Welcome Visitors and Guests! We are glad you have checked our Internet home, whether you are visiting friends or relatives, you are in town for one of our many festivals or events, or you are passing through on I-10 between New Orleans and Houston. If you are newly relocated to our beautiful town because of work, retirement, or a combination of both, we hope and pray you will consider visiting us at St. Michael's. Below is what to expect when you visit us. Should you need additional information, please call us at 337.477.1881 and we would love to direct you further. Blessings to you and may your visit be a happy one!
A rare snow day in 2017
1. What do ‘Episcopal’ and ‘Anglican’ mean? St. Michael’s is part of the Episcopal Church. The word Episcopal comes from the Greek word Episkopos that appears in the original New Testament. The word meant ‘overseer’ of the Church. We use the word Episcopal today to indicate that we have bishops who are charged with overseeing the church. The Episcopal Church has three orders of ministry: Bishops (who serve a Diocese), Priests (who often serve a parish church), and Deacons (who serve in a church and the wider community). St. Michael’s belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana led by Bishop Jake Owensby. The priest who serves at St. Michael’s is Fr. Drew
The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion- a branch of approximately 80 million Christians. Anglicanism traces its history back to the Church of England, and our beliefs and theology are found in the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), and the 39 Articles.
2. Our Worship: In our services, we celebrate the “liturgy” which is a ritual of prayers, Bible readings, hymn singing, preaching, and partaking in the Sacraments. We celebrate our liturgy out of the Book of Common Prayer (the red book in our pews). Many of these prayers go back to the earliest followers of Jesus. At St. Michael our priests and choir members dress in vestments, as do our eucharistic ministers. We have an entrance procession, read the Gospel from within the congregation, and sing a mix of traditional and contemporary hymns and sacred music. Visit our Worship page for service times at St. Michael’s.
3. The Sacraments and How to Schedule Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings, etc.: At St. Michael’s, we celebrate the two great sacraments that Christ gave his Church: Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
Several times a year, we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism. We baptize infants, children, and adults. Baptism is the means by which God “adopts us as his children, makes us members of Christ’s Body, and inheritors of the Kingdom of God.” (BCP Outline of Faith).
Nearly every Sunday, we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion, and grant all baptized Christians (regardless of what denomination you may come from) the option to receive Holy Communion. By partaking in Holy Communion, we receive “the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life.” (BCP Outline of Faith)
We also celebrate historic Christian rites of Confirmation, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders (Ordination), and Anointing of the Sick.
Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals are reserved for members of the church. This is pretty standard in most major Christian denominations. Please don't be discouraged by these rules, call us or visit us to discuss your individual situation.
4. Will your Children Feel Welcome at St. Michael's? St. Michael’s is a proud host for ‘Godly Play’ which is a Montessori based Sunday School that involves storytelling, prayer, art, silence, and liturgy that serves as an introduction to the life of faith, the rhythm of worship, and religious language. Additionally, we gather on special occasions for specific events. In terms of attendance to our services, many of our youth attend regularly. So, please bring your little ones. We also have a Nursery on Sunday mornings for newborn to kindergarten.
5. Access to Clergy: One of the great features of St. Michael's is the accessibility to our Rector, who is available for consultation and would love to meet you and your family. Just call our office and schedule some time to see him.
Finally, you will find a map on the "Home" page of this site in case you don't already know where we are. We hope to see you soon and we pray that you find your visit to our beautiful little town to be relaxing and joyful. Blessings to you in our Lord and Savior!
The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion- a branch of approximately 80 million Christians. Anglicanism traces its history back to the Church of England, and our beliefs and theology are found in the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer (BCP), and the 39 Articles.
2. Our Worship: In our services, we celebrate the “liturgy” which is a ritual of prayers, Bible readings, hymn singing, preaching, and partaking in the Sacraments. We celebrate our liturgy out of the Book of Common Prayer (the red book in our pews). Many of these prayers go back to the earliest followers of Jesus. At St. Michael our priests and choir members dress in vestments, as do our eucharistic ministers. We have an entrance procession, read the Gospel from within the congregation, and sing a mix of traditional and contemporary hymns and sacred music. Visit our Worship page for service times at St. Michael’s.
3. The Sacraments and How to Schedule Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings, etc.: At St. Michael’s, we celebrate the two great sacraments that Christ gave his Church: Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist
Several times a year, we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism. We baptize infants, children, and adults. Baptism is the means by which God “adopts us as his children, makes us members of Christ’s Body, and inheritors of the Kingdom of God.” (BCP Outline of Faith).
Nearly every Sunday, we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion, and grant all baptized Christians (regardless of what denomination you may come from) the option to receive Holy Communion. By partaking in Holy Communion, we receive “the forgiveness of sins, the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life.” (BCP Outline of Faith)
We also celebrate historic Christian rites of Confirmation, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders (Ordination), and Anointing of the Sick.
Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals are reserved for members of the church. This is pretty standard in most major Christian denominations. Please don't be discouraged by these rules, call us or visit us to discuss your individual situation.
4. Will your Children Feel Welcome at St. Michael's? St. Michael’s is a proud host for ‘Godly Play’ which is a Montessori based Sunday School that involves storytelling, prayer, art, silence, and liturgy that serves as an introduction to the life of faith, the rhythm of worship, and religious language. Additionally, we gather on special occasions for specific events. In terms of attendance to our services, many of our youth attend regularly. So, please bring your little ones. We also have a Nursery on Sunday mornings for newborn to kindergarten.
5. Access to Clergy: One of the great features of St. Michael's is the accessibility to our Rector, who is available for consultation and would love to meet you and your family. Just call our office and schedule some time to see him.
Finally, you will find a map on the "Home" page of this site in case you don't already know where we are. We hope to see you soon and we pray that you find your visit to our beautiful little town to be relaxing and joyful. Blessings to you in our Lord and Savior!