St. Michael statue to be dedicated Sept. 28

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
September 25, 2002

"St. Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, of Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

Trinity Heights Queen of Peace will hold a dedication service to bless the statue of St. Michael the Archangel, which is prominently place at the development's entrance on 33rd Street in Sioux City.

"In spite of the fact that the Feast of the Archangels falls on Sept. 29, the dedication will be held on the eve of the feast day (Sunday, Sept. 28)," noted Larry Walsh, a Trinity Heights board member.

The dedication is planned for 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 28.

Organizers of the events are asking attendees to meet in the parking lot outside of the St. Joseph Center. They will process to the statue while singing under the leadership of Leigh Sherman, who serves as the day's primary cantor.

During the service, which will be led by Msgr. L.M. Ziegmann, participants will recite the St. Michael prayer and reflect on Scripture readings. Msgr. Ziegmann, chaplain at Trinity Heights, will deliver the homily and bless the statue. Marv Japel will also help lead the service.

While mentioned just four times in the Bible, St. Michael is well-known as the defender against evil. The archangel is mentioned briefly in Daniel 10:13, and 12:1; St. Jude vs. 9 and Revelation 12:7-12. He shares the feast day of the archangels with Sts. Gabriel and Raphael.

Walsh pointed out that Michael is regarded as the guardian angel of Israel and the patron saint of police officers.

With this in mind, Marti Reilly and friends will be representing the police department.

"Certainly the entrance of Queen of Peace is the perfect place to have this magnificent, bronze of St. Michael, slaying the serpent, satan," he said. "We placed the statue at the entrance of the shrine to remind us all that we need to call upon St. Michael as our defender against evil."

The 7-foot bronze statue is the work of Dale Lamphere, who also created the 30-foot stainless steel statue of the Queen of Peace and the 33-foot statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While St. Michael is his first bronze piece for Trinity Heights, he has made other bronze works of art.

At the close of the Sept. 28 ceremony, the group will process back up the hill and participants are welcome to stay for the regularly scheduled afternoon rosary.

If there is inclement weather, attendees are asked to meet in the gathering hall adjacent to the gift shop.