Pastoral Care

We all face challenges: physical, spiritual, emotional. One of the blessings of a church community is the support we offer in a variety of ways.

Rector hugging a parishioner

Prayer Chain & List

Members of Saint Mark’s Prayer Chain commit to offering prayers on behalf of those who make an urgent request. These prayer requests are kept confidential among members of the Prayer Chain.

We also publish a weekly prayer list in the Sunday bulletin, including names of people in the military, with chronic illnesses, with specific short term needs, or who have died.

If you would like prayers for yourself or another person, please contact the church office. Please let us know whether you would like this request to be included on the published prayer list and whether you want only a first name or the full name to be used.

Contact

Hospital Visits

We want to know if you are in the hospital! The clergy are glad to visit in the emergency room, before surgery, and during your stay. If you desire, they or a lay minister will bring you communion. Please leave a message with the church office at (626) 798-6747 to inform us of any hospitalization.

Contact

Member of Saint Mark's visits with an elderly parishioner.

Pastoral visits

Pastoral Visits

If you're confined to home or in a nursing facility, whether short or long term, we’re glad to have one of our clergy or a lay person visit you. If you’d like to receive communion, extra bread and wine are blessed in our Sunday services, and when we bring them to you, we include you in our community of worship. Let us know by leaving a message in the church office (626) 798-6747 or sending an email if you’d like a visit.

Contact

Pastoral Counseling

The clergy are glad to arrange a time to meet with you for conversation, prayer, and support; you can call the church office to arrange an appointment (626) 798-6747, or contact us below.

Contact

Rite of Reconciliation

Also known as Confession, this rite is an opportunity for a person who feels weighed down or hindered by past actions to confess their sins to a priest and receive absolution, with the assurance of confidentiality. We say a general confession in our worship, but there can be times when a private confession and hearing individually the words of God’s forgiveness is helpful in one’s faith journey. Regarding the rite of Reconciliation of a Penitent, an old Anglican adage suggests, “All may, some should, none must.” If you would like to meet for the Reconciliation of a Penitent or to find out more about this sacramental rite, please contact Pastor Carri.

You can find the service of Reconciliation of a Penitent, from the Book of Common Prayer, here: Reconciliation of a Penitent.

Contact

Carri Patterson Grindon
carripg@saintmarksaltadena.org

Anointing of the Sick

The laying on of hands with prayer and anointing with oil blessed by the bishop is a means by which we call upon God’s healing power. This rite isn’t limited to the time when a person is near death; we commonly use it when someone is hospitalized or preparing for surgery, or other times in life when this particular invocation of God’s love, strength, courage, and patience would be helpful in one's spiritual or physical journey.

Please contact the church office or one of the clergy if you would like to receive anointing.

Contact

Saint Mark's clergy offers blessing to animal.

We care for all God's creatures!