Today marks the beginning of Advent – our time of preparation and reflection leading up to our joyful celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas.  Just as we are preparing our hearts for something greater, so too is St. Clare Parish.  As we move forward as a parish into this 90th Anniversary year, we are called to reflect on who we are as a parish, how to better serve our parishioners, and how we as a parish can live out our mission of being a Gospel presence in our community by continuing to bring together and welcome a richly diverse people to pray, to serve, and to learn in the name and presence of Jesus Christ.

Right to Life-LIFESPAN will again be selling their beautiful pro-life Christmas cards before and after the 9 and 11:00 Masses for the next 4 week-ends.  This year our boxed card depicts the Holy Family in colorful  embossed stained glass.  It also has a gold foil-lined envelope.  This box of 20 sells for $17.  Our smaller card is mother Mary cradling the infant Jesus.

We have been blessed with some beautiful fall weather recently, however, I know the cold temperatures and eventual snow season is just around the corner. While I am in no rush to get there I feel it necessary to warn you that one sign of the upcoming season will be present in our church next weekend. The St. Clare Giving Tree...

As we say “farewell” to the “old” liturgical year this weekend, we open a new page of our encounters with Christ with the beginning of a new season of Advent next week. In this holy season, we stop and reflect upon, anticipate and prepare for, the great moment when God became human and entered the history of each of us. May the symbols of the season with its liturgy, John the Baptist, and all of the prophets help us to enter into the mystery of God’s coming among us.   Wishing you a very blessed and family filled Thanksgiving, Fr. Andrew

As this designated Year of Mercy comes to an end, join us in a communal act of mercy, to bury the dead. On November 9th at 10:30 we will celebrate the funeral liturgy for John Tomasiak, a homeless man who died earlier this year after collapsing at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen on Mt. Elliott. Mr. Tomasiak had no known family, so we, St. Clare Parish and school community are stepping in to fill that role.