenical partners to provide humanitarian aid in response to the refugee crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Partner with Episcopal Relief & Development by donating to the International Disaster Response Fund. Your support will help meet critical needs for people fleeing the violence including food, cash, blankets and hygiene supplies. Read more about the response here. Visit here to help today.

The Stations of the Cross by Virginia Maksymowicz Now On Display and Generously Gifted to the Cathedral

2022 marks the fifth year that the Stations of the Cross by artist Virginia Maksymowicz have been displayed in the nave. Although they were originally commissioned by St Thomas Episcopal Church in Lancaster, PA—a very different kind of church interior than Saint Mark's—their elemental quality and stark appearance resonate visually and spiritually with the nave of Saint Mark's. Many are surprised to learn that they were not created specifically for this space! In fact, they have only been on loan to the cathedral since their first appearance here in 2018. Now, Saint Mark's Cathedral is happy to announce that these artworks are now a permanent part of the cathedral collection. They have been given as a gift by The Rt. Rev. Gregory Rickel, Bishop of Olympia, and Mrs Marti Rickel, to the glory of God and in loving memory of Bishop Rickel's father, Morris E. Rickel Jr. These Stations of the Cross will serve the cathedral community, the diocese, and wider community as a beautiful and prayerful aspect of our Lenten observances for years to come. More information, including the beautiful film of the Stations liturgy created by parishioner David Wild in 2020, may be found here.

If you missed last Sunday's forum with Joseph Russ of El Centro Santa Marta, providing shelter and support for LGBTQI+ youth and young adults in El Salvador, a video of the event, with links to donate, can now be seen here.

At the offertory of the 11 a.m. this Sunday the Cathedral Choir will offer a new addition to their repertoire, That’s how good God is! by Phillip Barnette McIntyre. McIntyre taught music at the University of the District of Columbia, and served as a church musician, organist, choir director, and public school teacher in the Washington D.C. area. His compositional output included works for organ and songs for solo voice in additional to choral music. He died at the age of 40 in 1991 of complications from AIDS. McIntyre wrote both the music and the words of That's how good God is! during his final illness, and it is a deeply poignant expression of faith and comfort in the face of suffering and abandonment.

The Diocese of Olympia presents: Better Together—A Faith Formation Mini-conference

Anyone interested in faith formation in invited to this diocesan virtual conference, featuring exciting speakers interspersed with a wide range of interactive workshops. Better Together is designed to provide inspiration, education, resources, and opportunities for collaboration so you can return to your church invigorated and hopefully challenged to try something new and out of the ordinary. Of particular interest to members of the cathedral community are a conversation featuring Canon Wendy Claire Barrie on "Lifelong Faith for All Ages & Generations" and a workshop featuring Senior Warden Emily Meeks and Service Corps member Lindsay Bell on "Adapting Our Faith for the Age of Climate Crisis: A Roundtable with Young Adults." Learn more and register to participate here.

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2021, 6–6:30 P.M., in the cathedral nave

On Monday, March 14, beginning at 6 p.m., Saint Mark's Associate Organist John Stuntebeck will offer 30 minutes of drone-based improvisations on the Mighty Flentrop, as an aid to reflection and mediation, and as a prelude to yoga practice. Cathedral Yoga, led by Sally Senger, will follow immediately at 6:30 p.m. Arrive at any time between 6 and 6:30, but note that the nave will not be open until just before 6 p.m. You are welcome to stay for the organ prelude without attending the yoga class.

FIVE THURSDAYS, BEGINNING MARCH 10, 4–5:30 P.M. PACIFIC, register here.

Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries of the Episcopal Church offer this Lenten series, designed to expose participants to the border crossing experiences of immigrants, including their perilous journey towards the border, their interaction with detention centers, and the work of churches and other organizations that support them. This five-week Lenten VBE series can be done at home alone, with your family, or as part of a study group. The presenters include individuals involved in immigration ministry and advocacy, as well as the immigrants themselves who have personally experienced the impact and trauma of our national immigration policies. There is no fee for this Lenten series which will take place on Thursdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Sessions occur: March 10, March 17, March 24, March 31, and April 7. More information here and a link to register can be found here.

SUNDAYS, MARCH 13, 20, & 27, 5:30-6:45 P.M., Leffler House (with the option to attend the 7 p.m. Contemplative Eucharist in Thomsen Chapel)

Are you drawn to contemplative reading and have a desire to reflect on content with others? Drawing from Listening for the Heartbeat of God by J. Philip Newell, we’ll weave in themes in the readings over the course of three Sundays for a time of spiritual reflection and connection. Participants are encouraged to read the book but it is not required. Co-facilitated by Victoria Szydlowski and Emily Meeks. If interested, please email Emily: [email protected]

This service will be livestreamed.

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]