the The Newsletter for Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church
October 2015
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the
Blood Drive Blessing of the Animals
8
Faith and Grief
11
Nativity Pageant Tryouts
15 21
PT Cruisers
Women of Saint Michael Luncheon
Saint Michael Episcopal School Auction
23
Bishop ElectSumner Preaching at Saint Michael
25
Family Home Communion Volume 27 No. 10
Saint Michael Connections Make Me Comfortable I have always loved Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, and over several decades my connections with the parish have been numerous. Pam and I moved from Chicago to Dallas in 1982, and nearly immediately our lives began to be touched by Saint Michael’s. After spending many years in graduate school, my first “adult” job was as the religion teacher in the middle school at The Episcopal School of Dallas, which of course grew out of Saint Michael. It delights me to no end when I walk in the north Lanai entrance and am greeted by Kelley Salewske whom I taught when she was in the 8th grade! (Neither of us have changed a bit!) I can’t begin to list all the folk at Saint Michael who are friends and have had a major influence in my life, but I’d draw attention to at least a few. In 1987, Bishop Donis Patterson ordained me to the diaconate. The following year I was ordained to the priesthood. At the time one of the two priests who oversaw the formation of newly ordained clergy was The Rev. Michael Harmuth, who remains a good friend and mentor. As you’ll recall, Michael was the Lower School Chaplain at The Episcopal School of Dallas for 17 years. He continues to help the clergy of Saint Michael’s on Sundays. I’ll always be grateful to Michael for the guidance he gave me in the early years of my ministry. Likewise I’ve known Shelly Vescovo longer than either of us care to admit! Shelly, of course, is the cont. on page 19
What will our next Rector be like? As we reflect on the vibrant celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Saint Michael and All Angels on the Feast Day of Saint Michael along with the significant legacy of The Reverend Bob Dannals and his wife, Valerie, we parishioners cannot help but think about all of the impressive Rectors who have guided and nurtured our parish over the past seven decades. Some of us remember a Rector who was a consistent pastoral presence when our family went through a devastating experience. Others appreciate the teaching of a priest who touched our minds at a particular time, or one who invited us into outreach experiences that became important to us. Some of us regularly reflect upon those whose sermons challenged us into deeper spiritual growth. Among the 12 members of the Rector Search and Transition Committee, we have heard the sentence, “Find a Rector like _______,” hundreds of times. In fact, the word “clone” came up in people’s survey responses! Each of us thinks of past priests of Saint Michael and All Angels and of other churches that have been important to us. Our memories seem to depend on the personal qualities of priests we’ve known and on how we knew them. cont. on page 2