| Ministries |
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Music Ministers |
Among the many signs and symbols used by the Church to celebrate its faith, music is of pre-eminent importance. It is essential to our worship as a parish family. Choirs, cantors and musicians add beauty and solemnity to the liturgy and also assist and encourage the singing or the assembly. All choirs are open to adults and youth, men and women.
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| Extraordinary Ministers of Communion |
These are adults and youth (about age 14 and older, who have been confirmed) who have been prepared to assist with Communion at Mass and/or to the hospitalized and home-bound.
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| Lectors |
Adults and youth (about age 14 and older, who have been confirmed) are trained to proclaim the Word of God at our liturgical celebrations.
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| Leaders of Intercessions |
These are adults and youth (about age 12 and older) who are trained to lead the community in the Prayer of the Faithful at weekend Masses.
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| Servers |
The ministry of representing the community and assisting the priest at the altar during Mass is open to our youth (about age 8 and older) and adults. Parents can serve with their children if desired.
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| Cross Bearers |
Adults and youth (about age 14 and older) carry the processional cross for our liturgical celebrations.
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| Gift Bearers |
Families or individuals are encouraged to volunteer to present the Eucharistic Offerings of bread and wine at Mass.
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| Ministers of Hospitality |
Hospitality is an important ministry of the entire parish assembly whenever we gather for worship. Ministers of Hospitality, as ushers and greeters, represent the assembly in welcoming people as they arrive. Ushers can be men, women, and youth (about age 14 and older). Greeters can be men, women, youth and children. Families are encouraged to participate together as ministers of hospitality.
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| Children's Liturgy of the Word Facilitators |
These are men and women serving as leaders, music ministers and helpers for Liturgy of the Word for Children in a separate space during Mass. To volunteer contact the Faith Formation Office at 228-7150.
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| Committees |
| Pastoral Council |
St. Michael Parish Council is a leadership body, consultative with the pastor, and is involved in decision making for the parish. It makes recommendations regarding the parish vision for the future; evaluation of pastoral ministries and their effectiveness in meeting parish needs; general directions, priorities, goals and objectives, long and short range plans; and communication and understanding within the parish, between parish, the diocese, and the universal Church. The Council and its subordinate consultative bodies (committees) serve the vital function of representing the wisdom of the community in the process of participating in the decision making of the pastoral leadership. Through listening, evaluating and recommending they help meet the parish needs efficiently and effectively. The Pastoral Council usually meets on the fourth Monday of the month at 7:00pm except July and December. All meetings are open to our parish members. New council members are chosen annually during the month of May through a selection process.
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| Development |
The St. Michael Development Committee is charged with planning and implementing the parish's total Development Program in concert with the pastor and the parish staff. Preparing and updating a vision statement for the parish, sharing with parishioners and devising a variety of strategies that promote charitable giving concepts are among the responsibilities of this committee. The membership of the Development Committee consists of three officers, two members-at-large and the chairperson of each subcommittee. Meetings are held quarterly for the purpose of approving policy, establishing directions and providing communication to facilitate the work of the subcommittees.
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Stewardship |
The Stewardship Committee is a subcommittee of the Development Committee and its responsibilities include; stewardship education; welcoming and orientation of new parishioners; annual Upper Peninsula Catholic Services Appeal (UPCSA) drive; time and talent solicitation; annual stewardship renewal program.
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Capital Campaign/Major Gifts |
The Capital Campaign/Major Gifts Committee is a subcommittee of the Development Committee and its responsibilities include; plan and implement any capital campaigns needed for major facilities renovation or expansion; providing follow-up to pledges made; identify, cultivate and ask parishioners who have the financial capability to make major gifts to St. Michael Parish.
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Planned Giving |
The Planned Giving Committee is a subcommittee of the Development Committee an its responsibilities include; sponsor seminars to encourage leaving financial resources to St. Michael Parish; provide information concerning planned giving; promote planned giving at critical times of the year.
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Public Relations/Donor Relations |
The Public Relations/Donor Relations Committee is a subcommittee is a subcommittee of the Development Committee and its responsibilities include; plan special events to recognize donors and to plant seeds for giving; publicize gifts of major donors; use a variety of methods to tell people about St. Michael Parish; maintain contact and provide contributor recognition.
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| Worship |
The "source and summit" of our parish life is our celebration of the liturgy. Everything we do as a parish family flows out of our worship together. The Worship Committee sees that our parish liturgical life is vibrant and that various liturgical celebrations build up a prayerful community of believers. This committee is responsible for recruiting and training liturgical ministers including: lectors, extraordinary ministers of Communion, greeters, ushers and altar servers. It also develops, promotes and coordinates Morning and Evening Prayer; other liturgical celebrations; devotions and prayer services; prayer groups; retreats; days of reflection; and other means by which the parish offers its members opportunities for spiritual growth and development as individuals and as a parish community. It oversees the music ministry, which enhances our parish worship and prayer. The Worship Committee normally meets on the third Monday of the month at 7:00pm.
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Art & Environment |
The Art & Environment Committee is a subcommittee of the Worship Committee. This committee takes on the responsibility of creating and maintaining a beautiful and prayerful worship environment in the church through the arrangement of plants, fabrics, candles and other items.
