Email from Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral

Events and Announcements of Parish Life

The Weekly Connector

December 8, 2025

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 6:00-8:00 pm, Advent Evenings: For Such a Time as This (see below)

Sunday, Dec. 14, 8:30 - 10:30 am, Season of Hope Brunch (see below)

Sunday, Dec. 14, 4:00 pm, Second Sunday Supper, Plymouth Congregational Church. More information.

Sunday, Dec. 14, 8:00 pm, Compline for Advent, Nave.

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6:00-8:00 pm, Advent Evenings: For Such a Time as This (see below)

Friday, Dec. 19, 2:00 pm, Longest Night service, Nave (see below)

Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 pm, A Great British Christmas concert. More information.

Sunday, Dec. 21, 8:00 pm, Compline for Advent with Mirandola Ensemble, Nave.

DECEMBER MONTHLY CONNECTOR:

Complete information on worship, events, and more can be found in the new Saint Mark's Monthly Connector, available in the Welcome Center, many places around the Cathedral, or on our website by clicking here.

Season of Hope Brunch

Sunday, December 14

Plan now to attend and prepare your hearts as we nourish each other with food and fellowship at the Season of Hope Brunch.

WHAT: All-church Advent brunch

WHO: Saint Mark's Community

WHERE: Community Room

WHEN: Sunday December 14th 8:30 am -10:30 am

HOW: It takes a village to feed a church family. As you are able, please use the link below to contribute food or volunteer to help with serving. Sharing food and volunteering are welcomed but not required to attend this free event. The link below will provide further information.

Further questions? Contact Inez Bergquist 651-260-6312 or Lois Satterberg 612-310-5825.

Sign up is here:

Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral: Season of Hope Brunch

For Such a Time as This

Wednesdays in Advent: December 3, 10, and 17, 6 pm to 8 pm

Let’s join together in the Community Room on Wednesday evenings in Advent for fellowship, food, and creativity. This intergenerational gathering will include sharing stories and conversations based on the new book For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional.

These evenings are for the entire family, no matter the number in your family, and for all ages. Similar to a worship service, we will:

· Gather for an intergenerational evening

· Communion together in a shared meal

· Listen to a reading or presentation

· Send the gifts of food warmth that we have created to those in need

December 10 will be a soup dinner

Looking for donations of 1-2 kettles of soup, 1-2 bread, and 3-4 cookie plates. Need for total of about 50 attendees. Soups - both meat and vegan needed.

Also looking for kitchen/event volunteers for all three evenings.

Any questions, contact Joyce Hoelzer. 763-762-6998 home, jrhh5comm@proton.me

Please come and join in as we prepare ourselves this Advent, with renewed inspiration and hope, for the approaching birth of Jesus Christ into our world!

Gathered in Love: An Interfaith Service

of Trans Solidarity

Tuesday, December 9, 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Creekside UCC, 106 E. Diamond Lake Road

Join us for the Trans Solidarity Service, a multifaith gathering affirming the sacredness of trans and nonbinary lives. On Tuesday, December 9, people of faith and allies from across Minnesota will come together at Creekside United Church of Christ to proclaim a message of love, courage, and belonging. This service will include music, poetry, and reflections from trans and BIPOC faith leaders, clergy, and community members across traditions. Together, we’ll teach, organize, and be visible in our commitment to trans dignity and inclusion! The service will be free and open to all, with a livestream option for those joining from outside the Twin Cities. Masks will be required for this event and will be available on site. The livestream can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/@CreeksideUCCWorship/streams

Longest Night Service

Friday, December 19, 2025 - 2:00 pm

Cathedral Nave

Some Advents and Christmases are difficult, painful, and confusing. Something or someone may be missing. Life may be upended. It can be hard to grieve for what is missing in the midst of bright lights and Christmas cheer. It is fitting that on the longest night of the year, when our hemisphere is in its darkest phase, we make space for the dark places in our souls.

We invite you to the Longest Night Service in the Nave where you may bring your

losses, grief, confusion, and sadness to a place where they may be held gently and

sacredly. During this service, we honor our sufferings and enfold them in the promise of

the Incarnation. This is a quiet service of scripture, poems, prayers, and music.

We will have a candle-lighting ritual in recognition of the losses and griefs on our

hearts. You may share yours during a candle-lighting ceremony. All are welcome.

We invite you to send us, confidentially, the losses you would like acknowledged during

the candle lighting. These may include names of people, circumstances, griefs, or other

kinds of losses. Email Dr. Helen Hansen at helenh@ourcathedral.org.

In Support of Immigrant Communities

Minneapolis is facing an increase in federal immigration enforcement this month. During this time of increased anxiety and fear, our Saint Mark's siblings at the Spanish-speaking service on Saturdays would appreciate greeters at the front doors before and during the 5:30 Eucharist. You do not need to speak Spanish, and it's a great way to be present and supportive of some of our immigrant communities. You can sign up here. We also have started retrieving extra food from Casa Maria at Saint Nicholas, Richfield, to share with our families at Saint Mark's Saturday service. If you are occasionally available to help pick up this food at 3:30 in Richfield and drop it off at Saint Mark's, please get in touch with Rev. Clara at claras@ourcathedral.org.

