The Angelus - January 2012

Quick Links

Church of St. Michael

Bulletin

Did You Know?

Did you know
Loaves & Fishes served 156 guests at the December dinner?

HOly HeroEs

Saint

Elizabeth Ann

Seton

January 4th

Learn more about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

The Angelus

Ring Out the Good News

January, 2012 _______________________________________

Greetings!

In the months ahead the people of Minnesota will need to make a decision regarding the meaning of Marriage within Minnesota law. Of course, this will impact more than the letter of the law. It will impact the way in which the people of this state will view marriage, and the family, for generations to come. I believe that the issues raised by this decision are important and that every member of this parish needs to seriously reflect on the many elements involved in this decision. I hope that every voter will let their voice be heard on this issue in November.

As a pastor, I have a responsibility to respect the right of each citizen to vote according to their own conscience. As a pastor, I also have a responsibility to share with the members of this parish my own concerns and the concerns of the Catholic Church. I realize that many people hold very strong convictions about this and that if I speak, or remain silent, some people will be upset. Over the coming months I will try to carefully fulfill my role as a pastor and as a Catholic Priest while respecting the faith and intelligence of the members of this parish. There are some things that I must encourage you to consider, without demanding your agreement. In this brief article I intend to introduce some areas of reflection that I hope to address more fully in the months ahead.

Continued Fr. Sieg's article

Church of St. Michael Parish Ministry Survey

Summary of Results

November/December 2011

Thank you for participating in the recent parish ministry survey. Our efforts in the areas of worship, formation and pastoral outreach will help the Church of St. Michael to "actively spread God's Truth and live our Catholic faith in the world". Information from the survey will help Fr. Sieg, parish staff and volunteer leaders to effectively set parish priorities for the next 3-5 years. 313 parishioners took the survey. 65% have been parishioners for more than 10 years; 6% have been members for less than two years.

The survey results suggest that you have a very positive view of the Church of St. Michael and that parish leaders have been focused on many of the priorities that matter most to parishioners. For example, over 95% of parishioners agreed* with the following statements:

I feel welcome at the Church of St. Michael.
The Church of St. Michael has a clear vision and direction for the future.
Our parish staff responds well to my needs.
The parish shares information timely and effectively.
I feel a moral and spiritual responsibility to financially support the parish.

The Ultimate Volunteer

by Kathy Poeeping,

Pastoral Care Minister

Volunteers share a very special place in the heart of the parish of the Church of St. Michael. Each month, people give their valuable time to serve our families at events, fundraising activities, visits to those in need, prayers for our families, and many other "gifts" to those in need. As you can see, we truly could not function without the selfless acts of our volunteers.

This holiday season demonstrated these kinds of selfless acts in ways that words can't begin to describe. Suffice it to say, God has truly blessed St. Michael with the "ultimate" in what volunteering really means. Several families/volunteers came forward and offered their time, talent and treasure, to "adopt" those families in need, and make their holidays a true example of the Reason for the Season. As God would have us remember, "Give onto others, as I have given". This could not have been demonstrated more actively and completely during these past few months. And to all of you who "donated", God bless and we thank you for your amazing generosity.

Read more of Kathy Poepping's article

Christmas Giving Tree

Tremendous Success!

by Renee Laughery & Bonnie Lund

For approximately twenty years the St. Michaels Giving Tree has helped families prepare to celebrate the season of Christ's birth. In November, a tree is placed in the Narthex gathering area with giving tags for 7 local charities that parishioners are invited to take. On each tag lists a suggested item to purchase and return to the tree by a specified date. All items are then gathered and taken to the local organizations. In addition to the over 500 giving tags, the Alpha Pregnancy Resource center sponsored up to 20 families with wish list items that the individual families requested. Due to the overwhelming generosity of the St. Michael's parishioners all the giving tags were taken and the organizations were extremely grateful as we were able to enrich the Christmas holiday for many local families.

Thank you for your genorosity!

Christmas Giving Tree Thank You

The Church of Blessed Kateri

On behalf of The Church of Blessed Kateri, we would like to express our gratitude for your generous donation of Christmas gifts for the folks in our community. Your generosity and your thoughtfulness helped provide many gifts at the Church Christmas party. You did all the work and we got to see the joy. It seems a bit unfair but there are not enough words to describe how appreciative folks were. It was also very humbling to see so many gifts (a pick- up truck full) and the wonderful support we received. It is thoughtful gifts such as yours that enable the church to become more effective in our ministry to the community. Please know how much we appreciate the support of everyone at St. Michael's Church of Prior Lake. Blessings to all of you in the coming year.

Thank you and God Bless You,

Your Friends at The Church of Blessed Kateri

PARISH NEWS

Parish Calendar/Program Guide January-February, 2012

Here is the Parish Calendar/Program Guide for January-February 2012, please open this link: January-February, 2012. All events are subject to change so please consult the weekly bulletin for the latest information.

Enjoy A Cup of Tea with Grandma

Sunday, January 22nd

1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. in Archangels Hall

All high school youth are encouraged to invite their Grandmother for a cup of tea at the Church of St. Michael!

This is a fun afternoon full of various teas, finger foods and desserts. Grandmothers are also welcome to remind their grandchildren that they would like an invitation.

Catholic Schools Week at St. Michael Catholic School

January 28 - February 4^th

"Faith - Academics - Service"

If you ask any student at St. Michael, their favorite time of the school year is Catholic Schools Week! CSW is a time when there's plenty of celebrating, service work, and social events!

Each day, our "St. Michael Blues" students dress up according to different themes - favorite literary figure, 'BLUES' day (blue face paint, blue hair!), spirit wear day. Our Wednesday Childrens' Mass day will be 'Dress Your Best' day!

After school, we fill the gym for our basketball games and great concessions. One night, concessions food includes "Fong's - All Night Long!!" YUM!

We begin the week with a Pep-Fest in our beautiful gym and recognize all of our girls and boys basketball players and sing our school song!

We include service projects, a trip to Skateville, an ice cream social, and other fun events throughout the week.

Finally, on Saturday, February 4^th, adults are invited to our Gala Dinner and Auction at Brackett's Crossing. So, CSW is a very full week - you can see why it's our kid's favorite week of the year!!

St. Michael Catholic School Gala Dinner

Brackett's Crossing Country Club in Lakeville

Saturday, February 4, 2012

5:00 p.m. to Midnight

ON-LINE Tickets and Donations!

Please visit our website to purchase tickets:

http://www.stmichaelcatholicschool.schoolauction.net/gala

Unable to attend?

Make your Gala donation on the website above!.

Please contact Keri Thayer at keri.thayer@gmail.com for sponsoring, donating or assisting.

Help us achieve our goal in 2012 by achieving 200 Likes on Facebook. Become a fan today and suggest us to your friends. Thanks to all of you that have Liked Us. We are at 169 Likes! Here is our Facebook page link: Church of St. Michael in Prior Lake

"May God, the source and origin of all blessing,

grant you grace, pour out his blessing in abundance

and keep you from harm throughout the year."

(Roman Missal: "Solemn Blessing" for the Beginning of the Year.)

Sincerely,

Fr. Tom Sieg

Church of St. Michael

Questions or comments regarding this newsletter? Email us at info@stmichael-pl.org or call 952-447-2491.

Interested in writing a story for The Angelus?

Contact Christi Fletcher at
cfletcher@stmichael-pl.org

Church of St. Michael · 16311 Duluth Ave. SE · Prior Lake, MN 55372