In the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea, on a corner where Dolores Street meets Ninth Avenue, All Saints' Episcopal Church has been quietly serving its town and the wider Monterey Peninsula for more than seven decades. The parish is known locally for the warm acoustics that draw the Carmel Bach Festival and the Monterey Symphony into its nave, for a 75-year-old commitment to contemplative prayer rooted in the Benedictine tradition, and for an extensive outreach network that feeds the hungry and walks with the grieving from Carmel Valley to Big Sur. The church's motto, "A sacred space for spiritual transformation in Christ," shows up in everything from its Sunday liturgy to its gardens.
From a Sunday Bible Class at the Pine Inn to a Soaring Redwood Sanctuary
All Saints' traces its roots to 1910, when a small group of Episcopalians began meeting at the Pine Inn each Sunday. By 1912 the little band had grown enough to commission a small Carpenter Gothic church on Monte Verde, just south of Ocean Avenue. As the congregation grew in the decades that followed, the need for a larger home became obvious. After the Second World War, a spirit of hope and renewal moved the parish to purchase land on Dolores and Ninth and commission the architect Charles Symonds to design a new campus. To help raise the funds, the old wooden church was sold to the city of Carmel; it is now City Hall, still bearing the cross and plaque of its former congregation.
Bishop Block dedicated the new church in the winter of 1951, assisted by the rector, the Rev. Alfred Seccombe. Seccombe Hall, the parish hall added later, carries his name. The design featured a predominantly native redwood interior with soaring beams, an organically integrated use of Carmel-area materials in a contemporary structure honoring its environment and history, an altar and accompanying panels designed and sculpted from rare woods by Alec Miller, and magnificent stained glass windows designed by the San Francisco firm of Harold Cummings that take their tones from the Carmel environment to complement the indigenous materials of the nave.
The parish has been expanding its ministries ever since. Under the Rev. Angus Dunn, All Saints' helped found St. Dunstan's Mission in Carmel Valley in 1955 and St. Matthias Mission in Seaside in 1956. In 1958, then-rector the Rev. David Hill was a founding trustee of the now-prestigious York School, and in 1959 the parish established a campground and outdoor chapel on the Big Sur River. In the early 1960s, the church planted a small day school that grew into All Saints' Episcopal Day School, now separately incorporated and located in Carmel Valley. A rectory was purchased adjacent to the church in 1958, and the Firestone family donated a lovely baptistery in 1968.
The current rector, the Rev. Amber Sturgess, was called as Priest-in-Charge in 2016 and was instituted as Rector on January 5, 2019. As the parish approached its 75th anniversary, the community gathered for a Jubilee year of shared memories, music, and reflection, marking three quarters of a century of ministry in the same Carmel neighborhood.
Sunday Morning at Ten: One Service, a Long Tradition
All Saints' gathers for a single Sunday service at 10:00 a.m., in person and livestreamed on Facebook. The service follows the Rite II liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, a "traditional lite" service with Holy Eucharist, sermon, choir, and organ. Hymns span both traditional and contemporary, led by the choir and the organ. Four passages from the Bible are read, a sermon is preached, and Holy Communion is celebrated. All ages are welcome in the service. Refreshments and fellowship follow in the courtyard in front of the church, weather shifting the gathering between the courtyard and Grant Hall.
On the last Sunday of each month the parish uses a Celtic liturgy, more contemporary in style, with chanting and a shared sermon. A few times a year, the church offers Evensong in the Anglican tradition, including Advent Lessons and Carols and Epiphany Evensong. Those interested in baptism, confirmation, reception from another denomination, or the renewal of baptismal vows are encouraged to attend the Seeking God, Seeking Christ class in preparation.
Sermons are recorded and posted online, and Sunday services are livestreamed on Facebook. Those unable to attend in person can also subscribe to the weekly Sacred Spaces newsletter by emailing the parish office.
What to Wear, Where to Park, and How to Find the Church
The dress at All Saints' ranges across the full Carmel spectrum, from very casual to business attire and formal for special events. As the parish notes, Carmel is a beach town and people mostly dress in layers, prepared for cool moments with a jacket or wrap.
