150th
Anniversary of Saint Michael Parish, Plymouth
Three years ago, I celebrated Mass here at Saint Michael’s on this same
date, September 29th, the feast of the Archangels. We were celebrating the 100th
anniversary of your beautiful church.
Today we celebrate the 150th anniversary of your parish,
named with the title of one of the three great archangels, Saint Michael. Our diocese was only six years old when our
first bishop, John Henry Luers, established Saint Michael the Archangel Parish
in 1863.
Prior to the arrival of the first resident pastor and the building of
the first church, missionary priests would visit the local Catholics. They would celebrate Mass and other
sacraments in people’s homes or public places.
But even earlier, when Marshall County was still under the control of
the Potawatomi Indians, missionary priests would periodically visit here in
their ministry to the Indians. The close
bond between the priests and the Indians continued for decades. I think of the young Father Benjamin Petit
who would come here and, in his love for the Indians, accompanied them on the
Trail of Tears (Death) when they were expelled from this region. Many of them were Catholic. Father Petit died at the age of 28 or 29
while travelling back here to Indiana.
He is buried in the log chapel at Notre Dame.
When we think of the history of this parish and of Catholicism in
Marshall County, we must not forget the first Catholics here, the Potawatomi Indians,
and the priests who served them. We also
remember the immigrant Catholics at the time of the establishment of Saint
Michael’s Parish: primarily German and
Irish. We remember them through two of
the beautiful stained glass windows here in the church: the window with Saint Boniface who brought
Christianity to the German people and the window of Saint Patrick who brought
the faith to Ireland.
Since today is the feast of your patron, Saint Michael, whose statue
stands here in the sanctuary, I wish to speak a bit about this great
archangel. Saint Michael is mentioned
four times in the Bible: twice in the
book of Daniel in the Old Testament; and twice in the New Testament: in the letter of Saint Jude and in the book of
Revelation.
In the book of Daniel, Michael is identified as the “great prince,” the
protector of the children of Israel. In
the letter of Saint Jude, Michael is presented as disputing with the devil over
the body of Moses. In the Book of
Revelation, in the passage we heard in our second reading today, we read of the
war that broke out in heaven, of Michael and his angels battling against Satan
(the dragon) and his angels, the fallen angels.
Notice the statue here – Saint Michael crushing the dragon at his
feet. The book of Revelation recounts
how Michael and his angels prevailed.
Satan and his angels were expelled from heaven and thrown down to
earth. Based on these Scripture
passages, the Church venerates Saint Michael as the guardian angel of the
Kingdom of Christ on earth, as the heavenly leader in the fight against all
enemies of God. Given our world and our
culture today, it is good to renew our devotion to Saint Michael, to defend us
in battle and to be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil,
since as the famous Saint Michael prayer says:
Satan and the evil spirits still “prowl about the world seeking the ruin
of souls.”
This past July, Pope Francis, with Pope Benedict at his side, blessed a
new statue of Saint Michael the Archangel in the Vatican gardens. I wish to share with you the words of our
Holy Father about Saint Michael on that occasion:
“Michael. . . is the champion of the primacy of God, of his
transcendence and power. Michael fights
to reestablish divine justice; he defends the People of God from their enemies
and above all from the arch-enemy par excellence, the devil. And Saint Michael triumphs because in him it
is God who acts.” Pope Francis then went
on to say that the new sculpture “reminds us therefore that evil is vanquished,
the accuser is unmasked, his head is crushed, because salvation was fulfilled
once and for all by the blood of Christ.
Even if the devil is always trying to scratch the face of the Archangel
and the face of man, God is stronger; his is the victory and his salvation is
offered to every human being. On the
journey and in the trials of life we are not alone, we are accompanied and
sustained by the Angels of God, who offer, so to speak, their wings to help us
overcome the many dangers, to be able to fly above those realities that can
make our lives difficult or drag us down.”
Personally, when I think of Saint
Michael, I am always consoled, especially at difficult and challenging times,
by the truth that good conquers evil. I
pray that this parish will continue to flourish, under the prayers and
protection of Saint Michael, as a force for good here in Plymouth, as an
evangelizing community of faith that attracts people to Christ and His Church
by your witness of faith, hope, and charity.
As we proceed with Holy Mass, let us be
aware that in our worship of God, we are joined to the angels in praising
God. As we sang in Psalm 138: “In the sight of the angels, I will sing your
praises Lord.” With the angels, we will
sing “Sanctus, Sanctus” à Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.”
The hosts are the angels, the heavenly hosts. When we praise the Lord, we do so with the
angels, those spiritual creatures who behold God’s glory face to face. In a mysterious way, we are united with the
angels and the saints at every Mass – the earthly liturgy is joined with the
heavenly liturgy.
Dear Father Korcsmar, Father Eloy, and
parishioners of Saint Michael’s, congratulations on your 150th
anniversary as a parish. May Saint Michael
walk beside you, protect you, and defend you always! May your parish community be a sign and
instrument of the victory of God’s love and goodness!