Welcome to St. Michael in Old Town

The Joys of Maintaining a Historical Church

We are very blessed that we have St. Michael’s and can celebrate our faith in a beautiful and historic church. As the torch passes from generation to generation, we know that we are St. Michael’s caretakers. Along with this responsibility, we also have the daunting task to maintain the church for future generations.

Have you looked up recently?

In early December, a couple of our parishioners going to the 9:00am Mass, found ceiling plaster pieces sitting in their pews. These pieces were larger than any other plaster that has fallen over the years. The Building and Maintenance Committee consulted with an expert on restoration of church plaster ceilings and they recommended that we find a company to inspect the ceiling, provide recommendations and have an estimate prepared on the cost for repairs.

We contacted Daprato Rigali who came out December 23^rd and then again on the 26^th. They advised that scaffolding will need to be erected in order to access the ceiling and determine the problem(s). Also, the scaffolding will provide protection from further falling plaster pieces if this should occur. The scaffolding will be installed in a manner to provide as much visibility to the high altar as possible and not interfere with the Masses. It will be high enough so we won’t see the majority of it. This, unfortunately, was not in the budget. We have reached out to the insurance company to see if they will contribute anything to the assessment/repairs.

The good news – we have generous parishioners who pledged anonymously $50,000 match. They will match any donation dollar for dollar up to $50,000 to help defray the costs. If you can help out – we would greatly appreciate it.

Ways to give:

IRA donation – (see notice in bulletin, page 6)
On-line Giving using the ‘Church Ceiling Fund’
Using the blue envelope in the bulletin/back of church
Stock sale – call Pat Krier in the Parish Office (312-642-2498) for help
Donation Form (Click Here!)

January is Trafficking Awareness Month.

Throughout January (beginning today!) Community Action Against Trafficking (CAAT) will be collecting winter hats, scarves, and gloves/mittens for both men and women. The items collected will be distributed by Project Beacon to trafficked, one of our partner agencies. Please drop donations in the baskets at the back of church or at the Parish Office.

We encourage you to educate yourself on the devastating effects of this crime, and to pray for all victims of human trafficking.

For more information, or to be notified of upcoming events at St. Michael's, please email Susan Cass at susanpanniercass@gmail.com.

“The trade in human beings, a modern form of slavery, … violates the God-given dignity of so many of our brothers and sisters and constitutes a true crime against humanity.” —Pope Francis

Trafficking involves transporting someone into a situation of exploitation. This can include forced labor, marriage, prostitution, and organ removal. This kind of exploitation is known by a few different names -- “human trafficking,” “trafficking of persons,” and “modern slavery” are the ones accepted by the US Department of State.