Since its beginnings as a Mission of the Episcopal Church in the late 1800’s, St. Mark’s has been “Anglo-Catholic” in its practices. The service of Holy Communion is and has been the principal service every Sunday. Daily Mass, the use of bells and incense in the “high” church service, and other ceremonial practices are part of our heritage, and so is our dedication to Christian education in the Anglican expression of the Faith and faithfulness to the prayerbook services of Morning and Evening Prayer.
In 1915, Miss Catharine Percival came to us, and together with the Reverend A’Court Simmonds, constructed the brick edifice which currently houses the parish. Her generous gifts also brought us the statues and marble rood screen. In the 1930’s, Father Bernard Geiser, a priest and Oregon artist, was our parish Curate. The murals which grace the church were painted by Fr. Geiser. The Werner-Bosch tracker pipe organ was installed in 1966, given as a memorial offering. A brief tour of the interior of the church will show the visitor the stained glass windows, statues, icons, and furnishings given to the Glory of God by his faithful people of this church.
In 1993, the parish left the Episcopal Church to join the ‘continuing” (traditionalist) Anglicans. In 2009, The Parish of Saint Mark voted to become a parish in The Anglican Province of Christ the King. Today, the services, practices, activities, and parish life are much as they were in the days of Father Simmonds and Catharine Percival. We enter the 21st century in the Anglo-Catholic faith and practice of those who went before us, and we are grateful for their work.