The people of Saint Mark’s are rooted in prayer. We respond communally to requests for prayers for you, your loved ones, and others for both life’s celebrations and difficulties. We invite you to express your prayer requests on our Prayer Request Form. You may tell us whether your prayer request may be published for Prayers of the People or should remain private and shared only among the clergy and the Circle of Prayer. You may also request that a member of the Pastoral Care team contact you or your loved one.

To request prayers by phone, please call the Cathedral Pastoral Care voicemail 612-870-7800 ext. 101.

Saint Mark’s has a rich tradition of non-judgmental and deeply personal pastoral ministry. We have a skilled and dedicated pastoral care team that is prepared to respond to a variety of needs in a respectful compassionate and confidential way.

The Pastoral Care Team’s ministry is rooted in Benedictine spirituality with its foundation of hospitality and compassion. The primary characteristic of compassionate care is the ministry of presence, being fully with others in times of crisis and thanksgiving. The key to full presence is spiritual listening. St. Benedict calls this “listening with the ear of the heart,” to others, to God, to scripture, and to ourselves.

The Pastoral Care Team and its members provide spiritual companionship. We:

• Make pastoral phone calls
• Send cards of support in times of distress and celebration
• Prepare pastoral mailings
• Make visits to homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care facilities
• Visit the sick and homebound with the Holy Eucharist
• Provide referrals to community resources
• Provide end-of life support to families facing death of loved ones
• Assist those who seek support with grief and loss.

Serving as a primary caregiver for a loved one can be challenging, spiritually and physically draining, and lonely. Coming together to share our stories with others who are on a similar journey can help us access the powerful resources of our faith – prayer, Scripture, and Christian community. If you find yourself in the role of a caregiver for a family member or friend, you are invited to participate. Please contact John Satterberg for information.

Spiritual Direction is a tradition in Christianity that offers individuals and groups to explore their relationships with God, to become more aware of how God is present to them in their lives, and to explore how they may respond to God in their daily lives and relationships. Within the Episcopal Church in Minnesota there are over 15 spiritual directors who are trained to provide spiritual direction. If you are interested in spiritual direction and want to learn more about it, talk with a member of the Pastoral Care Team and visit ECMN’s website at Episcopal Spiritual Direction.

Members of the clergy and the Pastoral Care Team recognize that times of grief and loss are difficult in so many ways. We offer prayers, listening, and support. If you wish to speak with a pastoral minister about grief and loss, please email Helen Hansen, Pastoral Care Coordinator or leave a message at 612-400-1200 ext. 101.

In addition, The Downtown Coalition for Grief Support is a unique resource to help adults understand and express grief and begin moving forward as they grieve the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend. Contact the Downtown Coalition for Grief Support or call 612-317-3454.

The Pastoral Care Team offers healing prayers, laying on of hands and anointing with oil by which God’s grace is shard for the healing of spirit, mind and body at the Enmegahbowh Healing and Reconciliation Station. This ritual occurs during and after Sunday Eucharist and on other special days. This sacred space was named after Enmegahbowh, the first Native American Episcopal priest, who was a powerful voice for reconciliation between Native Americans and white people from the 1860s until his death in 1902.