All Saints' sits at 9th Avenue and Dolores Street in Carmel-by-the-Sea, with a tiny parking lot accessible from Lincoln Avenue that is often easier to skip. Street parking is usually available nearby, except during major Carmel events like the August Car Show, when arriving a little earlier helps. There is also a paid lot on the north side of Sunset Center, accessible from 8th Street between San Carlos and Mission. The parish office is on Dolores Avenue and is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Music at the Heart of the Parish
Music is part of the soul of All Saints'. Every Sunday, parishioners sing hymns together, and the choir presents an anthem. The church sanctuary houses a Steinway grand piano and an Allen antiphonal organ, and its excellent acoustics have long attracted local, national, and international musical groups. Every summer the Carmel Bach Festival schedules many of its afternoon and late evening concerts in the church, and the Monterey Symphony presents regular concerts of its smaller ensembles there throughout the year. Chamber concerts are frequently held to packed attendance.
The All Saints' Choir leads congregational singing at the 10:00 Sunday service from September through June, presenting anthems drawn from medieval chant, folk hymns and spirituals, contemporary works, and classics of the Anglican heritage. The choir also sings for Advent Lessons and Carols, the Christmas Eve service, and the Easter Vigil. Rehearsals are held in the choir room on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30, and the choir arrives at 9:00 on Sunday mornings to rehearse with the organist. Anyone who loves to sing is welcome to join. The organist is Richard Wilson.
Centering Prayer: The Heart of Spiritual Formation
If worship is All Saints' public face, Centering Prayer is its contemplative backbone. Centering Prayer, a form of meditative prayer sometimes called the "prayer of the heart," is rooted in the teachings of Jesus and of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of the early church. Through the practice, members learn how to surrender to love, abide in divine love, and enjoy a deeper appreciation of silence and solitude, less susceptibility to stress, deeper reverence for the divine in and through nature, and a willingness to commit to a life of reconciliation and peace.
The Centering Prayer group meets every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel at the corner of 9th and Lincoln, both in person and on Zoom. Each gathering includes a spoken prayer and reading, twenty minutes of silent meditation, and discussion around a spiritual writing or video. The group is currently working through "Attention and Intention" from the Contemplative Life Program, a daily practice that brings attention to the presence of God throughout the day and intention to do even the smallest tasks for the love of God. Rev. Amber, a long-time practitioner and a workshop facilitator with Contemplative Outreach, leads the group. Members come from various religious backgrounds and enjoy discovering the universal principles that flow through all religions from Eastern spirituality to Christian mysticism.
A bibliography of resources supports the practice, including Thomas Keating's Open Mind, Open Heart (the modern handbook of Centering Prayer), Cynthia Bourgeault's Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Fr. Basil Pennington's Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Prayer Form, and the anonymous fourteenth-century English classic The Cloud of Unknowing. Books on Lectio Divina, the Enneagram, spiritual literature, and spiritual biographies are also part of the recommended reading.
Other Spiritual Formation: Benedictine Roots, Bible Study, and the Wisdom Enneagram
All Saints' spiritual formation is shaped by the Rule of St. Benedict, the foundation of Anglican spirituality and the heritage of the Episcopal Church. The parish's "Seeking God, Seeking Christ" class is a six-week seminar on Benedictine practices, including worship, the Daily Office, Lectio Divina, prayer, stewardship, the baptismal covenant, parish covenant, and mission and vision. The class introduces how to establish a rule of life and discusses the gifts of listening and hospitality in community. It is offered once or twice a year, facilitated by Rev. Amber, and is foundational for understanding the mission and vision of All Saints'; those seeking to become members are highly encouraged to attend.
"Seeking God Together" is an eight-week group experience of listening prayer led by a spiritual director, offered once or twice a year. Participants learn to pay attention to the movement of the Spirit in everyday life, listening deeply to one another and to God.
