Saint Michael to mark anniversary of first service

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SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church being built in late 1960. Architect Gustel Kiewitt designed the main structure and his company built it for $5,150.

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SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church's first vicar and rector, the Rev. Thomas Madden, offers a prayer in the empty field on Periwinkle Way before construction begins.

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SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH The completed Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in 1961.

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SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH Parishioners arriving for the first services at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on March 31, 1961 — Palm Sunday. The original structure included the sanctuary and a front entrance. Later additions included a kitchen, parish hall, choir loft, side entrance, restrooms and meeting spaces.

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Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel will celebrate the 65th anniversary of its first service, held on March 31, 1961, in the nearly completed church with the Rev. Thomas Madden — the parish’s first vicar and rector — presiding.

It will be marked with a special recognition on March 29, Palm Sunday, including commemorative prayers at the 10:30 a.m. service and a fellowship gathering afterward featuring historic photos. Parishioners and the community will be invited to share memories of the church through the years.

“Sixty-five years ago, people of faith gathered and began a worshiping community that has continued to serve Sanibel with prayer, hospitality and love,” the Rev. Bill Van Oss, rector at Saint Michael, said.

“Our theme, ’65 Years of Worship, Welcome and Witness,’ epitomizes what the past decades have been all about,” he added. “This anniversary year is an opportunity to give thanks for those who built a foundation of faith and to recommit ourselves to God’s call to serve the community in the years ahead.”

Throughout the year, the church will share a monthly anniversary feature highlighting parish history through archival photographs and short reflections, as well as a few special events in the fall designed to celebrate and preserve the parish’s story.

Parishioners and community members can contribute photos, bulletins and written memories for inclusion in the series by emailing them to communications@saintmichaels-sanibel.org.

Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church is at 2304 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.