The St. Clare Choose Life Committee is hosting a Baby Bottle Drive the next two weekends, Feb. 25-26 and March 4-5, to support Pregnancy Aid. Help us support Pregnancy Aid and their mission to assist women with prenatal care including free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, material aid, emotional and educational support.

Greetings St. Clare Family, I hope you had a blessed and safe week. Thank you for signing up for the St. Leo’s Lunch Project. Please continue to call or email if you have questions or trouble with Flocknote. We still have many items available to be donated and kitchen volunteers needed for weeks three and six. This Lenten Parish project requires many hands and kind hearts to make it a success. We can do this together. Let’s be the light!

This week we acknowledge, highlight, and celebrate all of our students, parents, school staff and administration who comprise our St. Clare School Community. We open our week long celebration with Sunday Mass on January 29th at 11am. We are proud of our school and its achievements over more than 90 years!

Did you pick up a Saint book from last week? Whom did you choose to imitate or learn from this week?

Our parish hall is moving closer to completion with a completely new look and a fully functional kitchen. This renovation will be instrumental in allowing us to better serve our parish, school and the surrounding community. Over the years, the space has been referred to as the parish hall, social hall, basement, downstairs and perhaps even other names. The question is, should we give it a name?

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. On Thursday, February 2, 2023 we will have a special Mass in the morning at 8 am and evening at 7 pm to bless the candles that you use at home during your prayer time. Please bring your candles if you wish them to be blessed.

Today is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin entrance antiphon prescribed for this Sunday. As we move to the second part of Advent there is this sense of joyful expectation, an awareness that what God promised is coming to its fulfilment. Like Mary and John the Baptist, we are curious that what we see and hear really comes from God. And, like them, we Christians, lead our lives waiting patiently while actively striving to prepare a way for Christ into our lives and into the lives of others.

It's time to get the gardens around the church ready for winter. All are welcome! Please join us on Saturday, October 22 - 9 am to 11 am.

The St. Clare Adult Faith Formation Commission has some exciting news! First off, we’ve selected a new brand name and logo. Adult Faith Formation at St. Clare will now be called CAFÉ (Catholic Adult Formation & Education).

Each Sunday during the month of October at 3:00 pm the church will be open to pray the rosary with those that gather. These prayers will be offered specifically with the intention of the defeat of Proposal 3. Please enter through the St. Joseph door unless you need the elevator. The feast of Our Lady of Rosary is celebrated on Friday, Oct. 7 at 8:00 am Mass.

October is the month dedicated to Respect for Life. As Catholics we believe in the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. There are events around the archdiocese that support this cause. On October 2nd from 2-3 pm we will stand with other parishes across the country by holding a visual vigil on the front lawn of our church in symbolism of the Right to Life Chain. I hope you will join us.

Last weeks bulletin contained an insert about Priest’s Pension Plan. A special collection was dedicated toward our parish assessment for priest’ retirement. Archdiocese is blessed to have 89 senior priests who are no longer assigned to parishes. Many of these men continue to give of themselves in countless ways of service for which we are most grateful. You can still contribute to this parish assessment and help senior priests.

Last week we said goodbye to Fr. Marek. His time here was filled with many meetings around the AOD and beyond. He celebrated Mass in some parishes, met with pastors and K of C leaders, and was featured on several radio programs, in print media and on local television. In all this busyness, his focus was to give thanks for the support he has received from our region and to remind people the war is far from over. Even though it no longer is front page news in America, the reality of war continues to claim innocent victims and create a humanitarian crisis for millions of refugees.

The St. Clare Community can help the Center for the Works of Mercy (home to St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen), provide a weekly shower to their homeless clients. The Center gives each client a "Shower Satchel" containing a few essential items to use at a local shelter. Our goal is to provide 50 shower satchels containing the following: (click article for list)

Family of Parishes begins Friday, July 1, 2022. Our SERF Vicarate Family #3 consists of: St. Ambrose, St. Clare, St. Matthew and St. Paul on the Lake. Our governance model is: In Solidium. The Moderator of our Family is Fr. Jim Bilot from St. Paul. Since April the priests of our Family have gathered to discuss the Covenant which is the document that will help us navigate the cooperation between the parishes. More...

As the days are getting warmer, I would like to extend my invitation to all of you to come and use the main door as we leave the church after Mass. Our presence there, in the front of the church, could be a sign of invitation to those passing by to ask for God’s presence in their lives.

Thank you for your continued service in these very important roles during our liturgies. Be sure to check the schedules and if you are unable to attend on an assigned day, it is your responsibility to find a substitute to serve. Thank you also for wearing proper attire when serving on the altar.

I would like to invite all young people to consider serving the Lord and our parish community around the altar as a server. It is a wonderful way of being active during the Mass and assist in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Please join the St. Clare Community and School this Tuesday, April 26th, as we come together to provide a funeral Mass for Joann Prewitt, who died on February 2, 2022. We have no details about the life of the deceased. In partnering with Verheyden Funeral Home and their outreach service in the community, we were informed that they had been granted disposition of her body from the authorities.

For the first time since our arrival the team was together again in one location. After a final shopping trip for supplies, and meeting with David the logistical manager at the retreat house we loaded up the vans, said our goodbyes and left the beauty of the mountains behind.