Livestream service of Holy Eucharist

Download the leaflet in advance here.

Visit saintmarks.org/livestream to watch live. (The service will also be streamed on Saint Mark's Facebook page.)

Presider: The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason

Guest Preacher: The Rev. Laura Eberly

Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12; Matthew 22:33-46

Hymns: Immortal, invisible [Hymn #423]; What does the Lord require? [Hymn #605]

Organ: François Couperin, selections from Messe pour les Couvents [Mass for the convents]

Offertory music: Keith Hampton, Praise his holy name [sung by the Saint Mark's Singers and the Schola of the Choir School; recorded October 21, 2018]

We are delighted to have The Rev. Laura Eberly as our guest preacher this Sunday. She will be the newest vocational deacon in the Episcopal Church, after her ordination on Saturday, October 24 at Saint Mark’s on behalf of the Diocese of Chicago. (See more information about the ordination liturgy below.) She now lives in the Bay Area where she serves as a community organizer and anti-racism trainer compelled by Jesus' call to love our neighbors as ourselves. Her consultant work engages congregations, nonprofits, and individuals to tell true stories about systemic injustice and oppression in the service of healing and liberation for all God's people.

Here is this week's introduction to Sunday's hymns, first broadcast live over Facebook on Thursday. Click here to watch the video on Facebook.

Join us next Thursday at 4 p.m. on the cathedral's public Facebook page to experience the next hymn chat live!

Compline will be broadcast at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, now with a choir of three or four singers. Listen live on KING-FM 98.1 and online at king.org, and please subscribe to the Compline podcast: complinepodcast.org

Highlights: M. Searle Wright, Slowly the rays of daylight fade; Josquin des Prez, Christe, filii Dei

Morning Prayer, THURSDAYS, 7 A.M. via Zoom. A service of morning prayer, followed immediately by some time to talk and be together. All are welcome. Email selwood@uw.edu for the link.

Evening Prayer, EVERY WEEKNIGHT, 6:30 P.M. via Zoom. A service of daily evening prayer to close the day. Email mseewer@saintmarks.org for link.

Click here for her full message, and watch your email for future weekly stewardship messages! Stewardship videos will be posted here as they are released.

THIS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020, 5:30 P.M. in the Community Facebook Group (highlights will be posted later in the week on the Cathedral website, here.)

The Stewardship Ministry invites all to join in a weekly reflection on the year and how Saint Mark’s has knit all of us together into a community. The latest of these opportunities was posted on the Community Life during the Closure Facebook page on Tuesday evening. Those who do not use Facebook can read highlights and contribute to the ongoing conversation here.

Look out for additional offerings from the Stewardship ministry throughout the month, and click here to make your 2021 pledge.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020, 7:30 P.M., via livestream

The 2020-21 Season of the Saint Mark's Music Series begins with a free, virtual concert from the cathedral nave. Don’t miss this opportunity to watch an organist play the Toccata from Widor’s 5th Symphony, live, up close, on the mighty Flentrop! Michael Kleinschmidt will open this Friday’s concert with that beloved work. Then he will offer some remarks about the featured work of the evening, Widor’s Symphonie Romane. Three members of The Compline Choir will chant the Gregorian themes on which it is based, and then Canon Kleinschmidt will perform the entire symphony. The whole program will be about one hour long. Widor’s Symphonie Romane is his tenth and last organ symphony. It is a ravishing work that embodies Widor’s own statement, “Organ playing is the manifestation of a will filled with the vision of eternity.”

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020, 2:30 P.M., via Zoom

God willing and the people consenting, Bishop Rickel will ordain two people to the vocational diaconate in a solemn liturgy on Saturday afternoon, October 24. Such ordinations would normally occur during the annual diocesan convention, but this year the cathedral is hosting the service, which will double as the concluding liturgy of the virtual convention, October 23–24.

or MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 8 P.M., via Zoom

Learn 3-4 data-driven discoveries and tips for parenting during the pandemic, and converse with fellow parents about your experiences with the challenges, opportunities, and stressors of parenting in this season. Each session will be limited to a conversational-size. To RSVP for one of these sessions and receive the zoom link, please contact Kelly.

NEXT SERVICE: MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 7 P.M., over the phone and (optional) in-person

The 20s & 30s at Saint Mark's will be hosting prayer together on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. This will be offered over the phone—the young adults decided that there were already too many videoconferences and Zoom meetings in their lives! The next offering will be Monday evening, October 26. Please email Canon Jennifer to receive the call-in information and liturgy for the service. Additionally, there will be an optional in-person gathering outdoors in groups of 5 or fewer to call in to our common prayer on the 4th Monday of each month. Please fill out this form if you are interested in joining a group or getting more information.

In a pastoral message emailed earlier last week, Dean Thomason offered a timely reflection on civic responsibilities from a religious and spiritual perspective. You may read the complete message here.

Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on November 3. Find a list of your closest King County ballot drop box here. Make sure your envelope is signed and dated before returning!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020, 6:30 P.M., watch live here or on the Saint Mark's livestream page

Amidst the cacophonous noise of round-the-clock spin and the restless ticking of our anxious hearts, we gather in prayerful solidarity to settle our souls, as people of faith and citizens concerned for the well-being of our nation. As we pray for wisdom and grace, healing and connection, we draw on the broad and ancient wisdom to be still, and entering the contemplative spirit that transcends word and speech, and rest for a moment of inspiration and intentional grounding. For more information, click here.

Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times—The New Book by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020, 7-8 P.M., via Zoom

Let’s gather after the election and talk about hope for the future in a real, Jesus-centered way! As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's life illustrates massive changes in our times. In his new book, he uses the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey to show us how America came this far and how to go a whole lot further. The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing this nation today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. Let’s get some love going and talk about the PB’s charge and challenge together! If you’d like to hear more about the book, read here. Registration required here.

Creator God, You make all things and weave them together in an intricate tapestry of life. Teach us to respect the fragile balance of life and to care for all the gifts of your creations. Guide by your wisdom those who have power and authority; that by the decisions they make, life may be cherished and a good and fruitful Earth may continue to show your glory and sing your praises.

The next Creation Care Ministry monthly meeting will be Monday evening, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom and is (as always) open to all. Please contact Marjorie Ringness for the link to join.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020, 9 A.M., via livestream

The Feast of All Saints is one of the four occasions identified by The Book of Common Prayer as especially appropriate for the public celebration of the sacrament of Baptism. This year three candidates will receive the sacrament in an outdoor liturgy on the labyrinth in front of the cathedral at 9 a.m on Sunday, November 1. (The brief service will not include Holy Eucharist, which will be offered at 11 a.m. that same day, as usual.) In-person attendance must be limited to the family members and sponsors of the Baptismal candidates, but please join in via livestream, and add your voice to the community's "We will!" from home, when asked if you will support these new siblings in their life in Christ.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020, 4:30 P.M., via livestream

Saint Mark’s Cathedral offers this liturgy of Choral Evensong in celebration of All Saints and in commemoration of the lives of all whom we love but see no longer. In particular at this time we commemorate the lives taken by Covid-19. Members of the Evensong Choir will chant the appointed Psalm and Canticles in Gregorian settings. They will also sing the final movement, In paradisum, from Gabriel Fauré’s beloved setting of the Requiem. 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020, 9:30 A.M., via Zoom

God comes to us in many ways. Some of the most profound encounters though happen during simple, everyday life: cooking a meal, putting away dishes, folding laundry, or reading a bedtime story. Those ordinary encounters can be anything but ordinary. God is always finding a way to transform ordinary practices in unexpected ways.

On Saturday, November 7, the Spirited Women of Saint Mark’s will gather virtually for a mini-retreat to talk about ways God encounters us through ordinary life. Pre-gathering coffee begins at 9:30 followed by Morning Prayer and then reflection and renewal. We will end by 11:30 am. 

To pre-register, please RSVP to Mary Segall or The Rev. Canon Cristi Chapman by Sunday, October 25. Participants will receive a retreat packet in the mail in advance. After you register, share a short reflection, photo, or video how you have encountered the Holy in ordinary life. More information is available here.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020, 1:00 P.M., via Zoom

A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of Faith is Timothy Egan's story of his personal journey to discover what he, a lapsed Catholic, really believed. It's a personal search for the faith that may not have comforted his devout mother in her final days and failed some members of his family. It's also a learned journey through church history, and it's a delightful travelogue. (Rick Steves, watch out!)

Egan is an award-winning NYT's columnist, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, and a Seattleite. He writes beautifully, lyrically, and movingly in this story of his spiritual quest. To join the Zoom discussion, email your interest to pmcelheran@comcast.net or deborahbrown2559@me.com.

As the season changes and the weather becomes colder, Saint Mark’s offers an opportunity to remember and be of service to those in our community who lack safe and secure shelter. Participants will create small care packages, known as “Manna Bags,” containing items that people experiencing homelessness themselves have said are most useful to them. The act of assembling these bags will be an opportunity to prayerfully reflect upon our responsibility to serve Christ in all people, and to respect the dignity of all our neighbors. This offering includes three parts. Community members of all ages are welcome to participate in any or all of the following, as they feel able.

Parishioners are invited to contribute monetarily to the creation of the care packages, which will include wool-blend socks, soft, high-calorie foods, hand wipes, bottled water, feminine products, a washcloth, liquid body soap, and more. Please make your financial donation between October 31 and November 10 by check mailed to the cathedral (please write “Manna Bag Project” in the memo line), Venmo mobile app, or online at saintmarks.org/give (choose “Manna Bag Project” from the list of options).

On Saturday, November 14, arrive at the cathedral between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to help assemble the bags at various stations located around the cathedral campus. At each station, participants will add items to their Manna Bag, and then be invited into a prayerful reflection. Participants must register in advance, and remain masked and distanced from others at all times. At the final station, the completed bags will be blessed for use. Participants may take their bag with them to give to a neighbor themselves, or leave it at Saint Mark’s to be distributed by Community Lunch ministry on Capitol Hill. Pre-register for the prayer pilgrimage HERE.