Bible study, led by William Reed, a former religious and monk who taught religious studies, philosophy, and English for over twenty years, meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the library. The Friends of St. Benedict, the local chapter of the national organization of the same name, meets on the third Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in the chapel for Evening Prayer and Lectio Divina, then studies the Rule of St. Benedict together with a traditional and a contemporary author.
During Lent, the parish gathers on Wednesday evenings for a soup supper and seminar with Rev. Amber, sharing a meal and conversation while listening for the Spirit's movement in the community. Every other month, the parish also gathers for Wisdom Days, half-days of prayer and work at the church where tasks are accomplished in silence and contemplation, from gardening and campus repairs to re-filing the library collection, concluding with a shared lunch. A year-long Wisdom Enneagram Circle meets once a month on a Wednesday evening for ten months, opening with a six-hour Saturday workshop each September.
The Peace Post Project: A Pandemic-Era Memorial in the Garden
In the Edith Williams Memorial gardens behind the church, three painted wooden peace posts stand together as a joint creation of All Saints' Episcopal Church and All Saints' Day School. Titled "Love is the way: A Holy Evolution," the posts were imagined during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the faith community was searching for a sacred space to remember the dead while churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques were closed. The work was created by the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes of All Saints' Day School, led by art teacher Kim Raisbeck and Head of School Scott Fujita.
The first post, "Holy Creator," designed by the 6th grade, envisions a way forward amid climate change. From rising sea levels, pollution, and fires at the bottom, it ascends to nurturing hands, planted seeds, alternative energy, and threatened species. The second post, "Holy Redeemer," designed by the 7th grade, imagines a way through the COVID-19 pandemic, with viral molecules evolving into marigolds, Day of the Dead skulls for the millions lost, and the symbols of the world's religions displayed on medallions. The third post, "Holy Reconciler," designed by the 8th grade, winds a way through racial injustice and the struggle for freedom, climbing an olive tree of peace inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," with busts of abolitionists, suffragists, Native American, Latino farm worker, and Asian-American activists, and a line from Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb" outlining the ridges of the mountain.
The theology of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the twentieth-century French Jesuit paleontologist, inspires the posts, with his vision of Christ as the Omega point where everything converges in love. Human hands, painted in different flesh tones, are arranged in the forms of a handshake, a prayer, and a power symbol, each representing a letter or word in American Sign Language. Visitors are invited to share their experience through the comments and to make a donation to support the ongoing project.
Outreach: From I-HELP to Kenya
All Saints' takes its call to service seriously. The Outreach Committee meets monthly to coordinate activities that help improve the lives of others in the community and the world. Continuing efforts include feeding and housing men from the Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program (I-HELP) once a month, providing a hot meal and overnight shelter in the church's parish hall. The parish supports Epiphany Episcopal and Lutheran Church in Marina, collecting food and warm clothing for their emergency closet and gathering Christmas gifts for children. It supports California Friends of St. Patrick's School in Lacorbe, Haiti, as a joint effort with All Saints' Day School, St. Edwards' San Jose, and St. Jude the Apostle Cupertino. And it sustains Interfaith Outreach of Carmel by serving on its Board of Directors, volunteering at the Joining Hands Benefit Shop, and participating in the annual community interfaith Thanksgiving service.
Fundraisers enable ongoing financial support, including food bags distributed from the church office to anyone who asks, with larger boxes at Christmas; scholarship and material support for the Nanyuki (Kenya) Spinners and Weavers, a project that gives widows a skill and supports their children's education; and monetary grants to the Thomas Carmen Food Pantry, Epiphany Church, I-HELP, the Food Bank for Monterey County, Episcopal Relief and Development, the YWCA, the Salvation Army, and the All Saints' Rector's Discretionary Fund. The parish also supports Abraham's Tent, an interfaith group of Jews, Christians, and Muslims who feed those in need, and the American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East.
All Saints' Day School: A Separate Institution, a Shared Heritage
In 1961, All Saints' Day School was founded in Pacific Grove by three Episcopal parishes under the direction of the Rev. David St. Leger Hill, with the Rev. Peter Farmer as Headmaster. Originally known as the Bishop Kip School, it soon took the All Saints' name after All Saints' Church in Carmel pledged its support. In 1965 the school moved to its permanent home in Carmel Valley, where it continues today as a separately incorporated institution serving students through the eighth grade.