Altar Guild Christmas Poinsettia Memorials

The Altar Guild would like to invite you to purchase a poinsettia as a memorial to, or in honor of, a special loved one this Christmas.

To make a Christmas Flower contribution, fill out a Memorial Flowers card found at either entrance to the Nave. Ask an usher for an envelope if you need one, and include your $40 payment for each honor/memorial. Make check payable to Saint Mark's Epioscopal Cathedral. Place the envelope and payment in the collection plate or mail it back to Saint Mark’s. Thank you for covering the cost of postage.

The names of those to be honored/remembered will be included in our Christmas worship bulletins if they are received by the church office by December 17. If you have any questions, call Deacon Terry at 612-870-7800.

Advent Prayers, Blessing of the Blankets along with Cocoa and Carols

December 21, 6:30 pm

Join us in between evensong and compline on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 6:30 pm on the front steps, weather permitting. We will burn the Advent prayers collected on the outdoor wreath throughout the season, bless the crafts we will be making for our ministry partners on Advent Wednesday evenings, and enjoy carols and cocoa around the fire. It will be a lovely and festive time!

Cathedral Ushers Needed!

Saint Mark's Usher Ministry extends hospitality at worship services and special events, provides information and service, assists with emergencies during services, and are a part of the worship service.

We have a need for additional cathedral ushers for the Sunday 8 am, 10:30 am and 5 pm Evensong services. Ushers fit into two categories: regular scheduled ushers who are assigned to a certain service to work certain weeks, and alternate ushers who can be requested to fill in when regularly scheduled ushers cannot attend. We have a need for both.

If you can be available, even on a short-term basis, to be a regular or alternate usher, please contact David Albrecht here.

Thank you,

David Albrecht

Cathedral Co-Head Usher

Path to Palm Sunday

Begins on Saturday December 13

In response to rapidly consolidating authoritarian power in our country and the dominating politics of hate, fear, greed, and division that are violating our values and tearing our country and democracy apart, a broad coalition of clergy, congregations, denominational leaders, and faith based organizations are coming together launching a path to mass actions for Christians both in Minnesota and across the country.

Step 1: Palm Sunday afternoon, March 29, 2026 - Our goal is tens of thousands of Christians marching in St. Paul, other regional centers, and hundreds of thousands more at State Capitols and cities across the country.

Step 2: Sustained Action on Medicaid Cuts, SNAP Benefit Cuts, and Immigration

Our goal is local actions on thousands of county boards at once to fight for our healthcare, the food on our tables, our rights, and fair and free elections.

Step 3: July 4th Action These actions will lead to a mass action in Washington D.C on July 4th, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence from a king.

Bishop Loya is fully behind this mass organizing movement and hopes to get many teams mobilized from ECMN churches.

Our next step is turning out as many people of faith as possible to the statewide launch event on Saturday, December 13. "A Light in the Storm" will be a gathering of 5000 people from across Minnesota and delegations from other states from 1pm - 6pm at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We will launch an agenda and plan a path for protecting our states, families, and neighbors in the face of rising authoritarianism. Clergy and teams of lay leaders will be trained in moving the Palm Sunday Path to the next phase. Please contact Rev. Clara at claras@ourcathedral.org if you want to be part of the Path to Palm Sunday team from Saint Mark's. We want to get at least 10 people to the Dec. 13 launch: Register here: bit.ly/ISAIAH2025

WELLS FOUNDATION GRANT SPOTLIGHT

180 Degrees

The Wells Foundation is an independent non-profit charitable foundation managed by Saint Markans, granting funds to organizations serving the needs of our communities.

Here is one of the organizations supported:

180 Degrees protects youth at risk of sex-trafficking, offers services in emergency housing, and maintains activities at four Minnesota youth centers. Founded in 1971 by a man who spent 20 years cycling through the criminal justice system, it began as a haven for men exiting incarceration. At present, it offers two reentry programs prioritizing safe housing and case management for ex-offenders.

At Great River Landing in Minneapolis, a 72-unit apartment complex for recently incarcerated men, 180 Degrees provides meals, social opportunities, employment readiness and placement support, life-skills coaching, and mental health care.

180 Degrees' goal is to break down systemic barriers leading to unsafe living conditions, abusive relationships, and cycles of incarceration. In the past year, it served 2,533 Minnesota youth and adults.

For more information on 180 Degrees, visit www.180degrees.org. To learn about the Wells Foundation, visit www.wellsfound.org.

Dean Search Update

The Search Committee provided an update on the progress of the search for the Cathedral's next Dean during the November 2nd Formation. The slides from that update are available on the Dean Search update page (https://ourcathedral.org/dean-search/). We have sent the search materials to the Bishop for his review and approval; once we receive any comments back and make any edits, we'll post the role, which we expect to do December 8th. When that happens, we'll provide the link to the webpage on the Dean Search Update page, and send out a notice in the Monday Connector. Watch this space, and thank you for your support!