FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026

Click here to view this email as a webpage.

SUNDAY OFFERINGS

Sunday, November 1, 2026: The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

8 a.m. • Holy Eucharist

Thomsen Chapel

9 a.m. • Holy Eucharist

cathedral nave

11 a.m. • Holy Eucharist

cathedral nave & livestreamed

12:30 p.m. • Newcomers Gathering

gather at the back of the nave

4:30 p.m. • Choral Evensong

cathedral nave & livestreamed

5:30 p.m. • QuiC Potluck

Leffler House

7 p.m. • Contemplative Eucharist

Thomsen Chapel

9:30 p.m. • Compline

cathedral nave & broadcast on KING FM

HEADLINES

Cover photo shows Dean Steve Thomason welcoming worshippers to the Pre-Election Interfaith Vigil for Unity & Peace on October 28, 2026.

Daylight Savings Time Ends

Daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 1. Don't forget to set your manual clocks back by one hour on Saturday night.

Full Closure of Northbound I-5 This Weekend

Northbound I-5 will be fully closed from I-90 to Northeast 45th Street in Seattle from Friday, Oct. 30, through early Monday, Nov. 2. Ramps along this stretch begin closing as early as 9 p.m. Friday, and the mainline closes as early as 11:59 p.m. All northbound lanes and ramps are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2. The express lanes will run northbound only until they return to normal operations at that time. 

If you’re traveling to, through, or around Seattle this weekend, plan extra time or choose another route.

Find up to date information on WSDOT's website.

QUICK LINKS: LEAFLETS | READINGS | VIDEO ARCHIVE | SERMONS | CALENDAR

All Hallows' Eve Family Playdate

THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 9:30-11 A.M. in Bloedel Hall

All families and kiddos (infants through elementary school) are invited to join for an All Hallows' Eve Family Playdate on Halloween in Bloedel Hall. Kids and their parents will enjoy fall themed snacks (friendly for all ages and dietary needs), crafts, games, and music. We will have story time at 9:45 a.m. Costumes are welcome!

Choral Evensong

on All Saints' Day and the Eve of All Souls' Day

THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 4:30 P.M. in the nave

Saint Mark's invites one and all, through eventide prayers and praise, to celebrate all the saints and remember all whom we love but see no longer. The Evensong Choir will offer a boldly declamatory setting of the Songs of Mary and Simeon by the 19th-century English composer, Charles Villiers Stanford (the setting in C major, his own favorite among his several settings of those canticles); and the deeply moving anthem, Valiant-for-Truth, a setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams of a passage from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

A Table for Everyone: QuiC Chosen Family Potluck

THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 5:30 P.M. in Leffler House

Queer in Christ (QuiC) will meet this Sunday after Evensong for a Thanksgiving-themed evening of food, fellowship, and community. Together we'll celebrate the gift of chosen family around a shared table. Main dishes, including turkey or chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, will be provided. If you'd like, you're welcome to bring a favorite side dish, appetizer, dessert, or beverage to share, but please don't let that stop you from coming. No contribution is required, and there will be plenty for everyone. All members of the QuiC community are welcome, whether you're a longtime member or joining us for the first time!

Chapel of the Resurrection Eucharist

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 12 P.M. in the Chapel of the Resurrection

A special service of Holy Eucharist will be offered in the Chapel of the Resurrection—the sacred space in the crypt (lower level) which houses the cathedral’s columbarium—on the Wednesday after the Feast of All Saints, with special intention for those whose remains rest in the chapel and for all those we love and see no longer. Enter through the Hoerster Annex (office entrance), and follow the signs to the Chapel of the Resurrection, or ask the front desk for directions. A brief reception will follow the liturgy.

