We thank you, God, for the gift of our fathers, for grand-fathers and godfathers, and fathers-in-law too. Send your Holy Spirit upon our fathers, in whose laps we were cradled, on whose knees we were bounced, by whose hands we were fed, instructed, and at times corrected. In whose company we learned to work, play, and pray. At whose side we heard your word and celebrate your mysteries. Heal their pains and disappointments. Forgive all that needs to be forgiven. Give to them the good that they have given others.
The church celebrates the solemnity of the Holy Trinity this weekend. As it is with Corpus Christi next Sunday – these feasts are not abstract theological ideas, they are the celebrations of God who is always with us and the Eucharist, that nourishes us. They are the celebrations of the living presence of our Risen Lord in the midst of his own people.
Pentecost brings the Easter season to a close with the extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit. During the season of Lent and Easter we walk with Jesus through his life of ministry, his passion, his resurrection and now the ultimate gift he leaves with us, the presence of the Holy Spirit descending upon all of us.
How do we show our love for one another? The Christian Service Commission invites you to join us by showing small acts of kindness to those around us. Our first project will show our love and kindness to health care workers. Friends and Families of St. Clare please join the Christian Service Ministry in thanking our local health care workers.
The Friday Faith Formation Bible Study group is changing its focus for the summer beginning June 11 and running through July. Instead of in-depth Bible study, they will be viewing movies with a religious significance every Friday morning after Mass. On the agenda are movies about Fatima and Acts of the Apostles. Additional movies will be selected by attendees.
During May our Catholic tradition is to pay special tribute to the Blessed Virgin. We do this by praying the Rosary, special devotional prayers, special feasts, and the tradition of a "May Crowning". Last week our First Communion children participated in this by decorating our statue...
Bonanza 2021 is sold out. No further tickets can be accepted. Any money collected must be returned to the buyer. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for the incredible work and commitment in making this another successful year for Bonanza.
Catholics traditionally remember St. Joseph during the month of March. On December 8, 2020 the Holy Father announced that the year 2021 will be dedicated to St. Joseph. The special designation marks the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. Here at St. Clare, we will pray for all fathers and father figures through the intercessions of St. Joseph. Here is a prayer that can be used: O glorious St. Joseph, master, and model of the spiritual life, I ask you, be my guide and conduct me to Jesus Christ, that I may learn in your school to know, adore and love Him as my only Lord and God. Amen.
Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's Will more faithfully.
This is a very exciting week ahead for all of us. It is Catholic Schools Week. You will find our Catholic Schools Week Calendar in the bulletin today. The week kicks off with the St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School Open House Sunday, January 31. Please visit the teachers by connecting at www.visitstclareschool.org between 1:00 PM and 3:40 PM this Sunday afternoon. Each grade has a specific time for families to meet and greet the teachers via a zoom link. The website has videos of each teacher sharing their classrooms too. You can view the videos anytime using the website link.
Christmas decorations have been tucked away in storage for another year – hopefully a more joyful, peaceful, and friendlier year. Our churches will look a bit simpler, plain – ordinary. But isn’t it in those moments God speaks to us, reveals himself, and is present beside us? Isn’t it in those moments that we are asked to live out our baptismal promises we renewed last Sunday? Isn’t it in those moments we are asked to say: I am Gods’ beloved child. God will use my talents and gifts to build his Kingdom. I deserve respect and dignity. Striving to live Jesus’ example, imitating him in mercy, charity, peace, goodwill, and healing that can transform, change not only our normal ordinary daily activities and moments of encounter, but also the wider land in which we live. Just like in the life of the Apostles from today’s Gospel. Let’s us be open to those ordinary encounters with God’s grace and go see where God is staying nowadays. Be Bold Be Holy Be Catholic.
I said happy, certainly we wish happiness for ourselves our loved ones and friends, but as we begin a new year, the question is: What will this year be like? What will it bring? An end to COVID, a united country, a stable economy? How about our health, peace, and happiness in our families? As our catholic community of the Archdiocese embarks on the collaboration of Families of Parishes, what will that look like? There is so much unknown, perhaps a bit of fear, pondering the uncertain, it is hard to look to the future with a sense of ease.
On behalf of ALL of us here St. Clare School and Parish I wish you a peaceful, healthy, and Merry Christmas. This may not be what we envisioned our Christmas celebration to be, by that I mean all that “wraps” the main event – coming of Jesus into our lives. The tangible things of this world do matter; beauty can reveal the truth about God becoming flesh. Perhaps this is the best way of “walking” in the shoes of Mary and Joseph or the Three Magi – who could not have imagined the coming of the Messiah “in this way” or the birth of the New King “in this way” in all these surroundings? Mary said Fiat – Yes, Magi brought gifts and came to pay homage. We can learn from this ancient but ever new story: We come to God and welcome Him in the way we are, but also God comes to us and welcomes us the way He is.
Saturday, Dec. 12, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patronesses of the Americas. Mary appeared to Juan Diego, an Indian convert to Christianity in December of 1531 as he was on the way to Mass. He was a quiet humble man, a poor peasant. When Our Lady appeared to him she told Juan to ask the Bishop to build a church in her honor. To persuade the reluctant Bishop Our Lady promised to give a sign. When Juan presented his message to the Bishop and the roses from the tilma fell to the ground they revealed the image of Mary on the tilma now enshrined in Mexico City. In this image Mary resembles a young Aztec woman. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is widely revered as a symbol of God’s love for all American natives. Join us for this special Mass at 8 am.
Today we light the second candle on our Advent wreath. Some refer to this as the Bethlehem candle which represents the birthplace of Christ (the first coming) and the hope of Christ coming again. During Mass, right after the prayer of Our Father we pray: Deliver us Lord…. as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Today we transition to year B in the Sunday lectionary and Week 1 of the weekday cycle. The evangelist for this new year is the Gospel of Mark. As many are using personal prayer books and the Divine Office books at home, be sure to note these changes. Did you know the First Sunday of Advent is the Churches official “New Year’s Day?” Today’s reading from the Gospel suggests a good New Year’s resolution: develop one good habit for keeping alert to God’s saving action.