An Open House was held on February 27, 1983, for the parishioners and the general public Some of the parishioners conducted tours of the new facility. The formal dedication of the new church was held on March 20, 1983, with Bishop Andrew J. McDonald of Little Rock officiating at the celebration.

The bell from the old church was removed and rehung in the new bell tower. There are eleven stained glass windows in the new church that are symbolic of a number of events in sacred scripture and the seven sacraments. The Stations of the Cross were donated by the Sisters of Mercy and they previously had been used at Mount St. Mary's Convent Chapel in Little Rock. Bernard Kaelin refurbished them for the new church. He also fashioned and hand carved all the altars as well as numerous other wooden accessory pieces.

Reverend Choppesky requested that the St. Cecilia stained glass window located on the front of the church on 13th and Cherry Streets be removed when the structure was sold to the Crawford County Art Association. Alice Boatright agreed to replace the window at the old church with a creation of her own and volunteered to restore the damaged St. Cecilia window. Many of the damaged flashed glass pieces could not be salvaged. By the grace of God, Alice had in her possession some pieces of flashed glass that she had discovered in a field in Kentucky twenty years previously. This flashed glass matched the border of the St. Cecilia window perfectly. Using these pieces she was then able to rebuild the entire window. Bernard Kaelin again was called upon to build a display box for this exquisite piece. It then was hung over the fireplace in the parish hall.

Starting in October 1985, the Dioceses of Little Rock started a three year Renew program for parishes. Its purpose was to promote personal and parish renewal. St. Michael's experienced a period of great spiritual growth during this program. Parishioners met in small groups where they discussed what it meant to live a deeper Catholic faith. The whole parish came together for large group activities, such as pot luck dinners, special prayer services, and community evangelization. Sr. Scholastica Vogelpohl, O.S.B., taught early church history at the rectory in Van Buren during this program.

As an extension of Renew, a prayer team was organized. Anyone with special needs could contact the prayer team who would then remember the request in their daily devotions. Another outgrowth of Renew was a small group that met each year during Lent and Advent to study scripture. This group continued for about six years. It was eventually replaced by another scripture study program.

Reverend Ralph Esposito became pastor in September 1993. Under his leadership we have experienced a tremendous growth both in the size of the parish and in a renewal of our faith. Father Ralph was born, educated and ordained in Pennsylvania. He served in that area several years before coming to Arkansas in 1978. In every location Father Ralph either built or did extensive remodeling to keep the physical plants in good shape. He has continued this in Van Buren by adding air conditioning to our Choppesky Family Life Center and refurbishing the entry way to the church.

Father Ralph believes that Catholics need to take ownership of their faith and he considers the liturgy to be essential in helping to foster good spirituality. He initiated marriage vow renewal in the month of your anniversary, Corpus Christi celebrations and Tenebrae service during Holy Week. He also increased awareness of the impact of the liturgy throughout the liturgical year.

During the pastorate of Father Ralph our parish was blessed with the addition of two special helpers to our parish family. The first was Joe Kramer. Mr. Kramer retired from Donrey Media Group and he and his wife, Elizabeth, moved into our parish in 1992. They became active in our parish community and Joe was accepted into a three and one half year course of study to become a deacon (Elizabeth must also attend each of the sessions.) Joe was installed as an acolyte in December 1996 and was ordained a deacon in July of 1998. In addition, Joe has served as Grand Knight for our parish Knights of Columbus.

The second addition is Deacon Al Genna who was ordained a deacon in 1993 at St. Louis Cathedral in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He came to Van Buren in May 1995 as a result of his job at St. Edward's Mercy Medical Center and Bishop McDonald assigned him to St. Michael's Church. His ministries include teaching an adult course in scripture, preparing couples for marriage, teaching in the diaconate formation program in Little Rock and active participation in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal locally and in the diocese.

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