If you are looking to get involved in our community but are not sure how, here is a great place to start! Come meet a few friendly faces, ask some questions, and learn more about the Saint Clement community! Join us on Thursday, February 25 or Wednesday, April 14. Enter through the church office.
Living Faith is Saint Clement’s newest adult formation program that seeks to encourage our faith lives and to bring our lived experience into conversation with our faith tradition. Each session engages a different topic and is held on the second Tuesday of the month. Upcoming gatherings are on March 9 and April 15. All are welcome! Meet in Fireside Hall in Saint Clement School from 6:45-8:45pm. Dinner will be provided.
The Catholic Church's regulations on fasting require those between the ages of 18 and 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, limiting themselves to one full meal and two smaller meals each day, with no snacking between meals. Catholics age 14 and older abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. When we fast, we unite ourselves with others who suffer from want. We also sharpen our awareness of our dependence on God for all the gifts in our lives.
Local food pantries have reported at least a 20% increase in requests for food due to the nation’s economic downturn. For that reason, we are implementing an ongoing food drive to support local parish-operated food pantries. On the third Sunday of every month, everyone is asked to bring some non-perishable food items and place them in the boxes provided in the back of church. The following is a list of items the pantries are especially in need of: The usual non-perishable items are needed, such as canned fruits, vegetables, tuna, stew, soups, juice, as well as hygiene products such as deodorant, soap, toothpaste, diapers.
Each year, Operation Rice Bowl calls us to pray with our families and faith communities; fast in solidarity with those who hunger; learn more about our global community and the challenges of poverty overseas; and give sacrificial contributions to those in need. Your participation in Operation Rice Bowl ensures that Catholic Relief Services can continue to provide assistance to those in need in more than 100 countries. 75% of your gifts will go to CRS to help farmers in Bolivia receive training to improve crop yields, children in Afghanistan gain more opportunities for quality education, communities in Ethiopia access reliable water sources even during times of drought, rebuilding in Haiti, and fund many other vital projects. 25% of your gifts remain in our diocese and support local hunger and poverty alleviation efforts. Donation bowls are available at the back of the church.
Noted retreat leader, speaker and homilist Fr. Pat McGrath will be the keynote speaker for our third annual Parish-wide Prayer Day on Sunday, February 28.He will preside at 11:15 Mass, and Prayer Day will begin immediately following in the Chapel. Fr. Ken Simpson, Deacon Manuel Dorantes, Kate Bradfield, Gabriel Giella, and Michael LeChevallier of our parish staff will offer presentations and practice in daily prayer, liturgical and sacramental prayer, praying with family or in groups, and prayer through scriptural reflection. Joseph Malaham, the artist who designed our processional cross, will also address praying with art and icons. The day will conclude with Sunday Vespers at 4:30pm.
Gather on Fridays during Lent for an experience of prayerful reflection and song centered on the Way of the Cross. Based upon sacred scripture, this tradition allows us to make in spirit, as it were, a pilgrimage to the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death, making us aware that in our own sufferings we are not alone. Every Friday of Lent at 7pm in the church (except March 5 when it will take place at noon).
Little Black Books: The Little Black Books contain daily reflections that help you remember to put God at the center of your life. Praying just six minutes a day, in communion with fellow parishioners, can change your life. Books are available at the church entryway.
Clement Faith Communities: Small faith groups meet every other week to read the Sunday scriptures and share God's message that is found therein. It is not too late to join a group. Contact Maggie Byrnes.
Centering Prayer: Saturdays at 9:15am.
Men's Morning Prayer: Tuesdays at 6:30am.
Focus on Sunday Scripture: Tuesdays at 9:30am.
Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel:
Eucharistic Adoration will be held in the chapel during Lent on Thursdays, February 18 through March 25, from 1:00pm-6:45pm. Holy Rosary at 6pm. Sign-up sheets for adoration times at the St. Jude altar. Holy Rosary at 6pm. Sign-up sheets for adoration times at the St. Jude altar.
We are blessed to have in our parish several adults preparing for baptism, first Eucharist and confirmation. Their presence in our community becomes more apparent during Lent, when we witness and participate in the rites culminating in the sacraments celebrated at the Easter Vigil. Those preparing for the sacraments are called to go through a period of intense reflection before being received into the Church. The goal is for all of us to go through this period of preparation with them in order to gain a deeper knowledge and experience of Christ our Savior. These people, the Elect, are a primary symbol for us during Lent, representing our own baptism as we prepare with them for theirs. Please pray for our RCIA members during this time.