All Saints' Day School is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools. The school's Episcopal identity is welcoming, respectful, and inclusive, with morning chapel services, a religious studies program grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition and the study of world religions, pastoral presence and care, and an extensive outreach program. The curriculum reflects the school's mission to affirm the inherent worth of each student. The Peace Post Project in the church gardens is one expression of the ongoing partnership between school and parish.
Santa Lucia Chapel and Campground on the Big Sur River
About 26 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1, All Saints' owns the Santa Lucia Chapel and Campground, six and a half acres of redwood-shaded ground on the Big Sur River. The campground is reserved for non-profit organizations, churches, and families of All Saints' Church and All Saints' Day School. Three group campsites offer space for tents, grilling at open fire pits, and gathering around fire rings at picnic tables or benches. A restroom facility, a rocky beach along the river, and fresh drinking water from the camp's own well complete the rustic amenities. There are no showers, and RVs and trailers are not permitted.
Reservations for group campsites are required, usually one year in advance, and may be made through the campground email. The outdoor chapel, with its rustic altar and fixed wooden bench-style seating, is well suited for an intimate wedding or a small worship service. A small grove of redwoods near the river is a popular wedding location. Weddings require an application and approval from All Saints' Church. Caretakers Madison and Jack Carnazzo welcome visitors throughout the season.
The Dame Julian Retreat Cottage
For those seeking rest and spiritual renewal, All Saints' offers a guesthouse on its own campus, just south of 9th Avenue on Lincoln Street, six blocks from the beach and four blocks from downtown Carmel. Named for Dame Julian of Norwich, the two-story cottage has an ocean view, an outdoor patio, internet access, a kitchen, and a washer and dryer. Retreat guests are welcome to participate in Thursday evening Centering Prayer and Sunday worship services, and spiritual direction can be arranged. The cottage is a short drive from Carmel Mission and Point Lobos State Park.
Guests may stay for a minimum of two nights and up to two weeks. The suggested donation is $135 per night Monday through Thursday and $165 Friday through Sunday; payment confirms the reservation. Availability is checked first by emailing the Parish Administrator; once confirmed, a Reservation and Intent Form is submitted and reviewed by the rector before payment is made. Spiritual directors available include the Rev. Amber Sturgess and Mr. Bill Reed, both experienced in the contemplative path.
Walking the Mourner's Path
One of the more distinctive ministries at All Saints' is Walking the Mourner's Path, an eight-week program of healing and support for those suffering from grief. The journey is intentionally not open-ended. At the heart of the program are eight weekly workshops with a small group of trained facilitators, held on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. Each participant is paired with an anonymous sponsor committed to daily prayer during the eight-week period, with the sponsor and participant meeting at the final workshop. The program fee is $60 per person. Anyone who has lost a spouse, friend, or family member, recently or in the past, is welcome to walk the path.
The Liturgical Arts: Altar Guild, Ushers, Flowers, and Pastoral Care
A ministry of hospitality prepares the altar for the feast of thanksgiving each Sunday. St. Anne's Altar Guild, divided into three teams, decorates and enhances the beauty of the sacred space according to the liturgical season. Members prepare for and clean up after every service on a rotating basis, caring for altar linens, vestments, communion sets, and other liturgical items. Two lovely arrangements of fresh flowers or greens are placed adjacent to the high altar every Sunday except during Lent; parishioners and others are invited to make a minimum donation of $65 to honor someone, commemorate an occasion, or give thanks.
Ushers provide an important service as the first face a visitor meets at the door, handing out bulletins, directing latecomers, taking the plate collections, delivering the Sacraments and Alms to the Altar, and directing members and visitors at communion. The Pastoral Care team responds to those in need of compassionate support through times of transition, whether illness or other challenging life circumstances. Trained Eucharistic Visitors take communion to those unable to attend worship, and other members make phone calls, send cards, and sometimes make visitations. The team usually meets bi-monthly to coordinate.
