Parish Staff Blessings… Here at St. Clare, we are so blessed to have a great staff who give so much of themselves to keep our parish thriving and centered in prayer, Catholic faith formation, community, and the Spirit’s joy. I am so grateful for each of them and the ministry they do, which helps me stay focused on my main role as spiritual leader in the sacraments, preaching, teaching, and governing our parish and school. Their names and roles are on the front of the bulletin each week. ...READ MORE

Steubenville “illuminates” our youth...What a weekend! Thank you for your support in making our Youth Group’s trip to the Steubenville Youth Conference possible again this year. Our 52 youth (and 14 chaperones) had many great opportunities to encounter Jesus through the sacraments, music Adoration, and inspiring talks alongside 4,800 of their peers! It was powerful, faith-affirming and exhausting! Our prayer is that these wonderful young people were “illuminated” in the light of Christ

National Eucharistic Congress 2024...As most of you know, last Sunday and Monday our diocese hosted a spiritually powerful event of Eucharistic devotions. It was inspiring to have so many people (our St. Clare Youth were well represented!) from around Southern Illinois praying together around the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist. This week (Wednesday-Friday), I will be going to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress, joining thousands of ...READ MORE

Recommending a New Book...John Mark Comer's new book, Practicing the Way - Be with Jesus, Become like Him, Do as He did. His nine rules of life for practicing the Way: 1. Practice Sabbath in a culture of hurry and exhaustion. 2. Practice solitude in a culture of anxiety and noise. 3. Practice prayer in a culture of distraction and escapism. 4. Practice community in a culture of individuality and superficiality. 5. Practice scripture in a culture of ideological infection and ...READ MORE