Members of the St. Ann’s Altar Society at St. Michael the Archangel Church deep clean the church, narthex, baptistery, and sacristy / sanctuary. In the Spring and in the Fall, we schedule to meet on 2-3 consecutive Mondays, focusing on a different part of the church each Monday until the entire church is cleaned.
Depending on the number of workers, we wash pews and kneelers; survey the kneelers for malfunctions; remove candle wax after Easter vigil; polish marble; clean doors, windows, and the confessionals; and lightly mop the floor. This is somewhat strenuous work: there is a lot of bending, climbing on stools, reaching, etc. but we’re in good company the whole time. Volunteers typically bring their own cleaning supplies.
The ultimate goal was inspired by our own †Fr. Arcuri. When asked how the sisters keep the convent so fresh and clean he said, “The official term is ‘convent clean’.” We wondered what that meant and he replied, “They clean the corners”.
To “Rise Up Now!” and help keep our church “convent clean”, please fill out the form below to be added to the email group to be notified of the cleaning schedule!
