About St. Michael Catholic Church · Prior Lake, Minnesota
St. Michael Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Prior Lake, Minnesota, in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The parish's story begins in 1908 when local Catholics acquired a church that had been dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel at nearby Spring Lake and hauled it across the frozen lake to Prior Lake with a team of horses; the parish was officially incorporated in 1912. Today St. Michael worships in a church completed in 1986, operates a PK-8 Catholic school founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1959, and partners with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chimbote, Peru. Weekend and daily Masses are offered in English, along with Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation, a Catholic school, faith formation, and a robust network of liturgical and pastoral ministries.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Fr. Tom Walker
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Why belong here
St. Michael offers a full Catholic life in one place: weekend and daily Mass with Reconciliation three days a week, non-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration several days a week, and a livestream of Mass for those who cannot attend in person. A PK-8 parish school (open for the 2026-27 school year), faith formation for children and youth, OCIA (formerly RCIA) for adults seeking to enter or return to the Church, and a wide array of liturgical ministries — lectors, Eucharistic ministers, sacristans, altar servers, ushers, homebound ministers, and a church environment team — give every parishioner a real way to participate. The parish also stretches outward through its longtime sister-parish partnership with Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chimbote, Peru.
Mass times at St. Michael Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:15 PM – 5:45 PM
- Friday 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM (First Friday)
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 8:30 AM – 10:00 PM
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Thursday 8:30 AM – 10:00 PM
- Friday 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM (First Friday)
Parish History
St. Michael's origins are unusual for a Midwest parish: rather than constructing a new church, the founding Catholics of Prior Lake acquired an abandoned church already dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel at nearby Spring Lake and hauled it across the frozen lake by horses in 1908. The parish was officially incorporated in 1912 and for years shared a priest with St. Peter in Credit River. The first church burned on Easter Sunday 1921; a determined community rebuilt a brick church by Christmas of that same year, completing it with donated labor at a reduced footprint to save $10,000. As the parish outgrew that 1921 building, a new church was completed in 1986 — the worship space in use today. The School Sisters of Notre Dame arrived in 1959 to found the parish school.
- 1908: original church moved across Spring Lake on ice by horses
- 1912: parish officially incorporated
- 1921 Easter fire destroyed the first church
- 1921: brick church built by Christmas of the same year
- 1959: School Sisters of Notre Dame found the parish school
- 1986: current church building completed
Clergy and Parish Staff
Fr. Tom Walker currently serves as pastor, having arrived after 13 years at Saint Ambrose of Woodbury and recently marked 25 years of priesthood. Fr. Austin Barnes serves as Associate Pastor. Deacon Terry Beer is a deacon of the parish and director of the OCIA (formerly RCIA) process. A team of lay staff and ministry leaders support the parish's liturgical, faith-formation, music, youth, communications, and facilities work.
- Fr. Tom Walker — Pastor
- Fr. Austin Barnes — Associate Pastor
- Deacon Terry Beer — Deacon & OCIA Director (952-447-9065, [email protected])
- Lorne Thompson — Pastoral Care Ministry & Liturgy Director
- Angie O'Brien — Director of Music (952-447-2458, [email protected])
- Katie Kelly — Youth Director
- Deb Vohnoutka — Preschool & Kindergarten Faith Formation Director; Children's Liturgy
- Dean Lundblad — Director of Facilities
- Brittany Seaburg — Director of Marketing & Communications (952-447-9064)
- Stephanie Degonda — Principal, St. Michael Catholic School
Liturgical Ministries
The parish maintains an extensive set of liturgical ministries coordinated with Fr. Tom Walker and the Liturgy Committee. Lay faithful serve as lectors, extraordinary (Eucharistic) ministers — including those who bring Communion to the homebound, nursing homes, and assisted-living residents — altar servers, sacristans, ushers, and a Church Environment team that dresses the sanctuary through the liturgical year.
