April 13, 2025

Palm Sunday

10am Service



The Rev. Mike Ferrito Presiding

The Rev. Rodney Davis Preaching

The Rev. Andy Lobban Deacon

Pastor Katie Holeman Assisting

5pm Contemplative Prayer Service on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4883550916!

The Fifth Sunday in Lent

The Rev. Mike Ferrito

Sunday April 6, 2025

Rector Search Update

The deadline for Rector applications was April 3. The Diocese has told us that there were several last-minute applications that now need to be screened and the busy Easter schedule is upon us. We may receive applications the week of April 14, but it could easily extend to the following week, especially since Canon Julie is out sick. The good news is that it looks like we have multiple, promising applications coming our way. Rest assured that your Search Committee is primed and ready to evaluate the candidates and then recommend up to 3 to the Vestry for final discernment. 

Holy Week Worship Services

Sunday, April 13th- 10am Palm Sunday

Thursday, April 17th - 7pm Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday Dinner at 5:30pm in Parish Hall

Gethsemane Watch Beginning 8pm to 8:30am Friday April 18th.

Friday, April 18th - Good Friday Services

8:30am & Noon Stations of the Cross

7pm Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday: The Passion of Christ 

Saturday, April 19th - 8pm Easter Vigil 

Sunday, April 20th - 10am Easter Sunday

Nursery for 0 - 5 Available, No Godly Play

Easter Egg Hunt immediately following the service. More info below.

Easter Brunch Potluck

Join us Easter Sunday immediately following the 10am service for a potluck Easter Brunch and fellowship! We need your help to make this a success! Please sign up to bring a dish or treat using the button below. This is also a great way to share your favorite Easter Recipe with your St. Michael's community! Please contact the office with questions.

St. Michael's Easter Egg Hunt

We will be having an egg hunt Easter Morning after the 10am service. All children will be invited to join in. We need St. Michael's help: we need donations of candy and/or stuffed easter eggs. Please bring donations to the church office during the week or drop them off in the parish hall on Sunday mornings. We will be stuffing Easter Eggs at Coffee Hour on Palm Sunday, April 13th! Please join us! We are thrilled to have the opportunity to hold this event! Thank you for all your help. Pr. Katie

Weekly Services

10am Sunday Morning Worship Eucharist (also Livestreamed)

Nursery available during worship

5pm Sunday Evening Contemplative Prayer Service on Zoom

9am Morning Prayer – Zoom, Monday through Thursday

8:30am Friday Morning Contemplative Eucharist

Please remember any of the priests can offer the Rite of Reconciliation and Lent is a great time for this. If you would like to schedule time with one of the priests, please contact the office at 916-488-3550.

Giving for Easter Flowers & Music

This Easter you can remember your loved ones and celebrate important moments in your life with the gift of flowers and/or music to the church.  

You can share with us the person or event you would like to give flowers in gratitude or memory of via our online form, or you can email the office. Please add "Easter Flowers & Music" to the memo line of checks and mail or drop them off to the office. You can also pay online using the drop down menu by selecting Flowers & Music (Christmas and Easter). Please submit your notes for the Easter Bulletins by Monday April 14.

Gethsemane Watch

In your preparation for Easter, consider participating in the Gethsemane Watch. The watch represents the time Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane wanting the disciples to stay awake with him. It begins immediately following the Maundy Thursday Service and concludes at the start of the Good Friday 8:30am Stations of the Cross. The watch takes place in the Columbarium and it is a time of silence. Spiritual books and writings will be available. Please consider "sitting in the garden" to watch and pray with Jesus.

There are still plenty of spots available and more than one or two can sign up for any given time. It is preferable for there to be at least two people per slot in the wee hours of the night. Sign up on the board in the narthex on Sundays.

Upcoming Celebration of Life Services

We will be having a Celebration of life service for Peggy Henley on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 10am at the church with a light reception immediately following. Click here to read Peggy's full obituary.

Choral Masterworks

by John Cozza, Music Director

Cantata for Palm Sunday by Bach

Himmelskönig, sei willkommen (King of Heaven, welcome),  BWV 182, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Weimar for Palm Sunday, and first performed it on 25 March 1714, which was also the feast of the Annunciation that year. It opens with a short instrumental (and unusually-titled for a Bach cantata) "Sonata," which is, "in effect a miniature French Overture for solo violin and recorder in dialogue with a pizzicato accompaniment. A madrigal-like welcome song for chorus (#2)...suggests a growing throng come to salute Christ as God's representative on earth. Seldom is Bach so freshly light-hearted...The cantata ends with a pair of choruses, the first a motet-like chorale fantasia built around Melchoir Vulpius' fine melody of 1609 to the authorized hymn of Palm Sunday, the second a sprightly choral dance that could have stepped straight out of a comic opera of the period. It needs the poise of a trapeze artist with the agility of a madrigalian gymnast--and is altogether captivating." (John Eliot Gardiner)

Here is a wonderful live performance: J. S. Bach - Cantata BWV 182 "Himmelskönig, sei willkommen" (J. S. Bach Foundation)

Translation: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV182-Eng3.htm

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himmelsk%C3%B6nig,_sei_willkommen,_BWV_18

Upcoming Easter Study - The Earth is the Lord's

Beginning Sunday April 27th! We will explore green themes in Scripture and Tradition and meet Sundays April 27 - May 18 at 11:45am in the Friendship Center. Contact Rev. Andy with questions. 

