About St. Michael the Archangel · Sarasota, Florida
St. Michael the Archangel is a Roman Catholic parish located at 5394 Midnight Pass Road on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida, in the Diocese of Venice. Originally created as a mission in 1958 on five acres of land on Siesta Key, it was elevated to parish status in 1968 to serve the growing Catholic population of Sarasota and Siesta Key. Today the parish serves thousands of year-round residents, part-time winter parishioners, and visitors from around the world. The parish community is led by Rev. Michael J. Cannon and offers weekend and daily Mass, Saturday confession, Eucharistic adoration, OCIA formation, Bible study, and a wide range of lay ministries. Following a major church renovation completed in the summer of 2022 and an ongoing Capital Campaign, the parish is preparing to build a new Ministry Center to expand its outreach.
- Established
- 1958
- Patron
- St. Michael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. Cannon
- Diocese
- Diocese of Venice in Florida
Why belong here
St. Michael the Archangel is a small-island parish that has grown from a 40-family mission in 1958 into a thriving community serving thousands of year-round and winter parishioners on Siesta Key. A parishioner here finds the full rhythm of Catholic life — weekday and weekend Mass, Saturday confession, weekly Eucharistic adoration, Bible study in Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer sessions, the OCIA process, and a robust Respect Life and Prayer Line ministry that prayed over 1,300 petitions in 2023. With an active Women's Guild, a renovated church, and a new Ministry Center on the horizon, the parish offers both a warm small-community feel and a deep bench of lay ministries for getting involved.
Mass times at St. Michael the Archangel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Saturday 8:30 am - 9:00 am
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Tuesday (after 9:00 am Weekday Mass — weekly Adoration listed on the parish schedule)
About St. Michael the Archangel Parish
St. Michael the Archangel is a Roman Catholic parish on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida, in the Diocese of Venice in Florida (Northern Deanery). It was created as a mission in 1958, the church was dedicated in 1960, and the community was raised to parish status in the late 1960s to serve the growing Catholic population of Sarasota and Siesta Key. The parish's mission, in the words of its website, is 'to embrace and share the love of Jesus Christ with all who break bread with us.' Today it welcomes thousands of year-round residents, part-time winter residents, and visitors from around the world.
- Diocese: Diocese of Venice in Florida (Northern Deanery)
- Year Founded: 1958 (mission) / parish 1966–1968
- Address: 5394 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, FL 34242
- Parish Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Parish History
In 1958 Archbishop Joseph Hurley, then Bishop of the entire state of Florida, selected Father Joseph Daley to build a Mission Church on five acres on Siesta Key. The Mission Church was built and officially dedicated in 1960; the community was established as a parish in 1966/1968 to meet the needs of the expanding Catholic population in Sarasota. The St. Michael's Women's Guild — the sole original organization — drove much of the parish's growth and devotion through the 1960s and '70s.
- 1958 — Mission Church founded under Father Joseph Daley on five acres of Siesta Key land
- 1960 — Mission Church officially dedicated (Jan. 10, 1960 per GCatholic)
- 1968 — Elevated to parish status
- March 17, 1974 — Groundbreaking for the original Parish Center
- 1999 — Church rededicated (March 7, 1999 per GCatholic)
- 2019 — Original Parish Center demolished after a flood and structural issues
- 2020 — 'Re-Ignite the Flame! Re-Light the Way!' Capital Campaign launched for a new Ministry Center
- 2021–2022 — Seven-month church structural renovation; Mass held under a tent in the parking lot
- 2022 (summer) — Church renovation completed; Ministry Center campaign restarted with scaled-down plans
- Target: New Ministry Center groundbreaking by end of 2025
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Michael J. Cannon, with Father David Cottingham, C.S.Sp. serving as assisting clergy and Deacon Kim Cohen as parish deacon. A small parish staff and several volunteer coordinators handle liturgy, religious education, music, accounting, maintenance, and digital communications.
- Pastor: Rev. Michael J. Cannon
- Assisting Clergy: Father David Cottingham, C.S.Sp.
- Parish Deacon: Deacon Kim Cohen
- Office Manager: Kathy Rudolph
- Liturgy Coordinator: (parish staff)
- Accounting: Regina Stinson
- Administrative Assistant: Michele Carusona
- Digital Media: Marjorie Meyers
- Music Director: Katherine Alexandra
- Maintenance Technician: Ray Martinez
- Custodian/Housekeeping: Josephine Fournier
- Religious Education: Open position (youth contact: Anna Chase, [email protected])
Becoming Catholic — OCIA
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the parish's process for adults exploring the Catholic faith. The parish welcomes inquirers where they are, walking each candidate through formation in a relaxed, pressure-free environment toward full communion with the Catholic Church. Youth faith formation is coordinated separately through the Religious Education office (Anna Chase, [email protected]).
