How to Make a Healing Confession Before Easter...Next week, April 10, is our parish Reconciliation Service, with 10 priests hearing confessions. Please mark your calendar for a powerful, healing experience. If I have not been to confession for so long, where do I begin? At the prayer service a worship aid will help guide you through what to do. If it feels like your list of sins is long, confess the main ‘growth areas’ where you have struggled and need God’s help. Reflect on the examination ...READ MORE

Scrutinies Lead to Holy Week...This weekend we have the first of three ‘scrutiny’ prayers with the elect. Most people know these three Sundays in Lent as the “Sundays with the long gospel readings.” The three beautiful gospel stories – Jesus and the woman at the well, the healing of the blind man, and Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead – are full of symbols, miracles, and opportunities for all of us to realize the real meaning of Jesus as our Savior...READ MORE

What it means to belong to a Diocese…One of my jobs as a pastor is to help keep our parish connected to the ‘bigger Church’ of the diocese and the universal Catholic Church. Our own Diocese of Belleville includes over 100 parishes throughout southern Illinois. The diocese has a variety of offices run by lay people who provide resources for each parish to have great Catholic schools, PSR (Sunday School) programs, and ministries of liturgy, pro-life, service to the poor, and many others. Once a year our diocese asks each Catholic to support the many...READ MORE

Lent: Fasting and Abstaining Overview - The two are similar but distinct. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as one or two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Liquids may be taken at any time. Abstinence means refraining from eating meat as an act of penance (or choose to abstain from other food if you don’t eat meat). Beyond food… READ MORE

Exciting summer youth program is back at St. Clare! Totus Tuus week-long summer program for grades 1-12 (replaces VBS) Totus Tuus is a totally Catholic program in a fun learning environment. All sessions at St. Clare Church. Elementary School Students: Monday-Friday, June 16-20 for grades 1-6 (entering in fall 2025) 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Junior High/High School Students: Sunday-Thursday, June 15-19 for grades 7-12 (entering in fall 2025) 6:30-8:45 p.m. ... READ MORE