Greetings, my St. Luke Family! My name is Michelle Holste. I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. My family and I moved here when I was 18 in January of 1997. St. Luke the Evangelist has been my home parish ever since. It’s amazing to think that it’s almost a quarter of a century ago when God sent us to this wonderful community who welcomed us with open arms. What a joy and blessing it was!

This parish holds a special place in my heart. It is where my husband and I were united in the Sacrament of Matrimony, where our four children were baptized, received their First Holy Communion, and one of them Confirmed. This community has been a huge influence on my spiritual life as well. I have been teaching Faith Formation for over 10 years and counting, ranging from 2nd-8th grade, I have also been part of the Intercessory Prayer Circle, and the ACTS ministry.

In the last 3 years or so, God has put in my heart to focus more with our youth. I have been leading the Junior Legion of Mary for over 2 years. This group of fun, enthusiastic, God-loving young people lead the Children’s Holy Rosary every first and last Saturdays of the month, visit the nursing homes, make cards for the residents, sing to them and just spend some time with them. We also make little packages for moms-to-be in the care of the Gabriel project to encourage Baptism. We help decorate the church for Christmas. The list goes on.

Iam a firm believer that God has bestowed each and one of us an array of skills and talents so that we may be able to share them with others through the gift of Stewardship.  As the gospel of Mark 10:45 says, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” And so, we too are called to serve one another as good steward of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you open your heart to what the Holy Spirit is calling upon you to take part of, and may you be courageous enough to say “YES!”