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St. Michael's Byzantine Catholic Church 
During the time period of the 1920s through 1960s, many “Greek Catholic” churches assimilated practices more typical of Roman Catholic churches than Byzantine Catholic or Orthodox Churches. One of these events was an annual May Crowning. The May Crowning was an activity organized by the church’s Sodality (group of single women) dedicated to honoring the Mother of God. During this time, statues were present in St. Michaels, and every year a different backdrop for the statue of the Virgin Mary was created for the May Crowning as seen in the lower photo. May Crowning ceremonies eventually faded away with greater awareness of our own traditions and church history. This did not diminish the honor given to the Mother of God in our churches. [See Icon of the Sign page]. Restoration to Byzantine architectural and liturgical practices began during the 1980s in St. Michaels. Upon completion, statues were replaced with icons and an icon screen. This fulfilled the directive by Vatican II for Eastern rite churches to return to their authentic roots.