We started in the 1940’s with six families. They rented a doctor’s office only a few blocks from where we are now to start a Sunday School for their children. Soon a priest from St. Luke’s in Tacoma began assisting to lead Morning Prayer, and by 1949 St. Mary’s grew enough to purchase the current land and become a Mission of the Diocese. Through the 1950’s we continued to grow until becoming a full Episcopal Parish community in 1959.

We’re an ancient faith for the modern world. Our worship is rooted in ancient prayers, rituals, and practices hallowed over time by faithful Christians stretching back into the earliest days of the church. At the same time, we acknowledge tradition is a plant which must be allowed to grow and develop if it's to mature and bear fruit for those in the present. To this end we balance being rooted in the past while remaining flexible and adaptable for the future, always asking God’s wisdom for discernment of the difference.

We’re diverse and inclusive. At St. Mary’s we value being truly “catholic” - by being multicultural, diverse, and inclusive as we live out our calling to be a place of worship for all nations and people. We worship in both old and new ways, we live a faith centered on core doctrine and freedom on the edges to explore different understandings, and as part of the Episcopal Church we invite every nation, race, gender, and sexual orientation to follow Jesus though baptism to be his disciple.

Click HERE to learn what we believe.