Saint Mark's Cathedral, Seattle

In Christ’s church, all are welcome, but it’s not just in church – it is in our common life. Saint Mark’s stands in solidarity with all our neighbors, especially immigrants who are living in fear in these fraught times. Sanctuary at Saint Mark’s Cathedral is an outgrowth of our 2016 Statement of Commitment and Action, our response to the climate of increasing division and violence in our nation. Fundamental in the life of a Christian community, we take a stand to “welcome the stranger, as our Scriptures instruct.” In living into that call as a Sanctuary Hub, we are in relationship with Casa Latina, a leading immigrant worker rights organization in Seattle, with our volunteers trained and serving as witnesses and legal observers, accompaniers, interpreters, and peacemakers, and with Saint Mark’s Safe Space a gathering place for building relationship and a harbor in times of trouble. We stand as Sanctuary because we are all God’s beloved. You are welcome to join us.

Being unable to post bail prior to trial can leave people with a tough choice—either plead guilty to a crime that they may not have committed, or stay in jail for weeks or months. Either choice can impact their job, their shelter/housing, and even custody of children. The Northwest Community Bail Fund has a mission to provide cash bail for people who are unable to pay due to poverty and who are charged with misdemeanor crimes in King or Snohomish County. This allows them to get out of jail during their trial period and defend themselves from a position of freedom. We are modeling the ministry on other bail funds that are currently in existence, namely the Bronx Freedom Fund and the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund.

The Mideast Focus Ministry of Saint Mark's Cathedral works through mission, prayer, education, and action to bring understanding and to promote advocacy for justice and peace in the Middle East region, both within the Saint Mark’s congregation and to the greater Seattle community. The ministry group frequently collaborates with other groups, such as the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia's Bishop's Committee for Justice and Peace in the Holy Land, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Jewish Voice for Peace, Kairos Puget Sound Coalition, Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, and others.

The Creation Care Ministry of Saint Mark’s Cathedral strives to faithfully address the crisis of climate change. As stewards of the life-giving goodness of God’s creation, we will work with the Saint Mark’s and broader world communities to educate ourselves and take action together to preserve our shared planet and sustain life for the generations to come. We recognize our commitment as a unique opportunity and responsibility in our time to address the many social justice issues tied to the climate crisis. And through engaging in collective action that makes an effective impact, we will grow into the joy of transcending our fears and sense of powerlessness around the issue of climate change.

All people hunger for spiritual meaning in their lives, whether they affiliate religiously or not. The Wisdom School at Saint Mark’s, now entering its sixth year, was created with a broad vision to invite people on diverse spiritual journeys to listen to and learn from each other in a vital practice of collaborative engagement.

Our mission is to “[Offer] a balanced path for spiritual transformation grounded in prayer and practice, drawing on the Christian contemplative tradition while respecting the diversity of experiences born from contemplative practices of other traditions.” The space for reasoned discourse, lifelong learning, and spiritual renewal is held sacred for all seekers, whether they worship at the cathedral or not.

Each year’s programming includes free offerings and a few that require a registration fee. The Wisdom School has hosted Walter Brueggemann, Mirabai Starr, Ed Bacon, Gertrud Muller Nelson, and others who bring their acclaimed gifts to share with participants, as well as being a host site for CONSIPRE webcasts, which feature teachers like Richard Rohr, Barbara Brown Taylor, angel Kyodo williams, Ken Wilber, and Barbara Holmes.