The History of St. Michael’s

The Church of St. Michael the Archangel was established in 1957 under the sponsorship of Grace and St. Stephen’s Church, located on Tejon Street. Dr. Lindsay Patton, the Rector of Grace Church, conceived of a satellite plan for the expansion of the Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs. This resulted in the establishment of three chapels in the East, South and North areas of town. These chapels were started, maintained and supported until such time as they were able to become self-supporting parishes. 

St. Michael’s was the last of the chapels created in September, 1957. The first service was held in a store on North Nevada Avenue. Two years later the congregation moved to Burgess Road in the Black Forest, where a wooden chapel was built. When a fire destroyed the chapel, services were then held on the Air Force Academy grounds. Property on Tudor Road was then purchased for a new church building. That church was built in June, 1962, and a rectory, located behind the church, followed shortly thereafter. Until 1966, St. Michael’s had been under the wing of the Grace Church Vestry. However, in May of 1966, St. Michael’s achieved full parish status. The Rev. Richard Palmer became the first rector in 1967 and served in that capacity for sixteen years.

Building expansion has taken place over the years. In the late 1960’s, A multipurpose room, a library, nursery and parish offices were added. In 1996, the size of the facility was greatly increased when a new nave was built, along with a gathering area, nursery, bathrooms, a kitchen, Sunday school rooms, meeting rooms and a chapel. A new organ was completed and dedicated in 2004. An extensive landscaping project in the rear of the church took place in 2005. This included a Memorial Plaza, used for outdoor events and a Columbarium and Memorial Garden. ​

In 2020 St. Michael’s navigated the global pandemic by installing a state-of-the-art audio/video system that allowed worship services to be livestreamed into homes across the world. In 2023, The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition was donated to greets all who enter our spiritual home.

Over the years St. Micheal’s has been blessed with faithful lay leadership and clergy leadership which include the following rectors:

The Rev. Desmond C. O'Connell, 1966-1967
The Rev. Richard Palmer, 1968-1982
The Rev. Colin Kelly, 1983-1984
The Rev. Paul Robinson, 1986-1989
The Rev. Wallis Ohl, 1991-1997
The Rev. Jim Rains, 1998-1999
The Rev. Paul Lautenschlager, 2001-2011
The Rev. Peter Floyd, 2014-2018
The Rev. Matthew Holcombe, 2020 - Current