St. Michael's Episcopal Church

About Us

We invite you to discover the mystery of God with us.

Welcome to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Mandeville, Louisiana! St. Michael's is a church home to young and old alike, with young children being welcome at both our Sunday services. You will be greeted warmly here and are invited to join us on a wonderful journey of hope and salvation as we follow Our Lord.

We are located in southeastern Louisiana in the midst of the piney woods on the northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Our 11-acre campus houses both our Church and one of the premier pre-schools on the Northshore, St. Michael’s Episcopal Education Center (www.stmichaelspreschool.edu). We are part of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr. is our Bishop.

We have a few buildings on our campus: if you are visiting the Church, it is the building on your left as you drive up our entrance, and the school is the building straight ahead. Please take a bit of time to look at our four playgrounds, outdoor labyrinth, Stations of the Cross, fountain, and Parish Life Center, which is available for groups such as AA, Scouts and others to use for meetings and events. When you are here, you may be welcomed by some of the deer living in the surrounding woods who occasionally look in on our worship services and other activities.

We invite you to come worship with us on Sundays. Children are particularly welcome in our services; however, most Sundays we also have alternatives for children during the 10:30 am service if you prefer to have your children engage in these activities during the worship service. You are also welcome to come visit us during regular business hours on weekdays. You will find St. Michael’s to be a vibrant community of all ages, serving our Lord, each other and our wider community in many exciting ministries.

If you would like more information about St. Michael’s or are interested in using our Parish Life Center please give us a call at 985-626-5781 or send an email to [email protected]. We would love to have the opportunity to tell you more about our parish life and ministries here at St. Michael’s.



Our Services

Service Times

Sunday
08:00am
Rite II Eucharist without music
10:30am
Rite II Eucharist with music
Wednesday
11:30am
Healing Service with Eucharist

What to Expect

What are services like?
St. Michael’s services are traditional Anglican/Episcopal worship services following the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and using the 1982 Hymnal. Our 8 am and 10:30 am services are both Rite II (contemporary English) Holy Eucharist services, with the primary difference being that there is no music at the 8 am service. At the 10:30 am service we have traditional music led by our choir and organ. Acolytes (altar servers) and Eucharist Ministers assist with the worship services. If it is a “High Holy Day” such as Christmas or Easter you will probably find us using incense as well. If you are not familiar with our services, someone in the pews will be happy to help you follow along in the Book of Common Prayer.

What is the community like?
St. Michael’s is a welcoming, inclusive community – a small church with a large heart. You will be greeted at the door as you enter and leave. Our parish family includes people of all ages and a diversity of backgrounds. We do not have a dress code or care what kind of car you drive. Saints (of the football variety and otherwise) and sinners are both welcome. We have people who are passionate about their ministries, and we are always looking for yet another way to serve our Lord. We are especially proud of our Preschool, which is one of the premier preschools on the Northshore. We take our worship and ministries quite seriously, but try not to take ourselves too seriously – we remember that we are supposed to “celebrate” the Eucharist each Sunday.

What if I'm not a Christian?
People who are not Christians, or who may be questioning whether they are Christians, are welcome to join us at St. Michael’s. All we ask is that you come with an open heart and an open mind. Visitors are not asked to stand up and introduce themselves, and no one has to identify as a “non-Christian.” You will not be called up to the altar to make any type of profession. In the Episcopal Church all baptized persons, including young children, are welcome to receive Holy Communion. Those who are not baptized or for any reason prefer not to receive Communion may come to the altar rail to receive a blessing from the priest. This does not mean that we believe Christ is not working in those who have not been baptized or that they are not worthy to receive Communion – none of us are worthy but by God’s grace are given a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven. We encourage those who are not baptized to accept our invitation to explore the sacramental nature of the Episcopal Church and the joy that comes from becoming a follower of Jesus.


Leadership

Dennis Ryan

Dennis Ryan
Priest in Charge

Father Dennis Ryan began his tenure at St. Michael’s in June, 2015. He brings many experiences from a long and varied background in the business world, the military and the Episcopal Church. He was a manager for 24 years in Business Marketing for all the different iterations of the “Telephone Company”. The U.S. Army Reserve had a great appeal and he spent 20 years in various command and training roles prior to retiring. Beginning in1980 Dennis became increasingly active in the church. St. James in Jackson, MS was, in a way, a new birth-place for him and he served in many different roles at the parish and diocesan level. After struggling with the possibility of ordination for many years, in 1989, Father Dennis entered into a discernment process that eventually led to becoming a postulant for Holy Orders. He attended The School of Theology Sewanee Tennessee, graduated and was ordained deacon (1990) and then priest (1991). Father Ryan’s first cure was at Trinity Church Hattiesburg, MS. He says, “They brought me up as a priest.” The love that was shared was tremendously affirming and the work that God had called Dennis to was wonderfully fulfilling for him. He served there for seven years. There was a lot accomplished in many areas of church life. Dennis became the associate rector of St. John’s Pascagoula, MS in August, 2000. When the rector retired in May, 2005, he became the Interim Rector and was serving in that capacity when Katrina hit. The church received very little damage and they were able to hold services the Sunday after the storm. He got the idea that the thousands and thousands of dollars they were receiving would require some excellent stewardship or it could wind up being un-wisely distributed. They bought sheetrock and gave it away to build anew hundreds and hundreds of houses. The Bishop of Mississippi agreed with the request of the wardens of St. John’s and to that end, Dennis became rector in 2006. He served St. John’s in three capacities for thirteen years. Father Dennis retired from St. John's in late June of 2013. Subsequently, upon hearing that Christ Church Covington would be looking for an Interim Rector, he let Bishop Morris Thompson and Canon Shannon Manning know that he was interested. Father Dennis began serving Christ Church as Interim Rector in late January of 2014. Dennis and his wife Susan met in Hattiesburg. In late February they celebrated their sixth anniversary. Susan has two adult children. David lives in Malaysia and Kennon lives in New York City. Dennis has three adult children. Devin and her family live in Mandeville. Kelsey and her husband live near New Castle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. John lives in Biloxi and has three children. “Holy Time, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, begins anew for all of us. I give thanks to God for the joy and challenges, the opportunity and the affirmations that we shall encounter as we collectively follow the path that our Lord Jesus has called us to.” Father Dennis Ryan

Location & Directions

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