News

On a sunny May morning, representatives of the Mayor’s Office, City Council, County, and State joined BRIDGE Housing and many development partners for the official groundbreaking ceremony at St. Luke’s, Seattle. Bishop Melissa Skelton began the ceremony with an invocation on behalf of the Diocese of Olympia, who is the property owner for this project. When completed in 2025, there will be 84 units of very affordable (under 60% of Area Median Income) units, many of them with 2-3 bedrooms

Join the Diocese of Olympia for 2024 Seattle Pride events! Seattle Pride Parade – Sunday, June 30. It’s not too late to join the fun! The Diocese staging area is on 4th Avenue between James and Jefferson. Plan to get to the parade route between 1:00 & 1:30 pm (note: this is an updated time). Coordinated by the Diocesan Pride Team. (Get all of the details here.) PrideFest Booth – Sunday, June 30, 12:00 – 6:00 pm. Follow the parade

The funding for the 2024 Congregational Development Grants has been fully funded for the 2024 year. We will reopen the grant application in 2025. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Koski at mkoski@ecww.org The overall purpose of the congregational grants program is to assist congregations in the Diocese as they develop, with God’s help, into healthier, more faithful, and more effective communities of faith. We are interested, therefore, in making grants to congregations that have a vision for

Cathedral Day is a “family reunion” for Episcopalians from across western Washington. It’s a time for connecting across congregations and experiencing all your cathedral has to offer. This year’s Cathedral Day celebrates the idea of pilgrimage, with Saint Mark’s serving as your sacred destination. Our Christian tradition holds dear the spiritual practice of making pilgrimages that profoundly shape our understanding of what it means to follow Christ. One need not travel across the globe to do so; one need only

April 6, 10:00 am | Online Join other clergy and congregational leaders for the Congregation Leadership Conference – a combination of plenary sessions and breakout workshops on such topics as: Volunteer Leadership; Leadership Description and Roles (Wardens, Treasurers, Vestries/Bishop’s Committees, Clergy); Different Models of Being Congregations; Narrative-Based Budgeting: Connecting Money and Mission; Stewardship and Use of Property; Financial Stability and Financial Responsibilities; Basics for Treasurers: Accounting Software, Audits, Standards; Conflict and the Role of Leadership; Best Practices for Vestries/Bishop’s Committees;

On December 9, 2023, The Most Rev. Melissa Skelton ordained six new transitional deacons at Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle: Phillip Lienau, Theresa L. Newell, Lisa Bozarth Ozaeta, Martin William Pommerenke, III, Myra Ryneheart Corcorran, and Robert Gary Stevens. It was a time of joy and celebration for all involved. You can see photos of the service below. Previous Next All photos by Robert Winkle

On November 18, members of the Diocese and Seattle’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community gathered with family at Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle to celebrate the life of The Rev. Canon Jerry Shigaki. Congregations and ministers whose lives he touched offered words and music in many tongues in gratitude for Canon Shigaki’s work of truth-telling, supporting, and gathering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Episcopalians in Ethnic Ministries and more recently, via the Circles of Color. The service was

Join other Episcopalians for a fundraising event in anticipation of the Thanksgiving caloric onslaught! Take a walk, go for a run, swim some laps, shred your board, swoosh your skis, paddle your canoe/kayak/sup – whatever gets your body engaged – all in support of the United Thank Offering (UTO)and Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM). The Rev. Greg Peters has formed a team from the Diocese of Olympia and is extending an invitation for anyone to join in. While he has signed

It is a time of transition within our Diocese, and we have a new clergy transition to announce. The Rev. Dr. Maria McDowell has accepted a call as Rector of Christ Church, Tacoma. The Rev. Dr. Maria McDowell has lived in Los Angeles, Iowa City, and Boston but is always drawn back to the blue-green trees, mountains, and ocean of the Pacific NW and her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Maria was raised in the Russian Orthodox Church (OCA) and has

It is a time of transition within our Diocese, and we have a new clergy transition to announce. The Rev. Joseph Wolyniak is honored to be called as Vicar of St. David Emmanuel in Shoreline, WA. His first Sunday will be November 19. Joseph concurrently serves as a remote member of the pastoral staff at Christ Church, Denver, where his focus is on whole-life discipleship – utilizing small-group formation resources as a pilot church of Practicing the Way. He’s been