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| Christian Service |
The parish life of St. Michael's reaches out into the community and beyond. The Christian Service Committee seeks to encourage community service by identifying worthwhile Christian projects in our neighborhood and beyond: e.g. Habitat for Humanity, mission outreach, assistance for the poor, letter writing on legislation issues, action on social justice issues and educational programs on other issues. Another important function of this committee is to oversee the distribution of our parish tithe. Each month the parish dedicates 5% of the ordinary income and places it in the Christian Service Fund to be distributed to situations in need, usually outside the parish, in our community or the world at large. This committee reviews requests that the parish receives and recommends to the Pastoral Council how the Christian Service Funds should be distributed.
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| Evangelization |
All who are baptized share in the mission and ministry of Jesus today. We are called to chare our faith and bring the "good news" of Christ into all the environments where we live and work. This is the meaning of Catholic evangelization. It is witnessing to what our faith in Jesus Christ means to us. Our enthusiastic faith in Jesus reaches out to others, inviting them to help us foster Gospel values in our society, promoting the dignity of the human person, the importance of the family, and the common good of our society, so that our nation and world may continue to be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. The Evangelization Committee helps the parish and all its committees and groups become "evangelization minded."
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| Finance Council |
The purpose of the Finance Council is to assist the pastor in the administration of the parish's material resources, to assure the financial resources needed to support the parish pastoral ministries, personnel and programs, and to advocate sound management practices. Some of its functions include helping prepare and monitor the parish budget, working with the Stewardship Committee on sacrificial giving programs, helping organize and conduct the annual Upper Peninsula Catholic Services Appeal (UPCSA), recommending policies for dealing with bequests, gifts and endowments, and investment of parish resources. It is also responsible for reporting our financial status to the Pastoral Council and the parishioners on a regular basis as well as submitting an annual parish financial report to the bishop. The Finance Council usually meets on the second Monday of the month at 7:00pm.
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Buildings & Grounds |
The Buildings & Grounds Committee is a subcommittee of the Finance Council. It oversees all maintenance, repairs, remodeling of parish facilities and recommends policies regarding safety, security, energy, and accessibility.
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Personnel |
The Personnel Committee is a subcommittee of the Finance Council. It develops and recommends personnel policies, just compensation plans, and other matters related to paid staff.
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Organizations |
| Altar Society |
The purpose of this group is to encourage involvement of the women of the parish in social, humanitarian, and parish activities. They assist families at funeral luncheons, provide various parish coffee socials, and sponsor social activities and fundraisers, which assist with a variety of parish needs. They meet on the first Monday of the month.
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| Men's Club |
This group serves the parish while providing for spiritual and fraternal opportunities for its members. They meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month to plan various activities and projects, which assist with parish needs, and to socialize with one another. Projects include providing the high school graduation breakfast, assisting at the Mother-Daughter Banquet, hosting parish socials, giving awards to the outstanding graduate from the Father Marquette Catholic Schools, sponsoring raffles and pancake breakfasts to raise funds, and sponsoring our Boy Scout Troop. They also provide financial aid to the parish picnic, Bolivia Mission and other special projects.
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| St. Vincent de Paul Society |
St. Michael's St. Vincent de Paul Conference is part of the Marquette area SVDP ministry. Its goal is to help the poor through corporal works of mercy. St. Michael Parish supports the SVDP ministry through monthly collections of non-perishable food, household items and money during Masses on the first full weekend of each month.
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| Knights of Columbus |
Men from St. Michael and St. Peter parishes form the Marquette Council #689 of the Knights of Columbus. Among their many activities throughout the year is sponsoring an annual Men's Day of Reflection in the fall.
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| Boy Scouts |
St. Michael Parish, through the generous support of our Men's Club, sponsors a Boy Scout Troop which meets in Dunleavy Hall on Monday evenings.
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| Marquette Vocations Club |
This is a group of Catholic men and women from the Marquette area who are concerned with the promotion of priestly and religious vocations. they meet monthly for prayer and planning.
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| Cursillo |
The Cursillo, a movement of the Church, has a goal to make Christ the prime influence in society by promoting individual spiritual growth and group support. Cursillo begins with a 3 day weekend at Marygrove, the diocesan retreat house in Garden, MI. Monthly meetings continue to support the Cursillo movement.
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| Youth Encounter |
Youth Encounter is a branch of the Cursillo movement and is designed for juniors and seniors in high school and college students (16-20 years old). It involves a weekend at Marygrove, the diocesan retreat house in Garden, MI and participation in a follow-up program locally.
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| Respect Life |
Respect Life is St. Michael's participation in pro-life activities.
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| Parish Pilgrimage Retreat |
St. Michael Parish offers its parishioners a weekend retreat experience at Marygrove, the diocesan retreat house in Garden, MI, usually in October each year. Fundraisers throughout the year help cover some of the cost of the weekend.
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| Shawl Ministry |
Volunteer knitters or crotcheters meet the fourth Thursday of the month to create prayer shawls, which they also can work on at home. Together they pray over the yarn and then complete the shawls. The shawls are presented to people who need to be wrapped in the prayers of the parish.
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