Church Decorators Ministry Keeping St. Mary’s Looking Beautiful

The Catholic Mass is something that we experience with all five of our senses. The senses of sight and smell — in decorations and in flowers, respectively — are enhanced by the St. Mary’s Church Decorator Ministry. Members of this ministry work hard to ensure that our worship space looks perfect as we celebrate the liturgy.

“We do this work to create an environment to help people that come to worship give honor and glory to God,” says Brenda Przybilla, who coordinates the ministry along with Lori Kneeland. “We want to create an atmosphere that enhances prayer.”

Many volunteers share of their talents in creating a beautiful environment for the entire year, based on the liturgical season. They also decorate when there are special events, like Confirmation and First Communion. Brenda spends a lot of time keeping the various plants and flowers looking their best.

“Decorating with living plants and flowers, we use God’s creation to bring beauty and dignity to the worship space, creating peacefulness, serenity, comfort, welcoming, gratitude and a sense of fulfillment,” she says.

Brenda and Lori also take photos of the decorations and enjoy looking back at past years. They both appreciate having the opportunity to make each season look unique.

“We hope that people recognize what feast is being celebrated by how the church is decorated,” Lori says.

St. Mary’s is beautiful in itself, so Brenda and Lori work to ensure the decorations complement the church’s real beauty. They both enjoy sharing their talents with the Lord and their fellow parishioners, and they also enjoy all the new friends they have made as part of this ministry. There is a real sense of camaraderie when volunteers, of all ages, are decorating together.

“I enjoy being able to work in the church building and squeezing in prayers while working on a project,” Brenda says.

There is always a need for more volunteers, funds and talent. One way that many people have contributed is donating handcrafted items for decoration.

“We would like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has ever helped by lending a hand or donated money for flowers or other special needs,” Lori says. “All has been greatly appreciated.”

Anyone who is interested in helping with this wonderful ministry should contact the St. Mary’s office at 320-632-5640 or office@stmaryslf.org.

Decorators gather after Christmas decorating.

Decorators gather to prepare St. Mary’s for Christmas.

Angela Houdek works on the Nativity scene.

Jared Houdek and his daughter decorate the tree.