St. Michael the Archangel

Welcome and Parish Identity

St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish describes itself as a welcoming Catholic community in the Diocese of Tucson, serving North Florence, San Tan Valley, and the surrounding communities of Pinal County, Arizona. The parish identifies itself as the 77th parish of the Diocese of Tucson — a number reflected in its web address — and as the first Catholic parish established in the San Tan Valley area. The website invites visitors to register as parishioners and to join any of its ministries or committees.

• First Catholic parish in the San Tan Valley area
• 77th parish of the Diocese of Tucson (reflected in URL: stmichaels77.org)
• Federal Tax ID: 45-3660023
• Parish Registration form available online and at the Greeters Table

History of the Parish

The parish was founded in 2011 when the Diocese of Tucson sent Fr. Dale Branson to begin organizing a new Catholic community for the booming San Tan Valley / North Florence region, where the nearest parishes were in Coolidge, Florence, Apache Junction, Gilbert, and Queen Creek. The civil parish corporation was registered in Arizona on February 28, 2012; in May 2012 the parish was formally incorporated into the Diocese of Tucson and Bishop Gerald F. Kicans named Fr. Branson pastor. Bishop Kicans presided at the ground-breaking for the permanent campus on May 4, 2013, on 19 acres just off Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road. Phase 1 — the Parish Hall (multi-purpose building seating about 1,000) — has been completed and serves as the current worship space; the administrative office building has also been built. A future permanent church (planned at roughly 2,000 seats), Catholic school, community ball fields, and rectory remain long-term goals.

• Founded 2011; incorporated in Arizona February 28, 2012
• Formally incorporated into Diocese of Tucson May 2012
• Ground-breaking for permanent campus May 4, 2013 (Bishop Gerald F. Kicans)
• 19-acre site at Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road, 26035 N. Apollo Drive
• Phase 1: Parish Center / Hall (~1,000 seats) and administrative office — completed
• Future phases: permanent church (~2,000 seats), Catholic school, ball fields, rectory

Pastor and Parish Staff

The pastor is Rev. Fr. Dale A. Branson, who has led the parish since its founding; he was ordained a priest on January 18, 1997 by Bishop Manuel Moreno and previously served at St. Ambrose in Tucson and St. Joseph in Hayden. He is assisted by Deacon Victor (Vic) Kovachevich. The parish office team includes Parish Secretary / Notary Elisa (Lisa) Victoria and Office Assistant / Director of Religious Education Reajean Porter.

• Pastor: Rev. Fr. Dale A. Branson ([email protected])
• Deacon: Victor (Vic) Kovachevich ([email protected] / 309-830-1183)
• Parish Secretary / Notary: Elisa (Lisa) Victoria ([email protected])
• Office Assistant / DRE / CCD / Altar Servers: Reajean Porter ([email protected])

Sacraments

The parish prepares Catholics for and celebrates the full range of sacraments. Parents seeking baptism complete preparation through the parish (information under the parish info tab on the website). Children prepare for First Holy Communion and Confirmation through the CCD program under DRE Reajean Porter. Couples must notify the pastor at least one year before their proposed wedding and take part in the parish marriage-preparation program. The Anointing of the Sick is offered at the 8:30 AM Mass on the first Friday of each month and by appointment. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is offered for adults 19+ and teens 14–18 seeking full initiation.

• Baptism preparation via the parish website (parish info tab)
• First Holy Communion & Confirmation: contact Reajean Porter ([email protected])
• Marriage: at least one year's notice to the pastor; both parties participate in preparation
• Anointing of the Sick: first Friday 8:30 AM Mass, or by appointment
• RCIA — Teens 14–18 and Adults 19+
• CCD — Grades K–8

Faith Formation and Religious Education

Religious education for children and sacramental preparation is coordinated by Reajean Porter, who serves as Office Assistant and DRE. The parish's CCD program covers Grades K through 8, and the parish also runs the RCIA process for teens (14–18) and adults (19+), led by Linda Manuel. Children preparing for First Holy Communion and Confirmation go through the CCD program.

• CCD for Grades K–8 (Reajean Porter, [email protected])
• RCIA for Teens 14–18 and Adults 19+ (Linda Manuel)
• First Communion and Confirmation preparation
• Online registration form (jotform) for new parishioners

Parish Ministries and Organizations

St. Michael the Archangel has an unusually broad network of lay ministries, reflecting the rapid growth of the parish and the willingness of its members to serve. Liturgical roles include Altar Servers, Sacristans (Irene Chagoya), Lectors / 'Michael-Ettes' (Denise Kelter), Eucharistic Ministers / Prayer Chain (Virginia Bombolino), Ushers, Music & Choir (Diana Rivera / Diana Albert), and the AV Ministry (Alvin Rivera) and Video Monitor (Ron Stegner). Outreach and service are carried out through the Food Bank (Connie Romano), Diaper Drive, Homebound Ministry, Prison Ministry (Kathy Ernst), Grief Support (Don Manuel — Mondays 9:30 AM), Deaf Ministry (Annemarie Kalvaitis), Pro-Life, Scouts (John Denson), and the Knights of Columbus Fr. John C. Borley Council 17036 (a worldwide fraternal Catholic men's organization). The 'Warriors' Teen Ministry serves parish teens, and the parish also supports Vocations awareness (Gary Jones).

• Altar Servers, Sacristans, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Ushers
• Music & Choir (Diana Rivera)
• Greeters / Counters (Terry Ybarra)
• Food Bank / Food Pantry and Diaper Drive
• Homebound Ministry, Prison Ministry, Pro-Life, Deaf Ministry, Grief Support
• Knights of Columbus — Fr. John C. Borley Council 17036 (for Catholic men 18+)
• Scouts Ministry (John Denson)
• Warriors Teen Ministry
• Vocations committee (Gary Jones)
• Safe Environment (Sue Stonerook, Bev Lennen)
• Decorating Committee (Mona Dillon)

Parish Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council works with Fr. Branson in guiding parish life. Council members listed in the bulletin include Virginia Bombolino, Irene Chagoya, Kathy Ernst, Denise Kelter, Annemarie Kalvaitis, Dcn Vic Kovachevich, Gary Jones, Sam Deleese, Don Manuel, Linda Manuel, Reajean Porter, Diana Rivera, Scott Robert, Connie Romano, Terry Ybarra, Fred Zapata, and Elisa Victoria.

Campus and Facilities

The parish sits on a 19-acre campus at 26035 N. Apollo Drive, North Florence / San Tan Valley, just off Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road. The completed buildings include the multi-purpose Parish Center (used as the church and hall, seating about 1,000) and the administrative office building. Long-term plans call for a permanent church (planned as the largest in the Diocese of Tucson at about 2,000 seats), a Catholic school, community ball fields, and a rectory. The parish office also notes that the mailing address is sometimes given as 'San Tan Valley, AZ 85132'.

• Parish Center / Hall (~1,000 seats) — current worship space
• Administrative office building
• 19-acre site off Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road
• Plans for a permanent church, Catholic school, ball fields, and rectory

Parish Office and Giving

The parish office is open Monday through Friday, with published hours of 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (some bulletins list 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). The mailing/delivery address is 26035 N. Apollo Drive, Florence, AZ 85132 (also listed as San Tan Valley, AZ 85132). The parish provides online giving through its website under the Online Giving tab, and parishioners can also give through the parish's OSV Hub page.

• Phone: (520) 723-6570
• Fax: (520) 723-7116
• Office Hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (some bulletins: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM)
• Email: [email protected]
• Online Giving via stmichaels77.org and OSV Hub (osvhub.com/stmichaels77)
• Federal Tax ID: 45-3660023