WISDOM SCHOOL & CATHEDRAL COMMONS

God and the Alcoholic Experience: Suffering and Solidarity with the Addicted

with the Rev. Canon Rich Weyls

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 6:45 P.M. in Bloedel Hall & on Zoom

1 in 6 Americans struggle with addiction at any given moment. Recovery and healing are found through solidarity with fellow addicts, forming community, and service to others. This session will weave together Scripture, Christian tradition, contemporary wisdom, and the lived experience of recovery to show how these perspectives illuminate each other for sobriety and profound growth in the spiritual life.

Visual Arts Ministry: Visit to Frye Art Museum

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 11 A.M. at the Frye Museum

The Visual Arts Ministry is hosting a visit to the Frye Art Museum. Meet in the museum lobby at 11 a.m. to view the new exhibits by indigenous artists and to explore the ongoing collection in the Salon. Afterwards, the VAM group will gather for sharing time and lunch in the cafe.

Admission to the Frye is free. Contact VAM Co-Chair Deborah Brown with questions.

Concert by Canon Kleinschmidt

on the organ of First Lutheran Church, West Seattle

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 3 P.M. at First Lutheran Church, West Seattle

In celebration of the 509th anniversary of Martin Luther's launch of the Protestant Reformation, the 50th anniversary of the beautiful pipe organ built by Fritz Noack in the First Lutheran Church of West Seattle, and to honor the legacy of Andrew King who served as organist/cantor at this church for 50 years, Canon Kleinschmidt will offer a program of works by 17th and 18th century German Lutheran composers such as Michael Praetorius, Nikolaus Bruhns, Dieterich Buxtehude, and J. S. Bach. It will include settings for organ of melodies associated with hymns authored by Martin Luther and Elisabeth Cruciger, as well as dazzling free compositions. All are welcome. Free-will offering.

This offering is part of the Soli Deo Gloria Concert Series. The First Lutheran Church of West Seattle is located at 4105 California Ave SW, Seattle.

Cozy Compline

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 7 P.M. in the nave

Come in your pajamas for cocoa and cookies and get cozy in the nave for the Church's bedtime prayers sung by the high school Schola of Saint Mark's Choir School. The 40-foot diameter Terra globe will be suspended from our 80-foot ceiling, casting a gentle light. With that guiding our theme, we're sharing Sophie Blacknell's picture book guide to our planet, If You Come to Earth, immediately before the liturgy. This service of Compline is beautiful, brief, and especially child-friendly, but meaningful for all ages. Pillows and stuffed animals are welcome!

Terra at Saint Mark's Cathedral

NOVEMBER 8 - NOVEMBER 22

The huge 24-foot diameter Terra globe returns to Saint Mark's this November. Featuring NASA's Blue Marble satellite imagery, Terra will be suspended in the center of the cathedral nave, brightly illuminated from within and slowly revolving on its tilted axis.

View upcoming visiting hours and offerings under the globe.

20s & 30s Fall Brunch

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 12:30 P.M. in Leffler House

All in their 20s & 30s are welcome to gather for good food, tea, coffee, and conversation at Leffler House following the 11 service. Bagels, fruit, yogurt, and beverages will be provided; please feel free to bring a dish or side to share! Contact the 20s & 30s minsitry leaders with questions.

Second Sunday Book Group

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 12:30 P.M. in Room 210

The Second Sunday Book Group is discussing The Gospel Engine (2025) by Samuel Thawley. Thawley's novel is about a woman who, after a decade at Google's AI lab, leaves her job to do a doctorate in theology using her AI expertise to discover the process by which Gospel texts emerged and what alternative texts or wording may have been circulating at that time. She wants to know what may have been lost or suppressed and how this might challenge existing Christian theology. She knows her work will be controversial but doesn't anticipate the size or reach of the public storm that emerges. She wrestles with what can be known and whether her work reveals truth or tempts heresy. Her father is a cathedral dean in the Anglican Church; she is steeped in the history and philosophy of the church. This is a novel that takes both theology and technology seriously.

