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John Marquez has been on the St. James staff since May of 2010. He served as Cathedral sacristan for twelve years before becoming Director of RCIA and Adult Confirmation in July of 2022.
 
Born and raised in San Francisco, baptized Catholic as an infant, he left the Church after graduating from St. Ignatius College Preparatory and considered himself agnostic for several years. He studied at San Francisco State University, dabbling in music, psychology, and marine biology, before getting a bachelor's degree in acting. During that time he developed an interest in eastern religions, especially Zen Buddhism. A book on Zen by Trappist author Thomas Merton piqued his interest, and Merton’s other writings on contemplative prayer, mysticism, and monastic life played a big part in bringing John back to the Catholic Church. He then spent eight years (1995-2003) as a Trappist monk in northern California, where he served as community librarian and taught introductory classes in Scripture to novices. In 2005 he moved to the northwest to enroll at Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry, and received a Master of Arts in Transforming Spirituality from there in 2008.
 
Aside from being inspired by the mystical tradition of the Church – particularly The Cloud of Unknowing – and the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, John is endlessly fascinated with astronomy, playing the guitar, and cats.

 

 

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804 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, Washington  98104
Phone 206.622.3559  Fax 206.622.5303