- Adult OCIA inquiries: contact the parish office
- Youth religious education: Anna Chase, [email protected]
Bible Study Ministry
The Bible Study Ministry offers programs in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Fall/Winter/Spring studies are typically comprehensive 10–24 week courses, while Summer studies run 4–5 weeks. Sessions meet once a week for 60–70 minutes in small-group discussion format; participants are welcome to share or simply listen. The ministry's stated goals are to deepen understanding of Scripture and grow closer to Christ — guided by St. Jerome's admonition that 'Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.'
- Leader: Kevin Kindelan (863-289-8900, [email protected])
- To register: Michele at the Parish Office, 941-349-4174
- Fall 2024 example: 'The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation' (24 weeks starting Oct. 6, 2024) via Ascension Press
- Fall 2024 example: 'The Book of Revelation and the Mass' (14 weeks starting Sept. 18, 2024)
Lay Ministries & Groups
St. Michael's offers a deep bench of lay ministries through which parishioners serve the Church, each other, and the wider Sarasota community. Coordinators are listed on the parish website so newcomers can reach out directly.
- Adoration — Karen O'Neal, 216-990-2912
- Altar Servers — Kathy Rudolph, 941-349-4174
- Arimathean (funeral ministry) — Kathy Rudolph
- Christening Bibs — Jan Girard
- Coffee Ministry — Britt Chepak
- Digital & Online Ministry — Marjorie Meyers, [email protected]
- Eucharistic Ministry — Kathy Rudolph
- Greeters — Debbie Hancock
- Hospital Ministry — Jacqueline Caramenico, 610-209-5583
- Lectors — Eleanor Villardi, 941-927-9093
- Linens — Michele Carusona, [email protected]
- Music — Katherine Alexandra
- Prayer Shawl — Michele Carusona
- Respect Life — Paula & Steve Ball, 716-523-2918
- Ushers — Steve Ball
- Witness to LOVE (marriage) — Doug & Julie Lumpkin, 941-349-2228
- Women's Guild — Kathy Rudolph
Prayer Line Ministry
The St. Michael the Archangel Prayer Line Ministry has been in operation for close to 40 years, growing out of the Women's Guild closing prayers into a formal phone tree and now a digital petition list. Today close to 100 prayer-team members receive petitions by email each day and pray for them; in 2023 the team prayed for more than 1,300 petitions, and members frequently receive calls of thanksgiving for answered prayer.
- Coordinator: Anna DeFelice, 941-378-9944, [email protected]
- Petitions accepted by phone, email, or the parish website
Music & Liturgy
Music at St. Michael the Archangel is directed by Katherine Alexandra. The parish website notes weekday Mass at 9:00 am and weekend Masses with live-streamed liturgies. Following the 2022 church renovation, the worship space was refreshed for liturgical celebrations.
- Music Director: Katherine Alexandra
- Live-streamed Masses available via the parish website
Church Renovation & New Ministry Center
After the original Parish Center was demolished in 2019, the parish launched a Capital Campaign — 'Re-Ignite the Flame! Re-Light the Way!' — to build a new Ministry Center. The campaign was redirected when the church itself was found to need major structural repairs; the seven-month church renovation (completed summer 2022) forced outdoor Mass under a tent in the parking lot. With costs having risen, scaled-down Ministry Center plans were redrawn; as of the parish's most recent communication, groundbreaking is anticipated by the end of 2025.
- 2020 — Capital Campaign launched
- 2019 — Original Parish Center demolished
- Summer 2022 — Church renovation completed
- End of 2025 (target) — Ministry Center groundbreaking
Visit, Contact & Parish Life
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at 5394 Midnight Pass Road on Siesta Key. The Parish Office is open Monday–Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, and can be reached at (941) 349-4174 or [email protected]. The parish invites newcomers searching for a faith community — and visitors to the Sarasota/Siesta Key area — to attend Mass and get involved in any of the parish's many ministries.
- Address: 5394 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, FL 34242
- Phone: 941-349-4174 | Fax: 941-349-6388
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Website: www.stmichaelssiesta.com