Third Acters (60+) Zoom Gathering

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 3 P.M. on Zoom

The Third Acters (60+) will gather on Zoom to build community with a check-in, during which time we exchange stories, inspiration and often, joy. Each gathering is focused on a question such as, “How are you increasing your intimacy with God as you age?” Or “What is your experience of downsizing your home?,” and attendees are invited to share. All who are 60+ are welcome to join.

To get the Zoom link, contact Kathy Minsch or Elizabeth Clark-Stern.

Crafternoon and Intergenerational Song Circle

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Help make handmade gifts for the Alternative Gift Market! The kitchen will be open beginning at noon, and crafting will take place in Bloedel Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. Bring your own project or take part in one of ours! We’ll be making gift wrap, Christmas ornaments, hot cocoa mix, herbed nuts, and if you have suggestions for other projects, please email Canon Wendy.

At 4 p.m., we’ll gather under the Terra globe in the nave with Saint Mark’s own Elizabeth Antley to sing songs of creation, connection, and peace.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Highlights from Diocesan Convention

Last weekend, Saint Mark's clergy and delegates attended the Diocese of Olympia's 116th convention. Parishioner Sue Tait received the Bishop's Cross award and members of the Choir School offered music during Saturday's Eucharist.

Saint Mark's Has Participated in Real Rent Duwamish Since 2020

Did you know that Saint Mark’s Cathedral has included in its annual operating budget an annual Real Rent payment to the Duwamish Tribe since 2020? This is a tangible commitment to acknowledging that we gather on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and to honoring the dignity and sovereignty of the Duwamish Tribe who is still here. Dean Thomason has also written amicus letters of support at the request of Tribal Chair Cecile Hansen in their ongoing efforts to obtain federal recognition while also honoring with gratitude “the land itself and all the Coast Salish tribes.” Learn more here.

Save the date for a viewing of the documentary film Unrecognized: The Duwamish Tribe on Wednesday, December 9 at 6:45 p.m. A discussion will follow with documentary producer BJ Bullert and the film's central figure, Ken Workman, Duwamish Council Member and descendant of Chief Seattle.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with Saint Mark's

Following our Thanksgiving service of Holy Eucharist at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 26, all are warmly invited to gather in Bloedel Hall for a festive and abundant community celebration. Turkey and a vegetarian alternative main dish will be provided; bring a side dish, bread, or dessert if you can. No worries if not—just come and be a part as we give thanks together in this place. Register to join in this community meal by Monday, November 23 at 10 a.m.

Saint Mark's Receives Grant from the City of Seattle

This week, the City of Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment announced that Saint Mark's Cathedral is a recipient of their 2026 Building Decarbonization Grant program. We were recognized as an historic place of worship and community gathering space with an ambitious carbon reduction goal. We will receive $148,000 to support the Living Stones II retrofit project of the HVAC in the cathedral nave. 

Saint Mark's has always been a gathering place for the city of Seattle and the region, and we're profoundly grateful to receive support from the city to continue being a safe place where people gather in times of crisis, sorrow, and celebration. Learn more on the City of Seattle's website.

Save the Date: Alternative Gift Market

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 10 A.M. - 1 P.M., in Bloedel Hall

special access will follow the 8 a.m. service

The Alternative Gift Market is an annual event to support the Threshold Fund and benefit some of our community partners. In 2025, the Market and Giving Tree raised an amazing combined total of over $12,900 in cash, gifts, and gift cards. In 2026, the Market will benefit the Threshold Fund, Lowell Elementary School, Casa Latina, Operation Nightwatch, L'Arche Seattle, Seattle Seafarers Center, and Building Together. Mark your calendars now and invite your friends to support this event!

A team of more than forty people contributed to last year’s huge success. There are a number of ways you can be involved:

1. Donate treasures: giftable items that others might make a significant donation for such as framed art/prints; special pieces of pottery, glass, or china; books, games or toys in excellent condition. Items may be dropped off in the coffee corner on Sunday or to the cathedral office during the week (Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.).