At 12 p.m. a brief service of Noonday Prayer will be offered on the labyrinth to conclude the event. Again, registration, masks, and distancing must be observed by all. You are welcome to register to attend the prayer service whether or not you wish to participate in the pilgrimage around the campus. Register HERE. 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2020, 9:30-11:30 A.M., via Zoom, registration required.

Renowned interspiritual teacher Mirabai Starr returns to Saint Mark’s on December 5 to offer a virtual workshop on loss, grief, and hope titled Luminous Night: A Spirituality of Loss, Grief, and Hope. She will share teachings from the mystics of various traditions that illumine the connection between loss, spiritual longing, and reframing the future. The teachings of the sixteenth-century Spanish saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross show us how we may approach the radical mystery that often accompanies loss and lament as a spiritual opportunity rather than as a problem requiring a solution. By engaging a contemplative approach, we cultivate an environment of emotional refuge and deep peace in which we can name and offer our burdens to the Holy One.

Our time together will include poetry and contemplative reading, deep dialog in small breakout groups, writing exercises, and a closing liturgy. We especially invite those who are grieving any kind of loss or those who find the holiday season a painful or difficult time. We will gather via Zoom. The event is free but pre-registration is required; register for the workshop here.

For more information, contact Canon Jennifer Daugherty at jkdaugherty@saintmarks.org. 

Nominations for candidates for Vestry and for Delegates to Diocesan Convention will be open from Sunday, October 18 through Sunday, November 22. If you would like to nominate someone or would like more information about either of those important roles, please send an email to nominations@saintmarks.org. Thank you!  

The Rubric: Fall 2020 issue now available online

In continual publication since December of 1890, today The Rubric is Saint Mark's magazine, used to tell the story of the cathedral community to ourselves, the Diocese of Olympia, and the wider world. The publication of the spring issue was prevented by the rapidly changing situation, and so the new fall issue takes a step back and reflects in various ways about the unprecedented times we are living through.

...and much more. This issue will not be printed and mailed as a physical magazine. Rather the contents of the issue will be available online here, either using the Issuu reader interface, as a downloadable pdf, or as individual articles.

The Seattle Seafarers' Center WILL be delivering ditty bags to the seafarers who come into the Port of Seattle this year! They are accepting donations of toiletries (Deodorant, Shaving Cream, Toothpaste, Shampoo/Body wash combo, disposable razor, and a toothbrush sealed in a single pack), and handmade ditty bags (instructions available here). Donations for the purchase of toiletries can be made online (please specify "Ditty Bags") or mailed to: Seattle Seafarers Center, 3568 W. Marginal Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106. For more information and to schedule a donation drop-off, contact the volunteers of the Seattle Seafarers' Center at 206.935.3439 or email: office@mts-seattle.org.

In addition, you can also join Saint Mark’s Ministry of Worsted Wool in making watch caps for the Mission to Seafarers. Contact Barbara Erickson or visit this page for more information and a pattern—even if you’ve never knitted a cap before!

Church School on Sunday mornings has started up again for the Fall season! Children in Pre-K through second grade meet at 9 a.m. for Godly Play with Alicia Goodwin, where they tell bible stories with objects from home, make art together, and share their prayers and praises. Children in third through fifth grade meet at 10 a.m. for Exploring Saints and Sacraments with Kristen Kelly, where they study scripture together and make connections to life in quarantine, plan projects for the community, and more! Contact Kelly Moody, Associate for Spiritual Formation, for more information and zoom links at kmoody@saintmarks.org.

In each 6–8-minute episode you'll hear a passage of scripture, reflect on the weekly chapter of The Path, and be invited into prayer. Search for "Prayer Podcast for Children" wherever you get your podcasts, or check out all the episodes here!

Join youth (grades 8-12) from all across Western Washington gather for games and activities, discussions, guest speakers, and worship, every Sunday at 7 p.m. Visit https://ecww.org/youth/ for more information and for the link to register.

EVERY TUESDAY, 12–1 P.M., currently meeting via Zoom 

Tuesday Bible Study provides a weekly conversation around the scripture readings for the following Sunday. It has recently re-launched using the Zoom platform. Each week a discussion is facilitated and lively conversation ensues as people share their thoughts about the lessons. For more information and to get the link to join, contact The Rev. Canon Jennifer King Daugherty.

EVERY FRIDAY at 3 P.M., via Zoom. 

Remember when we used to get together in coffee shops? We can still do that... online! Michael Perera will host afternoon tea once a week; drop in and chat about whatever’s on your mind. Bring your favorite hot beverage and let’s continue hanging out and making the isolation easier. Email Michael Perera with questions or to get the link to join: perera.michael@gmail.com.

Is there anyone you know who might benefit from a quick phone call, or a note in the mail, from clergy or a member of the community? Email Dean Steve Thomason at sthomason@saintmarks.org or Erik Donner at edonner@saintmarks.org, or call either one—or any of the clergy—at 206.323.0300.