At this time of year it is normal to think about the gifts we have given and those that have been received.  We stop and count our blessings for all the good in our lives.  Now is also a time to give thanks to God for the gift of our...

Welcome to St. Clare Parish on this very special day. With prayers, readings and music; with our Christmas tree, decorations and little manger, we rejoice at the coming of Christ in our midst. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, whose mere presence brings a special message of hope, peace and the gift of love. This message permeates the fabric of our lives reaching our families, schools, churches, neighborhoods and the entire country. I hope your experience here this Christmas will be one that sparks a desire to re-engage in our Catholic faith and our St. Clare community. I hope the book, along with our parish event bookmark that we are sharing with you today, will kindle that desire to grow.

The end of the year always seems to bring about a time of looking back and reflecting on what happened throughout the past year. Wow! What a year it’s been for the newly formed St. Clare Young Adults group! We started the year off with a wonderful evening at Cadieux Café meeting for the first time. It was a fun evening of getting to know each other, eating their famous mussels, and playing several rounds of feather bowling. We followed this up by hosting of one the parish movie nights this summer. We invited everyone to come to the social hall and enjoy an evening of snacks and a great movie, The Shack. Then in the fall we gathered for post-work happy hour at Atwater in the Park for fellowship and to just relax.

“Families are at the very heart of our efforts to unleash the Gospel, because they are the first and most important setting in which evangelization takes place.”  (Archbishop Vigneron, UTG p. 24)   This is the season many of us meet up with friends and relatives we don’t see very often.  It’s also a special time because college students come home, younger children are off school, and we spend time together.   Add an evangelization element to your family time—take a minute to say a prayer together, speak about the many things that have been and will be going on at St. Clare, make sure everyone knows the Christmas Mass schedule, and plan activities so all family members can take advantage of...

We light the rose candle on the advent wreath to mark the Third Sunday of our Advent journey toward Christmas. Throughout Advent we continue to invite all children to participate in the procession at the beginning of the weekend Masses. Please have your child(ren) meet us at the back of church just before Mass begins and enter the liturgy with joy and jubilations. Thank you.  I hope you are enjoying the Advent theme on the front page of our bulletin and the inserts about the season. Be sure to check the tables at the back of church for Advent materials sure to enhance your spirituality. Feel free to take one.

Did You Know? . . .  55% of our annual operating income comes from our Sunday Offerings and over 16% of our annual operating income comes from our Christmas Collection.  We use a portion of this money to pay for items such as plowing the parking lot, keeping the lights on and...

Thank you to Annie and Tom Warnez who lead Adult Formation activities in our parish for their selection of Thursday evening series guest speakers. Our next meeting is scheduled for January 10 with Msgr. Ronald Brown, from the Marriage Tribunal. The topic of the meeting is Annulment – questions and understanding of what it is and who and what is involved. I highly recommend putting this date on your calendar. You may say – this is not for me or for us. But you may know someone who is in need and you may provide  good, sound, and accurate information. Or just simply come to edify yourself on one of those topics of the church around which there are many misunderstandings, myths, and legends that are simply not true. As always, we will gather at 6:30 pm for some fellowship with light refreshments and a hot beverage. The talk will begin at 7 pm. Invite friends, spread the news. Be Bold.