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ECC Midwest
Partner Communities | |
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Little Rock, Arkansas
Tulsa, Oklahoma
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This Week
"At a Glance"
Friday, April 15
7:00 am Centering Prayer
Saturday, April 17
3:00 pm Crafter's Group
5:00 pm Mass
Sunday, April 18
1:00 pm Stations of the Cross
of Racism Tuesday, April 19 4:30 pm Pastoral Team |  |
Want to add an event to the calendar? Contact Jessica (314.918.2766). |
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General Info | |
The Parish Council meets on the third Wednesday of the month. Members: Anne Knight, Frank Krebs, George von Stamwitz, Jessica Rowley, Nancy Wamser, Sheila Leander, Steve Campbell, Sue Stolze.
We frequently have community gatherings called Convocations where we discuss the
vision of the community. Dates and times are announced in this newsletter.
The Parish 0ffice is located at Eden Theological Seminary, 475 E. Lockwood, Saint Louis, MO 63119. The office is being renovated during the month of December. Frank and Jessica are available for appointments. You can reach them at... Jessica: 314.283.4697, Frank: 314.740.1160.
We have an initiative to connect people to small faith sharing groups. If you are interested in joining a small group, please contact Jessica Rowley (314.918.2766 or email).
Do you have friends who would like to know more about Sts. Clare & Francis?
Would you be willing to invite them to your house for an hour or so to hear about us? Frank is willing to come to your home to share the story of SCF with your friends.
We Tithe as a parish and we need your recommendations
We have committed to tithing as a parish. We donate 10% of all that we collect in our offerings to worthy causes. We do this as an act of faith, trusting that, in doing this, we will still be able to meet our financial needs. We have received a number of wonderful suggestions. Please continue to let the Parish Council know about worthy organizations that you would like us as a community to contribute to. Information needed: your name, name of organization you are suggesting, to whom check should be made payable, where to send check and to whose attention. Please send your suggestions to Marilyn Tenholder.
Matthew 25 The Matthew 25 Fund helps members in our community who need financial assistance. All information concerning the people with whom we work is held in the strictest confidence. If you would like to contribute to this fund, make your check payable to Matthew 25, and place it in the collection basket. If you would like to donate cash, put it in an envelope labeled "Matthew 25" and place it in the collection basket. If you need assistance from the fund, you can contact We have a SafeChurch Policy to protect our children and other vulnerable populations. |
| Fundraising |
Do you shop at Schnucks?
Please keep our Schnucks E-Scrip fund raiser in mind when you shop. If you don't already have an E-Scrip card, please call Marilyn Tenholder (314.323.1467) and she will get one to you. There is no charge and all you have to do is activate it by either a phone call or by going online. Simply show the card when you check out and a percentage of your purchase cost will be rebated back to Sts. Clare & Francis. Thank you! SCF Online Booksale Please consider donating books to the Sts. Clare & Francis Online Book sale Fundraiser. All proceeds, net of fees, will go to Sts. Clare & Francis. We are looking for good quality new or used books on religion, spirituality, self-  help, business, textbooks, cookbooks, psychology, books signed by the author and children's books. We will accept books from other categories, too, but fiction (especially paperback) doesn't sell very well. You can bring your books to the weekly Mass on Saturdays at 5:00 pm or you can arrange for pickup by calling Art Maines at 314.518.1973. If you have questions about the sale or books you'd like to donate, you can call Art at the same number. 
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| Parish Financial Report |
The March 2011 financial report for Sts. Clare & Francis parish can be found here. |
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COMMUNITY CORNER...our family news
(It is good for us to know what's happening in each other's lives. If you have any news you'd like to share with the community, please email Steve ).
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The Weekly News
April 14, 2011 |
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Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday)
Saturday, April 16, 2011 5:00 p.m.
