Our History
Father Fowler announced his retirement in September 1986, effective on or about May 1, 1987, and relinquished the Chair of the Vestry in December, 1986. The Rev. Stephen Norcross was named Interim Rector. In 1988, the Rev. Ronald T. Lau became the new rector. In 1989, the church took on purchase of a 45-rank Æolian-Skinner pipe organ, originally built in 1959 in Boston, Massachusetts for Christ Methodist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. A major investment in the future of St. Michael’s, the organ was stored in parts at a local car dealership for a number of years until the church could be expanded to house it. Meanwhile, in 1993, the Creswell Courtyard was added.
During Father Lau's tenure, the Vestry delegated the guidance of St. Michael's Parish Day School to a Board of Trustees composed of school parents working together with parishioners. The Board called the first Head of School; up to this point the Rector had served as Head as well.
After the departure of Father Lau in 1994, the Rev. Dr. Carey C. Womble took up the post of interim rector.
The Reverend John R. Smith, Jr. was appointed as Vicar to St. Michael and All Angels by the Episcopal Bishop of Arizona on March, 1995. Eleven months later, in February, 1996, the Vestry elected and installed Fr. Smith as the new rector. Under his direction, a “2000 and Beyond” campaign raised funds for both the physical needs of the parish and its missions to the world beyond its walls. A new period of expansion began with a middle school addition, built in 1997.
The new pipe organ chamber for the Æolian-Skinner pipe organ was in place in 1998. Built at the north of the high altar, the chamber was designed by architect Bob Vint, with organ restoration and installation by Grahame Davis of Pipe Organ Artisans of Arizona, Inc.
During the year 2000, along with the Parish Center, the Mulvaney kitchen and five classrooms at the east side of the historic courtyard were completed. Next, the labyrinth was installed near the parish center, to be used by all for contemplative, meditative walks. A small pool was also installed in the center of the labyrinth for baptismal use.
In 2003, a new student center, new and replacement classrooms, and a science center were designed by Bob Vint and constructed by Cobre Building Systems. Soon after, the fifth and final section (antiphonal) to the pipe organ was installed in at the choir loft.
In 2012, with the generous support of many individuals, the parish replaced the church’s leaky roof, repaired and painted aging adobe walls, and replastered the church’s interior. In March, 2012, the church and school commissioned the addition of solar panels on the roofs and in the parking lot, reducing our carbon footprint while reducing utility costs, and even providing two rows of covered parking.
In 2015, work was undertaken to restore the organ from damage done by termites and packrats, including the necessary purchase of a new electronic control system. A building committee was established to find solutions to ongoing issues with the aging, historic structure, such as the need to install a better cooling system without endangering the structural integrity of wooden beams and adobe walls.
In March, 2015, Father John R. Smith celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his arrival at St. Michael’s, and announced his retirement as of July 1, 2015. His final Mass at St. Michael and All Angels was on Sunday, June 28, 2015, at a combined service for all parishioners. At that time, the Smith Parish Center was renamed in his honor. Father Smith moved to Antigua, Guatemala with his wife, Terri, where he served as the Vicar of the St. Alban Episcopal Mission for several years. Upon Father Smith’s departure, the parish was led by the Reverend Dr. Richard Mallory as interim rector, who took up his post with a full schedule of masses on Sunday, August 16th, 2015.
In July, 2016, the Rev. David Benedict Hedges, BSG, accepted the call to be our new Rector.
During Father Lau's tenure, the Vestry delegated the guidance of St. Michael's Parish Day School to a Board of Trustees composed of school parents working together with parishioners. The Board called the first Head of School; up to this point the Rector had served as Head as well.
After the departure of Father Lau in 1994, the Rev. Dr. Carey C. Womble took up the post of interim rector.
The Reverend John R. Smith, Jr. was appointed as Vicar to St. Michael and All Angels by the Episcopal Bishop of Arizona on March, 1995. Eleven months later, in February, 1996, the Vestry elected and installed Fr. Smith as the new rector. Under his direction, a “2000 and Beyond” campaign raised funds for both the physical needs of the parish and its missions to the world beyond its walls. A new period of expansion began with a middle school addition, built in 1997.
The new pipe organ chamber for the Æolian-Skinner pipe organ was in place in 1998. Built at the north of the high altar, the chamber was designed by architect Bob Vint, with organ restoration and installation by Grahame Davis of Pipe Organ Artisans of Arizona, Inc.
During the year 2000, along with the Parish Center, the Mulvaney kitchen and five classrooms at the east side of the historic courtyard were completed. Next, the labyrinth was installed near the parish center, to be used by all for contemplative, meditative walks. A small pool was also installed in the center of the labyrinth for baptismal use.
In 2003, a new student center, new and replacement classrooms, and a science center were designed by Bob Vint and constructed by Cobre Building Systems. Soon after, the fifth and final section (antiphonal) to the pipe organ was installed in at the choir loft.
In 2012, with the generous support of many individuals, the parish replaced the church’s leaky roof, repaired and painted aging adobe walls, and replastered the church’s interior. In March, 2012, the church and school commissioned the addition of solar panels on the roofs and in the parking lot, reducing our carbon footprint while reducing utility costs, and even providing two rows of covered parking.
In 2015, work was undertaken to restore the organ from damage done by termites and packrats, including the necessary purchase of a new electronic control system. A building committee was established to find solutions to ongoing issues with the aging, historic structure, such as the need to install a better cooling system without endangering the structural integrity of wooden beams and adobe walls.
