Lent Terms Each year at the beginning of Lent, I think it is helpful to review some of our Catholic terminology as we hear words and phrases during this season that may still be new for some people. Fast – doing with less…less food, fewer material things; to eliminate something from my daily routine in order to make more room for God in my life...READ MORE
Learning to Pray, Fast, and ‘Be Generous’…. As we begin the Season of Lent on Wednesday, we will hear about the main themes of praying, fasting, and almsgiving (being generous with those in need). We are meant to practice these virtues for 40 days…READ MORE
Keeping us all safe and healthy… I want to thank all of you who continue to help us stay healthy here at St. Clare by following all the normal regulations regarding the virus, namely wearing masks, social distancing, sanitizing hands, and staying home if you feel any symptoms ...READ MORE
Welcome to Visitors and New Parishioners! Each weekend I am blessed to meet new parishioners and/or visitors after Mass at St. Clare Parish. I have been edified to learn that, even with all the limits due to COVID since last March, we are blessed to have...READ MORE
Celebrating Catholic Schools! Next week across the country we kick off “Catholic Schools Week.” After each Mass next weekend, instead of our traditional “Open House” tours of the school for new families, several of our School Board members will be here in the Fellowship Hall to host an opportunity to learn about our school for those who are interested. We welcome all new parish families with children as well as parishioners who are considering changing to our Catholic School...READ MORE
The Power of Prayer One of the spiritual works of mercy is the privilege of praying for others. One special group of people that needs our prayers is our diocesan seminarians. These young men have stepped forward to begin the process of discerning whether or not God is calling them to the priesthood. Our prayers for them help them keep their heart open to ...READ MORE
Baptism of the Lord – Gifts of the Spirit! I always feel like I can never say THANK YOU enough to all of you who do your part in making St. Clare Parish such a spiritual home of faith and community. As today’s feast officially brings a close to the Christmas Season, I especially want to thank the following...
Merry Christmas! This holy season always lifts my heart with a joyful Spirit as I see the children filled with expectation… and the adults counting their blessings and recentering themselves in God and ... READ MORE
The Twelve Days of Christmas We Catholics always ‘stand out’ from the culture around us. So too, on December 25, we only begin the “Christmas Season” of celebrating Jesus being born in human flesh… while the world around us is taking Christmas decorations...READ MORE
Sacrament of Freedom When I teach sessions on the why and how of going to confession, I often talk about the real ‘freedom’ that the sacrament offers. We underestimate the burden that guilt and shame ...READ MORE
An Advent of Gratitude... I always like the way the celebration of Thanksgiving flows right into the liturgical season of Advent. Since the Advent scriptures call us to “get ready” to meet Christ at any moment which may be our last breath on this Earth, it is so important to “be ready” by having an inner disposition of gratitude ... READ MORE
Happy Thanksgiving! In such a challenging year for everyone, especially with the limits of Covid, how we think of ‘giving thanks’ this year calls us to dig deep to remain aware of the blessings from God in our life. Like many of you, one of the biggest challenges is how and if we can actually ...READ MORE
Praying Together with Respectful Safety...Here at St. Clare, we are doing everything we can to keep our church and offices open while also keeping everyone safe during these trying times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. With the rise in cases and serious health problems it is causing in our area, I want to remind everyone of how they can stay safe and be a blessing to ...READ MORE
Welcome to Your New Home Addition! This weekend we ‘open the doors’ to our two new wings of parish ministry space…and we couldn’t be more excited! After many years of talking, hoping, and praying about it, with YOUR generous support…READ MORE
Holy Days and Holy People...This weekend we celebrate one of my favorite feast days, “All Saints.” This is a celebration of one of our core Catholic doctrines called “The Communion of Saints.” This biblical teaching is based on our belief that there is ...READ MORE
Praying for Peace in our Country I am so happy to invite you to a special day of prayer on Tuesday, November 3rd, for God to bless our country with peace and reunite us as a People of God. We all know that there is much division and angst in our country over various issues. As Christians and Catholics, there is one thing we all want – peace and unity....READ MORE
Building Update – Final Weeks "Ready…Set…" As you can see, our building project is very near completion, which is so exciting for all of us! Our “Open House-Walk-Thru” will be after each Mass on the weekend of November 7-8. Right now you can ‘peek into’ the Fellowship Hall. However, because there are still some final wiring details, please wait two weeks for a walkthru view....READ MORE
Welcome Back, Choir! The members of our parish choir gathered for rehearsal several weeks ago for the first time in months. Our last Sunday singing was March 15. It was on this day that we sang Herbert Howells’ chilling anthem that quotes Psalm 42 - “When shall I come to appear before the presence of God.” Little did we know that we would soon be separated from God’s Eucharistic presence for a time. If you’ve heard any of these singers talk about their experience...READ MORE
Thanks for an outstanding Oktoberfest: “2020 Modified” A hearty thanks to our wonderful volunteers, sponsors, donors and to-go diners for making Oktoberfest 2020 Modified better than most people could have imagined. With this year’s challenges, our parishioners did their best to keep the Oktoberfest momentum going in our 20th Anniversary year! While realizing ...READ MORE
Building Update September 2020 One Month to Finish Line…!! It is hard to believe that we are just one month out from the finished product of our two new building additions. On the exterior you can see the sidewalks laid and asphalt circle drive finished. We also installed a new stone Cross in the plaza outside the front doors to match the ones in the floor of the church. What else is finished thus far:....READ MORE