Readings: Mt 21:1-11; Is 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11; Mt 26:14-27:66 or 27:11-54
Presiders: Frank Krebs and Jessica Rowley
Homilist: Jessica Rowley
Lectors: Luke Veltz, Steve Campbell, Jessica Rowley, Ann Bolger, Joe Rowley, David Winkler, Frank Krebs, Karen Diehl
Sacristan: Jessica Rowley
Eucharistic Ministers: Mary Jordon, Mary Ellen Kruger, Art Maines
Children's Church: Sue Stolze, Gerardette Groll
Lenten Witness: Simon Peat
If you are unable to serve in your scheduled ministry, please let Jessica know when you get a substitute so that we can publish the correct names in the newsletter. Thanks so much. Jessica Rowley (314.918.2766). |
Third Annual "Stations of the Cross of Racism" at SCF
Palm Sunday
April 17, 2011
2:00 - 4:00 pm
At Church, 204 East Lockwood, Webster Groves
Two years ago on Palm Sunday we toured locations in Webster Groves and the City of St. Louis associated with racism in our region. Last year we attended the Race exhibit at the History Museum. This is an annual event in which we focus on the reality of racism in our region, a contemporary echo of the Stations of the Cross, as we head into Holy Week.
This year Jim Carron, Janell Carron's husband, has made available for our viewing a short version of "Eyes on the Prize," the famous documetary of the civil rights movement. Jim is a curator of the collection at Washington University, where the documentary artifacts are kept. We will view several selections from the documentary and discuss them at church from 2:00 - 4:00 pm on Palm Sunday. All are welcome. Contact Frank Krebs with any questions at frank.krebs@stsclareandfrancis.org. |
Tridu-what?
Learning about and preparing for the high point of our liturgical year
The word Triduum, three days, refers to the period of time from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday until evening prayer on Easter Sunday.
This section of the newsletter during the season of Lent will help us prepare for these three important days. We hope you will not only be inspired to attend the liturgical celebrations of the Triduum this year, but also enter more deeply into their mystery.
Holy Saturday is the name that is given to that 24-hour period nestled between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, between crucifixion and resurrection.
It is a day that speaks of the absence of God and is as much a part of the Christian experience as the day before and the day after. It is the moment when we experience the depth of Christ's cry on the cross, the moment when we feel abandoned by God and utterly alone in the world. This day is never as far from us as we would wish, for there are times when we all are unsettled by the feeling that we have been abandoned and that everything we believe may be nothing more than empty words and hopeless dreams. This is the horror of the cross, not the blood and suffering of an innocent, but the removal of God.
Holy Saturday ridicules the idea that the feeling of God's absence is reserved for those who are irreligious, for in reality it is only the religious individual who can really know this absence. This is analogous to the experience of waiting for one whom we love in a café. The later they are, the more we experience their absence. Our beloved is absent to everyone in the room but we are the only one who feels it.
Who among us does not find ourselves dwelling, from time to time, or perhaps at all times, in the space of Holy Saturday? Yet this day is rarely spoken of and the experience is often seen as one to be avoided or merely tolerated rather than embraced.
Peter Rollins from How (Not) to Speak of God
Join us...
April 21, 2011, 7:00 pm Holy Thursday
Mass of the Lord's Supper
April 22, 2011, 7:00 pm God's Friday Service
with Evangelical UCC
April 23, 2011, 7:30 pm Easter Vigil Service
Holy Saturday |
Easter Vigil, April 23rd 
A few notes about SCF's celebration of the Easter Vigil:
We will not have 5 pm Mass on Holy Saturday. Our Vigil will begin at 7:30pm.
If you are participating in the liturgy in any way, please plan to attend the rehearsal that morning at 10am.
You may wish to bring small bells or keys to pull out and "ring" during the Gloria.
The Vigil liturgy is followed by an Easter Social. It is always a fun party! You are invited to bring an appetizer or beverage to share. |
Service Committee
Save the date: Saturday, May 7, for our annual Soup Meal and Bread for the World Offering of Letters. This year we will be writing Congress to reform foreign aid so that it is focused on reducing global poverty. We will meet after Mass for a simple meal, short video presentation, and letter writing. Together our influence can save the lives of our world neighbors who live in extreme poverty. |
Return to Pickle Springs
 | | The SCF Pickle Springs Gang, 2010 Edition |
Sunday, May 15, 2011
11:30 am Meet at Art's & Frank's house to caravan
Last year's outing to Pickle Springs Natural Area was so popular we decided to do it again! Because Easter arrives fairly late this year, we are planning this year's trip for Sunday, May 15. Meet at Art's and Frank's house at 11:30am, and we'll plan to leave at 12 noon for Ste. Genevieve. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to get to the trailhead, and approximately 1- 2 hours to hike the trail. Afterward, join us at Crown Valley Winery for a light dinner before heading home.