2. Donate a handmade item: knitted, quilted, sewn, painted, crafted.

3. Participate in our Crafternoon: On Wednesday, November 11, the kitchen will be open beginning at noon and crafting will take place in Bloedel Hall from 2-4 pm. Bring your own, or take part in ours!

4. Sign up to support before, during or after the event.

5. Look out in the newsletter for additional opportunities to support the Alternative Gift Market.

Position Open: Director of Communications

Saint Mark's Cathedral is now accepting applications for the Director of Communications. This role is responsible for the overall communications and messaging of the Cathedral and for timely content creation across various channels (digital and print) - cultivating a sense of belonging among parishioners and the broader community through effective storytelling and consistent brand identity. Read the job description and application instructions.

Call for Entries: Quilt Exhibit at Saint Mark's Cathedral

presented by the Visual Arts and Quilt Ministries

We invite quilters from across the Episcopal Church in Western Washington to submit their original works reflecting our theme: “The Joy of Creating.” Quilts will be hung in the cathedral nave, January 3 -31, 2027.

The submission deadline is November 21, 2026. More information and the entry form is here.

FROM OUR NEIGHBORS

Bring Christmas to a Seafarer

Every year, the Seattle Seafarers Center provides over 1,000 ditty bags stuffed with basic personal necessities to merchant seafarers. These bags are one way we give thanks for these essential and often hidden workers and help seafarers celebrate the holidays while they are far from home. Please consider making drawstring bags or knit hats or purchasing basic supplies to fill the ditty bags. Learn more on the Seattle Seafarers Center website and contact the center with any questions.

Ditty Bag Stuffing Day

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 10 A.M. - 12 P.M.

Join other volunteers from around Puget Sound at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in West Seattle in stuffing ditty bags for seafarers. Learn more here.

PASTORAL CARE

To submit a prayer request for the Prayer Chain or to be added to the spoken Prayers of the People on Sunday, send an email to prayers@saintmarks.org or call 206.323.0300 x314.

We also invite your prayers as informed by:

• The Anglican Cycle of Prayer
• The Diocese of Olympia Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
• The Saint Mark's, Seattle, Cathedral Cycle of Prayer

THIS WEEK'S RECURRING OFFERINGS

Below are recurring offerings at Saint Mark's this week. Click the photo to learn more, or visit our cathedral calendar.

Sunday, November 1

during the 9 a.m. service

in Thomsen Chapel

All children are invited to join the Gospel procession and gather around the Deacon as the Gospel is proclaimed. Parents are welcome to join; otherwise they will return to their families in the nave at the Peace.

Sunday, November 1

12:30 p.m., meet at the back of the nave

This coffee hour is offered especially for newcomers, guests, or anyone who has questions about the cathedral community and liturgies.

Monday through Friday 
on Zoom

Daily Morning Prayer is offered online via Zoom, Monday through Friday at 7:30 a.m.

Daily Evening Prayer is offered via Zoom, Monday through Friday at 6 p.m.

Monday, November 2

6:30 p.m. in the cathedral nave

Cathedral Yoga will be led by Andrew Ragan, followed by a tea social. Doors open to welcome participants at 6 p.m. and close at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 3

12 p.m. on Zoom

This group provides a weekly conversation around the scripture readings for the following Sunday.

Email Bible Study leaders for the Zoom link.

Tuesday, November 3

6:30 p.m. in the nave

Contemplative Prayer gatherings begin with a time of silent meditation, followed by a discussion of contemplative experience and practices.

Wednesday, November 4, 5:30-8:15 p.m.

Cathedral Commons begins with Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m., a community dinner from 6-6:30 p.m., and a forum from 6:45-8:15 p.m.

Thursday, November 5

7:30 a.m.,

 in Thomsen Chapel

A service of Holy Eucharist is offered, followed by fellowship and a community breakfast in Leffler House.

Saturday, November 7

9 a.m.-12 p.m.,

 on the front lawn

The garden volunteers will gather for planting, weeding, composting and making our campus beautiful. All are welcome!

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 all the Coast Salish tribes. [Learn more]