Fellowship Around Coffee, Books, Yarn, and Roses
Coffee hour is part of the Sunday rhythm at All Saints'. After the service, the community gathers for fellowship around coffee and appetizers in the courtyard or Grant Hall, depending on the weather. A group often heads to a local restaurant for brunch afterward, and five or six times a year the parish gathers for a potluck in the parish hall.
The All Saints' Book Group, an energetic and thoughtful gathering, meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the library to discuss books, nurture friendships, and share a light supper. A different member volunteers to lead the discussion each month, and titles range widely across fiction and nonfiction. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the third Thursday of the month from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the church office, where three committed ladies maintain a collection of blankets, lap robes, and afghans for men, women, and children who need a reminder that they are held in prayer.
The Garden Guild plans and supervises the greening of All Saints' extensive gardens, consulting with a Master Gardener on drought-tolerant plantings and the conversion of sprinklers to drip irrigation, and using only organic pesticides and fertilizers. The gardens are famous for the beauty of the summer roses and annuals, the exuberant display of colorful tulips at Easter, and the serenity of the newly completed Memorial Garden. The parish is also switching to LED lighting and exploring solar panel installation on the large south-facing roof.
Mission, Vision, and the Six Core Values
All Saints' aspires to be a grateful and loving community centered on spiritual transformation in Christ. God calls the community to seek wisdom with open minds and hearts, trusting that the Spirit will lead to selfless contemplation and action. The parish describes itself as "an open and inclusive community within the Episcopal Church USA." Six core values shape its life.
Spiritual Formation is lived through a generous spiritual life rooted in the contemplative wisdom tradition and expressed in listening, learning, prayer, and loving service. Hospitality receives all fellow pilgrims as Christ, in humility and love, called to service and reconciliation. Worship centers on Eucharistic worship, the sacrament where the living presence of Christ is experienced, lifted up through the dynamic heritage of the Episcopal Church. Beauty celebrates God as the source of all beauty and joy, treasuring the gifts of nature and human creativity in the garden, the surroundings, the sacred house of worship, and the music and artistic expression that grace it. Fellowship gathers often in social and spiritual gatherings to nurture relationships and live out the Parish Covenant. Responsible Living commits to the sustainable future of All Saints', the community, and the planet, with individual and communal accountability and the preservation of God-given resources for generations to come.
The Parish Covenant guides daily life together: an intentional learning community that practices listening, humility, loving kindness, honest and loving speech, hospitality, relationship, and accountability, cultivating an open mind, heart, and will for spiritual transformation and evolution. Members honor confidentiality, use "I" statements, speak directly to one another, and offer their resources of attention, creative energy, skills, and money for the benefit of the community.
The Vestry and Giving
The Vestry shares governance of the parish with the rector. Susan Bjarre serves as Senior Warden, with Fleur Burke, Sue Craver, Nancy Jones, Lee Perkins, and Anne Powell as members, and Ellen Shirey as Clerk. Donations to All Saints' sustain the church's mission to be a sacred space for spiritual transformation in Christ, supporting meaningful relationships within the community and strengthening the parish's commitment to a welcoming and supportive environment. Online giving is available through the parish's secure giving portal, and members are invited to grow in their spiritual practices and in their giving as God calls them. The All Saints' Legacy Society welcomes those who have included the church in their estate planning.
A Parish That Listens, Then Acts
All Saints' is, at its heart, a parish that has learned to listen before it acts: to its contemplative tradition, to the needs of its town, to the harmonies that fill its nave, and to the cries of those who hunger and grieve along the Monterey Peninsula. From a handful of Episcopalians meeting at the Pine Inn in 1910 to a 75-year-old sanctuary that hosts the Carmel Bach Festival, the parish has built a life rooted in prayer, marked by beauty, and turned outward in service. For those who live in or are passing through Carmel-by-the-Sea, the church offers a quiet welcome at 10:00 on a Sunday morning, and a deeper invitation whenever one is ready to come closer.