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Pickle Springs Natural Area is a deep, forested gorge consisting of geological formations and plants that are found in few other places. Visitors will find examples of a sandstone glade, talus, forest, savanna, as well as a number of rare species of plants and animals. The area is noted for its blooming wild azalea and wildflowers in the spring. According to local legend, the area is named after William Pickles, a settler from Illinois who owned the land until he was shot by a band of renegades during the Civil War. Pickle Springs and other area creeks flow into Pickle Creek, which in turn traverses into Hawn State Park. | |
Designated a National Natural Landmark, Pickle Springs Natural Area features a 2 mile hiking trail maintained by the East Ozark Audubon Society in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation. This two-mile journey has an estimated hiking time of 1 hour and takes hikers past waterfalls, rock shelters, a double arch, towering bluffs, canyons and amazing rock outcrops. Wooden bridges along the trail aid hikers past troublesome spots. |
For more information about Pickle Springs Natural Area:
http://www.greatriverroad.com/stegen/sgattract/picklesprings.htm
For more information about Crown Valley Winery:
http://www.crownvalleywinery.com |
SCF Online Book Sale
Because of health difficulties and the demands of her ever-growing business, our friend Elizabeth Euer is no longer able to sell books in her online bookstore for Sts. Clare and Francis. However, she has offered to help a volunteer or two with setting up a bookstore and getting started. This is a great opportunity to learn about online selling through Amazon and help continue the book sale to benefit the church. If you're interested in this, or would like to learn more, contact Art at either 314.518.1973 or via his email at a_maines@msn.com. |
Companionship Ministry Update
On January 22, 2011 we had our first Companionship Ministry Training during our monthly convocation. 36 people attended the training which introduced a model of lay ministry that closely resembles our gospel vision and values. Members from Evangelical UCC also participated, as they have been hard at work to develop a similar model.
At the first training some members expressed interest in pursuing a Companionship Ministry. A small group of parishioners met to vision together. We needed to consider how to provide coordination, ongoing education and support for the companions. At this time a member from EUCC approached us about collaborating to create a Mental Health/Wellness Ministry team to do just that.
It was proposed that a collaborative "Mental Health/Wellness Team" be established with 3-4 members from each church diverse in age, gender and ethnicity and with good organizational skills. This team (as proposed by Craig Rennebaum who established the Companionship Ministry) would coordinate volunteers from their respective communities and plan events that will provide ongoing education and support to the volunteers. They would relay information from pastoral teams, professional advisers and community resources to coordinate these respective ministries.
Collaborating with EUCC will bring together our similar visions and complementary expertise to support one another in this type of ministry. Though both churches see the value of beginning this ministry as a form of in-reach to become more adept in the practice, there is a mutual desire to eventually look outward and possibly extend our ministry to the community. If we wish to dream big, collaborating with EUCC will open possibilities for grant writing and potential funding to expand this ministry into the community.
Click here to learn more about Companionship Ministry |
Liturgy Book 
Discussion Continues
If you enjoy reflecting on liturgy and your experience, please come! We will continue discussing the second section of Gabe Huck's Liturgy with Style and Grace on Friday, April 29, 12:30 - 2:00 pm at the parish office at Eden. |
Homilies
Frank's homily from April 9, Who Is Released From Bondage Here?, along with other archived homilies from Sts. Clare & Francis, is available at http://scfhomilies.posterous.com. You may have a friend you want to share the link with.
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Events Sponsored by Friends of SCF
Be the Change
Sunday, April 17, 2011
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Forest Park, Muny Grounds
Free and Open to the Public
Family and Pet Friendly
Educational activities and demonstrations
Three stages of live music and cultural performances
All Species Parade at Noon...Costumes encouraged!
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 Catholic Action Network
Visioning Meeting
May 15, 2011
1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
The Former CSAT Building
(Center for Theology and Social Analysis)
1077 South Newstead Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
(in the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood)
Catholic Action Network (CAN) is planning a visioning meeting for our upcoming work. We would like members of the Sts. Clare & Francis Community to come help us create the future at CAN by attending. If you are interested, please contact John Powell at jpowell@vdoh.org. For more information about CAN, click here. |
random sightings
wisdom...reflection...insight...amusement
For Earth Day:
Elements
by Henry Gibson
I used to like fresh air,
When it was there.
And water, I enjoyed it
'Til we destroyed it.
Each day the land's diminished
I think I'm finished. |
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