Happy Thanksgiving! In my daily morning prayer, after various psalms, scriptures, and prayers, I always take silent time simply to sit in quiet gratitude. While I can count endless things/persons for which to be grateful, I simply let gratitude flow out of my heart to God for the blessings too numerous to name. Just to name a few things in my heart that keep me extra grateful this year: ...READ MORE

Part of our sound system upgrades is a new listening assistance system. The best way to connect to it is with your smartphone. First, connect to our St. Clare Church Guest Wi-Fi network, then download the Listen Everywhere App. When you open the app, it will detect our listening assistance system. Select that and the sound will play to your hearing aid via Bluetooth connection. ...READ MORE

Gratitude… In my daily morning prayers, in expressing to God my gratitude for all of His blessings, I always take time to reflect on how this parish of St. Clare is such a blessing to me (and our diocese). This past week, a beautiful brochure was mailed to our parishioners with a central theme of gratitude. Our staff created this brief photographic snapshot of our parish’s spiritual and social life as well as our budget for the year (July 2022-June 2023)...READ MORE

24 HOUR EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Sunday, DECEMBER 3 from 11:40am until 11:40am to Monday, DECEMBER 4, followed with Benediction. If you plan on coming during 6pm-7am, please call the parish office by to use a keypad code on the door in the Mary Shrine. Come spend some quiet time in Adoration! If you can commit to an hour, sign-up sheets are on the table in the Gathering Space or sign up online.

Gratitude – A Way of Life...Last Saturday, our parish hosted a prayer-retreat day for women centered around the practice of gratitude. I was so pleased to greet almost 50 women that morning over breakfast and thank them for making time for such a prayerful day. I especially want to thank Kristy Hettenhausen and her lead team members –Lena Hunt, Ellen Gravlin, Joanie Burke, Patricia Sims, Angie Leonelli, Denise Moffett, Laura Michelfelder, Judy Menzies and Toni Stanton… who created this unique experience for women to reflect on and share their experiences of God’s blessings in their life – powerful..READ MORE

Gratitude for our Ministry Leaders - St. Clare Parish is blessed with many generous volunteers who chair and/or lead our wide variety of ministries. Our parish staff and I are so grateful for the ways they help organize our many volunteers who sign up for these ministries. One set of leaders I want to acknowledge is our Parish Pastoral Council. We meet 5 times a year for visionary conversations about the strengths and growth opportunities for our parish. I often ask them valuable questions such as “What else can our parish be doing to serve the poor?” and “How are we doing at keeping Jesus’ Mission as our priority?” I also share with them important reports from our staff, school, and finance council...READ MORE

INFANT BAPTISM CLASS ...Sunday, November 12 at 1:00 p.m. - Room 3 For parents that have not attended a Baptism Class at St. Clare and wish to have their child baptized here. Please call the parish office if you plan to attend! (618) 632-3562.

Celebrating Parishioners’ Generosity….The wonderful success of Oktoberfest recently demonstrates the great generosity of our parishioners and the bountiful graces from God. Our Poor Clare Sisters pray for us daily, especially for our Oktoberfest success and favorable weather…and once again we witnessed the power of their prayers! Their spiritual ‘boost’ and the hard work of so many parishioners came together beautifully! I was inspired to see so ...READ MORE

FINDING JOY - Stories of Gratitude - St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church - Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM  - Day of Reflection for Women -Spend the day with women of the parish exploring how gratitude can impact our lives. Through witness talks, prayer, discussion, laughter, and quiet time we will explore how gratitude can affect our experience of God and our relationships.  Lunch provided. $10 donation suggested...READ MORE TO REGISTER

SUMMER 2023: With Deacon Formation over, I have begun providing services in the following ministries. Preaching, it is really enjoyable writing and delivering a homily or sermon for weekend Mass. I have also been performing Communion Services for parishioners in assisted living communities. I have really enjoyed getting to know them better and learn more about their rock-solid faith...READ MORE

Young Adults, College Students, and Older Teens: Experience SEEK24 and connect with thousands of people seeking to hear the call and live differently! Jan. 1-5 in St. Louis. Register and attend on your own. Grant money available for college age to 29 year-olds to help reduce cost of attendance. Groups of 6 can register for the price of 5. Early Bird Discount Deadline is Oct. 26...READ MORE FOR LINK

Stewardship of Time and Talent...You make a difference! My heart overflows with gratitude to all of you who did so much for the success of our Oktoberfest. While we are still finalizing expenses to announce the profit amount, in our hearts we are already grateful. Speaking of volunteering…This week our Stewardship Committee is mailing you a brochure, which describes ways for both long-time parishioners and new ones to get connected and involved in your parish family.  The booklet lists the ministries for you to pray about to ...READ MORE

HOPE FOR THE JOURNEY - Wednesday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall Hope for the Journey is for anyone that has experienced the loss of a loved one, recent or not. We meet for prayer, encouragement, suggested reading, and to walk this journey with you...READ MORE

Sunday, October 1 is Life Chain Sunday. Join in a peaceful and prayerful hour as you stand as a witness for Life. Meet at Associated Bank in Fairview Heights on Highway 159 from 2 - 3:00 p.m. We will also be collecting diapers and wipes for local pregnancy care centers and families in need. Tuesday, October 3 Join the Respect Life Committee at the St. Clare Sign (outside) to pray the rosary at 5:30 p.m. before Quiet on Cross Street. ...READ MORE

Church Sound System Update -Last weekend marked the 16th anniversary of our present church building. As you know, technology in today’s world goes out of date quickly. Such is the case with our church sound system, which will be upgraded this week. Elite Technology Solutions in St. Peters, Missouri was chosen to complete the work. Elite has completed excellent systems at the Cathedral of St. Peter, St. Teresa, Belleville; St. Kateri, Ridgeway; St. John the Baptist, Smithton; and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis—to name a few. This project is the result of several needs…

Happy Anniversary! I like how our Oktoberfest celebration is always held on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the dedication of our new church, which was on September 30, 2007. For those who are new around St. Clare, this marks our 16th year of being in this beautiful church and we couldn’t be more excited about all the great things that have happened at St. Clare during these blessed years as well as those yet to come! The Oktoberfest is not only a great event for the whole ...READ MORE