In March, 2015, Father John R. Smith celebrated the twentieth anniversary of his arrival at St. Michael’s, and announced his retirement as of July 1, 2015. His final Mass at St. Michael and All Angels was on Sunday, June 28, 2015, at a combined service for all parishioners. At that time, the Smith Parish Center was renamed in his honor. Father Smith moved to Antigua, Guatemala with his wife, Terri, where he served as the Vicar of the St. Alban Episcopal Mission for several years. Upon Father Smith’s departure, the parish was led by the Reverend Dr. Richard Mallory as interim rector, who took up his post with a full schedule of masses on Sunday, August 16th, 2015.
In July, 2016, the Rev. David Benedict Hedges, BSG, accepted the call to be our new Rector.
2016 and 2017 also saw further improvements to the church and school campus. In 2016, St. Michael’s School embarked on a capital campaign for expansion of its facilities. Work on this began in June, 2016 and was completed in 2017, including the addition of Tankersley Hall, a multi-purpose room used by both church and school. In December, 2016, a new wheelchair accessible ramp was completed at the west entrance to the church, along with dedicated handicapped parking.
In May, 2021, St. Michael’s began preparations for a three-year House of the Faithful Capital Campaign. The purpose was to raise funds for major repairs to the aging building, to install a modern HVAC system in the church to replace evaporative coolers and a barely functional heating system, to repair and replace broken flagstone in front of the church, and to restore antique sacred art works. Architect Bob Vint undertook the design work, and Cobre Building Systems again took charge of construction.
Air conditioning was installed on the newly-insulated church roof in early 2023, providing for a comfortable church during hot the Arizona summer for the first time in the church’s nearly 70-year history. Also in 2023, a drip system was installed for the rows of historic olive trees, and the parish undertook a process to apply for historic landmark status for the older parts of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.
Sometimes called “the church with the sign,” St. Michael’s has had a “prophetic sign” on display at the corner of Wilmot Road and Fifth Street for decades, sometimes controversial but always rooted in Christian social conscience. Its first message was “It’s a sin to build a nuclear weapon.” In the 1990s it pointed out that “Jesus was a refugee.” In 2006, it said, “Either we are all God’s children – or no one is.” In 2010, the sign featured a painting by artist and parishioner Bob Bennett, quoting St. Paul: “Overcome Evil with Good.” The current sign quotes from the Gospel of St. Matthew: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
St. Michael’s has a long history as a welcoming community, firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic and Episcopal liturgical tradition, providing academic excellence and spiritual guidance, and committed to serving those in need. St. Michael’s volunteers hand out bags of groceries to those who need them, provide dozens of hard boiled eggs on a biweekly basis to the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen, and take a turn hosting Poz Café for people living with HIV/AIDS. For over twenty years the parish has spearheaded St. Michael’s Guatemala Project, an informal partnership with rural Maya who became refugees in their own country during Guatemala’s civil war, that focuses on community health, mutual learning, and solidarity. In these and many other ways, the people of St. Michael and All Angels seek to live out their baptismal promises and be “agents of Jesus’ gospel of justice, peace, and love in the world.”
In May, 2021, St. Michael’s began preparations for a three-year House of the Faithful Capital Campaign. The purpose was to raise funds for major repairs to the aging building, to install a modern HVAC system in the church to replace evaporative coolers and a barely functional heating system, to repair and replace broken flagstone in front of the church, and to restore antique sacred art works. Architect Bob Vint undertook the design work, and Cobre Building Systems again took charge of construction.
Air conditioning was installed on the newly-insulated church roof in early 2023, providing for a comfortable church during hot the Arizona summer for the first time in the church’s nearly 70-year history. Also in 2023, a drip system was installed for the rows of historic olive trees, and the parish undertook a process to apply for historic landmark status for the older parts of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church.
Sometimes called “the church with the sign,” St. Michael’s has had a “prophetic sign” on display at the corner of Wilmot Road and Fifth Street for decades, sometimes controversial but always rooted in Christian social conscience. Its first message was “It’s a sin to build a nuclear weapon.” In the 1990s it pointed out that “Jesus was a refugee.” In 2006, it said, “Either we are all God’s children – or no one is.” In 2010, the sign featured a painting by artist and parishioner Bob Bennett, quoting St. Paul: “Overcome Evil with Good.” The current sign quotes from the Gospel of St. Matthew: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
St. Michael’s has a long history as a welcoming community, firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic and Episcopal liturgical tradition, providing academic excellence and spiritual guidance, and committed to serving those in need. St. Michael’s volunteers hand out bags of groceries to those who need them, provide dozens of hard boiled eggs on a biweekly basis to the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen, and take a turn hosting Poz Café for people living with HIV/AIDS. For over twenty years the parish has spearheaded St. Michael’s Guatemala Project, an informal partnership with rural Maya who became refugees in their own country during Guatemala’s civil war, that focuses on community health, mutual learning, and solidarity. In these and many other ways, the people of St. Michael and All Angels seek to live out their baptismal promises and be “agents of Jesus’ gospel of justice, peace, and love in the world.”
St. Michael & All Angels Church
A parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona 602 N. Wilmot Rd. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-886-7292 [email protected] Sunday Schedule 7:15 AM – Morning Prayer 7:45 AM – Low Mass 9:00 AM – Family Mass 10:30 AM – Solemn Mass 5:00 PM – Low Mass |