A Sweet Return: St. Mary’s Guild Moves in to the New Cafe

By Carolyn Barta, St. Mary’s Guild Writer, and Bitsy Hudnall, St. Mary’s Guild Chair

Two years ago, Saint Michael and All Angels embarked on an unprecedented construction project to update our campus. For St. Mary’s Guild, we didn’t know what to expect or where we would end up on the project’s other side. Now, with the project completion and a clear plan for our future, we can say, “We not only survived, we thrived.”

St. Mary’s Guild (SMG) has provided parishioners with Sunday morning bake sale goodies for more than 50 years. As church spaces were closed off, we went from our old Lanai greeting space to the outdoor patio on specific Sundays. The Colgate patio has been a wonderful gathering spot under our tent with benches nearby. We have befriended bugs, embraced the wind, soaked up sunshine, covered up in rain, and huddled together in the cold … and you have joined us!

Our bi-monthly savory and sweet sales have been strong, with our biggest sale day of the year as temperatures plummeted and hot apple cider accompanied our treats. One parishioner recalled: “Couldn’t believe they were out there! The ladies who provide homemade goodies were not fazed by the weather. They just kept smiling. Warmed my heart and soul. Love their hospitality.”

Our members have stepped up to provide a welcoming environment. Tables continue to be festively decorated by LaRee Stein, who finds SMG “a great way to meet parishioners and give back.” She says, “The patio has been nice, but St. Mary’s will be thrilled to return inside to a climate-controlled environment. We thank everyone for buying outside!”

Supplies have been stocked and sometimes even stored during the construction period by Cissy Humphrey, a Guild stalwart since 1985 and unofficial historian. St. Mary’s started as an evening organization for working women and evolved into a bake sales guild with proceeds going to charity. Cissy recalls that SMG made donations to the Stewpot shortly after it was founded, which is why the black kettle sits on the table. While today the group supports smaller, often overlooked nonprofits, Genesis Women’s Shelter and Austin Street Shelter have also been recipients.

In 2025, our SMG donation was to Hopeful Solutions. Our gift was received during a fundraising window for matching funds from Communities Foundation. We were just doing our thing, but God had a bigger plan, in that way multiplying our gift—your gift—to the community.

The construction has not been SMG’s first challenge. During the Covid pandemic, we provided baked goods for local hospital personnel, under the leadership of Paula Calise, who “loves sharing her baking passion with fellow parishioners and community members.” Paula states, “Every time we warm our ovens for St. Mary’s, we are participating in something bigger.”

Our membership has also grown during this period, as old and new bakers and sellers have been unable to pass up the joy and camaraderie on the patio. Still, Shannon Callewart says she can’t wait to incorporate the café vibe of the new space and relishes being “more in the middle of our church community again.” She noted that one thing hasn’t changed with being relocated with the construction: “It’s so fun to see children’s happy faces and realize we are part of a family’s church ritual!”

While St. Mary’s Guild has embraced the construction, we eagerly anticipate serving from our new church home! We will be centrally located in the Café, the hub of hospitality, where we will warm your heart between services with our savory, sweets, and smiles. We will be there every second and fourth Sunday from August through November, so stop by the bake table and feed your soul.