Lt. Governor Denny Heck receives applause for his “I stand with Israel” speech. You can view the vigil here on the temple’s Facebook page.
Hundreds filled Temple De Hirsch Sinai Tuesday night in a vigil held at the E Pike house of worship to support Israel and mourn the dead from the Hamas attack and ongoing battles in the region.
Senior Rabbi Daniel Weiner led prayer and song and spoke of the support the Seattle temple is extending to its global family.
“We share your pain. We share your anger. We share your resolve,” Weiner said as he condemned the Hamas attack. Continue reading →
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A “Pastoral Planning” process will place Catholic parishes in partnership around Puget Sound. The impacts on churches in Capitol Hill and the Central District — two Seattle neighborhoods with long histories shaped by the church — won’t likely be known for another year.
The archdiocese may close the houses of worship — but many other options are possible.
Some of the driving factors behind the effort, however, have not changed.
As with many faith communities in Western Washington and nationally, church attendance is down, and has been trending that way for years. Even though the region’s population has been growing, fewer people are attending church and receiving the sacraments that are an integral part of the Catholic faith.
There is also a labor crunch. Fewer priests are expected to be available in coming years. Earlier this year, the archdiocese noted that currently there are 80 pastors for 174 locations. By 2036, it expects only 66 pastors. Continue reading →
A Capitol Hill faith community has created a modest memorial to honor the lives of those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can add to the love on display at the corner of 19th and Aloha.
Sunday, the St. Joseph Parish held a small opening service for the Capitol Hill COVID Remembrance Project, an effort through November to provide a space for the community to remember friends, family, and loved ones lost to the virus.
White ribbons have been tied to the church’s fence, many bearing the names of loved ones who have died. A box of ribbons and a pen waits for anybody who would like to add to the memorial. Continue reading →
A national trend away from organized religion will be manifesting itself in the Capitol Hill and Central District area as a pair of Catholic churches will close.
The precise timelines are not firm, but the Archdiocese of Seattle has announced that St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s churches will both close, and their congregations will be merged with other nearby churches.
A survey released by Gallup earlier this year found that 47% of Americans belong to a church, synagogue or mosque, the lowest number ever recorded by the organization, and the first time its dipped below 50%. In 1999, the number was 70%, a number that had been relatively stable since the 1930’s, Gallup found.
The numbers are even more acute in Washington, where a 2018 study found that 47 percent of state residents identified as nonreligious, compared to 33% nationwide. The state ranked as the sixth least religious at that time.
As those trends have filtered to the local level, religious institutions have started closing. Capitol Hill Presbyterian Churchclosed back in 2019. And the Progressive Missionary Baptist Churchclosed back in 2016. Next up are likely to be the pair of Catholic churches.
What happens to the buildings? “It’s part of the process, but it’s way at the end,” said Helen McClenahan, managing director of communications for the Archdiocese of Seattle. Continue reading →
For 16 months, the 65-year tradition of the Compline Service at Saint Mark’s has continued through the pandemic — but in an empty cathedral. Sunday, full life returns to the Episcopal Cathedral on Capitol Hill as the weekly service reopens to the public:
During the pandemic, the safety of the congregation and the choir members has been a priority, with careful consideration given to ventilation of the space, protocols while in the cathedral, and isolation after possible exposure. There have been no known instances of COVID transmission inside Saint Mark’s Cathedral. All singers are fully vaccinated, and the choir remains masked at all times. Following current guidelines, masks are recommended for those attending the service at this time. A portion of the seats in the church are set apart as a “distanced section,” and those who choose to sit in that section are required to remain masked and distanced from others.
The St. Nicholas building, north of the cathedral (Image: St. Mark’s)
By Jethro Swain
A major gift is helping an important Capitol Hill spiritual community shape the future of its 10th Ave E home.
This fall, Capitol Hill’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral was donated full ownership of the St. Nicholas school building by the Laura Ellen and Robert Muglia Family Foundation. The property is worth $8.4 million according to the latest county appraisal.
The St. Nicholas building, adjacent the church and purchased from the Cornish College of Arts in an LLC partnership by Saint Mark’s and the Muglia Foundation in 2003, is primarily used by two independent schools, the Bright Water Waldorf School and Gage Academy of Arts, but is also a hub for a variety of nonprofits in the community. Continue reading →
Changing with the needs of the community can keep you alive for 125 years. That’s what the leadership of 11th Ave’s Central Lutheran Church believes as the congregation prepares to celebrate the esteemed anniversary November 1st.
“The building continues to change,” Pastor Cindy Salo said of the aged brick chapel and administration buildings along 11th. “But the building hasn’t changed as much as we have. The church has had to become something different to survive in 2015.”
2015 has been an important year for big milestones for Central Seattle houses of worship. 19th and Madison’s Mt. Zion also marked 125 years of community.
Since its establishment in 1890, Central Lutheran, today sitting on the east side of Cal Anderson Park, has managed to continue its service to the neighborhood and its worshippers with openness and a dedication to equality and fairness for all people.
The church was first founded at 7th Ave and Union in a remodeled tin shop as a dedicated English-speaking Lutheran church, contrasting the various Lutheran institutions that catered to immigrants and their languages. The Capitol Hill location’s land was purchased in 1901 for $2,300, according to the Central Lutheran archives. Continue reading →
Today, All Pilgrims is fenced-off from Broadway (Images: CHS)
What years ago was shrouded in a thicket of blackberry brambles may soon again yield fruit for Broadway’s All Pilgrims in the form of a labyrinth as well as a landscaped, more accessible front lawn and plans to fill the moat-like embankment that separates the 1906-built house of worship from the bustling street it calls home. Still in a conceptual phase, the church’s plan needs designs and funding.
“It’s one of the only green spaces on Broadway… we see that as an asset to the community and we’d like to present it as such to be a welcoming space,” said Pastor Greg Turk. Around back, All Pilgrims intends to better utilize an empty to plot to create a a labyrinth. “Right now it’s a pile of dirt,” Turk said. “We know we can do a better job with that landscape.” Visit First Hill’s First Baptist if you’re in need of a wander through the maze in the meantime.
The church already has a city permit lined up and plans to complete the entirety of the work in one phase. A preliminary $100,000 budget has been attached to the project but Turk said the scope of transformation for the church’s land is still being worked out.