Coffee Hour Support

As you all know, Bob and Gail McMichael have been faithfully supporting our Coffee Hour every week for the last...forever. Every week they come by on Saturday to set up the coffee and tea so it is ready for the following morning as well as ensuring that we have some treats to enjoy with our coffee and tea by managing the sign up board. While they are not ready to give up this weekly ministry they would love to start training up some people who might be interested in taking this on when they are away for travel and are ready to reduce their involvement in this ministry. If you are interested in this ministry please contact Gail McMichael or the office.

Dear St Michael’s family and friends,

Thank you all… The weather was absolutely beautiful for the 8th annual Cancel Out Parkinson’s (COP) Walk on April 5th!

Although I walked a shorter distance than in previous walks, I was happy to be there considering I’ve been in hospice since January 2024.

I’m excited to report that I was the winner of the most money raised for the Parkinson’s Association of Northern California (PANC). Together, we raised between $2300 - $2400.



As in last year, I had a “Team Kay” online site to facilitate donations directed to me.

Seven of us made the walk this year. With a hearty thank you to Virginia Henry and David Daigh, who along with my wonderful husband, Hugh, were special helpers before and during the walk. David did the most work of us all as he pushed me on my transfer chair up all of the inclines. I used my walker for the level and declining portions of he walk, which was about one half of the distance of the shorter route.

I’d also like to give a special shoutout to three Caltrans friends; Jeff Reeds, and Leah and Richard Shepard for participating in the event.

Through the very generous support of my St Michael’s family and Caltrans friends, the money we raised will help the Parkinson’s Association of Northern California to continue existing programs and to add new programs to assist Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers in Northern California.

Thank you all from the bottom to the top of my heart!!

Kay Griffin

St. Michael's Continuing Studies

• Sacred Circle Meets the last Wednesday of every month at 6pm via zoom. For more information please contact Kate Muris.
• Thursday Open Bible Study meets every Thursday in the Friendship Center (and on Zoom) at 10am - 11:30am. We study the scriptures for the following Sunday. For more Bible Study information, please email the office at st.michaels@stmichaelscarmichael.org.

Rock the Block – Oak Park

Friday & Saturday May 9 & 10, 2025

St. Michaels will once again join Habitat for Humanity in assisting our Oak Park neighbors improve their homes and community. On May 9th and 10th volunteers from St. Michael’s will join hundreds of other volunteers to help revitalize an underserved community of low-income families, seniors, and Veterans. We will Work on a variety of projects such as home repairs, planting community gardens, rebuilding fences, community landscaping/clean-up etc. If you are interested in future Habitat for Humanity volunteer opportunities, please contact Terry Bridges.

Regular Outreach opportunities

River City Food Bank Center at St. Matthew's - Distribution Prep every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday & Distribution every Wednesday & Friday

Carmichael HART Carmichael Presbyterian Church - Lunch program every Thursday & the Shower Ministry every Saturday

God's Helping Hands Laundry LaunderLand every 3rd Saturday of the month

St. Michael's Men’s Breakfast

Men's breakfast is on the first Saturday of every month at FlapJacks Diner. The group meets at 8am at the restaurant. FlapJacks Diner is on El Camino Ave. Please reply to Jim Dodds so he will have an idea of the numbers. If you have any additional questions, please contact the office.

Centering Prayer

For those interested in starting or continuing a centering prayer practice, please contact Chuck Schaller, chuckschaller2@gmail.com



Prayers for Pregnant Women & Their Babies

We have an ongoing relationship with the Episcopal Sisters at the Order of Julian of Norwich monastery who pray daily for pregnant women and their babies. If you have name(s) of loved one(s) who are expecting that you would like to have included in the sisters' prayers, please email Fr. Rod at fatherrod@stmichaelscarmichael.org.

Giving Thanks with Flowers!

You can still remember your loved ones and celebrate important moments in your life with the gift of flowers to the church.  

If you would like to give in this way, please let the office know

and what you would like to give thanks for in the bulletin. You can send a check (or drop it off) to the office or pay on-line.  

Name Tags Available

We have name tags available at Sunday morning check in's. Please be sure to grab and wear your name tag before the service. If you are in need of a name tag please let the office know.

St. Michael's Hours

Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:30am - 1:30pm

Sanctuary and Courtyard are open during office hours. Please let the office know you will be coming. Call 916.488.3550 or email.

Pastoral Hours



Rev. Andy will be available on request. Please email revandy@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule.

Pastor Katie will be available on request. Please email pastorkatie@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule.

Fr. Mike will be available on request. Please email revdrferrito@outlook.com to schedule.

Fr. Rod will be available on request. Please email fatherrod@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule. 



Giving 

Thank you all for generously supporting St. Michael's and our ministries. We are accepting pledge payments through the mail. We are also accepting online giving. You may have to set up an account to do so. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Kate Muris.