- Liturgy Committee (chaired with Fr. Tom Walker)
- Eucharistic Ministers (chair: Mary O'Laughlin, 952.447.2846)
- Homebound Eucharistic Ministers (chair: Michelle Gillette-Lacko, 952-353-0953)
- Lectors
- Altar Servers
- Sacristans (chair: Bev Ostertag, 952.440.9152)
- Ushers (chair: Tim Ostertag, 952.440.9152)
- Church Environment team
Music Ministry
Music at St. Michael is directed by Angie O'Brien. Under Fr. Tom Walker's pastorate the parish launched a St. Michael Men's Chorus, which sings at Mass (debuting at the 10:30 AM Sunday Mass) and rehearses on Wednesday evenings; boys and high-school men are invited to join as a father-and-son activity. The school also has a robust K-8 music program that includes singing, recorder, guitar (grades 5-8), composition, and liturgical music for weekly school Masses.
- Director of Music: Angie O'Brien (952-447-2458, [email protected])
- St. Michael Men's Chorus (rehearses Wednesdays; sings at Sunday Mass)
- School music program: recorders (4), guitars (5-8), liturgical singing at weekly school Masses
Faith Formation, OCIA, and Youth
Adults seeking to become Catholic, return to the faith, or complete their initiation are welcomed through the OCIA process (formerly RCIA), directed by Deacon Terry Beer; a parallel children's process is offered for those age seven and above. Children in preschool and kindergarten have dedicated faith formation under Deb Vohnoutka, and the parish's Youth Director Katie Kelly ministers to teens and middle-school youth.
- OCIA / RCIA — Deacon Terry Beer, 952-447-9065, [email protected]
- Children's OCIA (ages 7+) available
- Preschool & Kindergarten Faith Formation — Deb Vohnoutka
- Children's Liturgy of the Word — Deb Vohnoutka
- Youth Ministry — Katie Kelly, Youth Director
St. Michael Catholic School
St. Michael Catholic School is a PK-8 parish school founded in 1959 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. It is located adjacent to the church at 16280 Duluth Ave SE and serves Preschool through Grade 8 under Principal Stephanie Degonda. The school integrates faith and academics: students attend Mass weekly and participate in the Liturgy, reflect on social-justice issues, and engage in Christian service projects. Standardized test scores consistently exceed the 80th percentile on the MAP assessment (grades 2-8). Applications for the 2026-27 school year are now open for new students.
- Founded 1959 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame
- Preschool through Grade 8
- Principal: Stephanie Degonda ([email protected], 952-447-2124)
- 16280 Duluth Ave SE, Prior Lake, MN 55372
- Academics: Religion, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Music, Adolescence
- Weekly Mass and Liturgy participation; Christian service projects
- MAP testing grades 2-8 (fall and spring)
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for and celebrates the seven Catholic sacraments. Reconciliation is offered three times weekly (see confession_times). The OCIA/RCIA process leads inquirers and catechumens toward Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Couples seeking marriage, families preparing children for First Communion and Confirmation, and parishioners in need of Anointing of the Sick are served through the parish office.
- Baptism
- First Eucharist / Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (Tue, Fri First Friday, Sat — see confession_times)
- OCIA for adults and children age 7+
Newcomers and Parish Life
The Newcomers Ministry helps register new members after weekend Masses (typically the second weekend of each month), follows up with a phone call to welcome newcomers and explain ministries, and plans periodic gatherings for new parishioners. Pastoral Care and other lay ministries help keep the community connected, including visits to the homebound, those in nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities.
- New members registered after weekend Masses (2nd weekend of month)
- Follow-up phone calls and welcome mailing for new parishioners
- Periodic newcomers gatherings
- Pastoral Care Ministry (Lorne Thompson)
Outreach and Sister-Parish Partnership
Beyond Prior Lake, St. Michael maintains a partnership with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chimbote, Peru — a relationship that connects parishioners with the wider Catholic Church in Latin America. The parish also livestreams Masses for those who cannot attend in person, and its Eucharistic Ministers bring Communion to the homebound and to residents of local nursing homes and assisted-living communities.
- Sister parish: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Chimbote, Peru
- Livestream Masses (Wednesday 7:50 AM featured on parish site)
- Homebound and nursing-home Communion visits
Parish Trustees and Governance
The parish's lay governance includes elected Parish Trustees who serve alongside the pastor. The site also references parish pastoral, finance, and education councils that work with the pastor on the life of the parish.
- Trustee: Peg Lang
- Trustee: Eric Lewis
- Pastoral, Finance, and Education Councils collaborate with the pastor
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Tom Walker
Current pastor; arrived after 13 years at Saint Ambrose of Woodbury; recently marked 25 years of priesthood; succeeded another 'Fr. Tom' at the parish.