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).

We Tithe as a parish and we need your recommendations
We donate 10% of our collections 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. Please let the Parish Council know about worthy organizations that you would like us 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 need assistance from the fund, contact Peggy Montgomery.

Membership Care Prayer List
If you have a joy or concern you would like to share on the prayer list please contact someone on the pastoral team.

Jessica Rowley 314.918.2766;

Frank Krebs 314.740.1160;

We have a SafeChurch Policy to protect our children and other vulnerable populations.

Fundraising

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!

ECC Midwest

Partner Communities

Emmaus

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

San Damiano

Little Rock, Arkansas

St. Jerome

Tulsa, Oklahoma

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 ).

The Weekly News

October 3, 2013

27th Week of the Year

Saturday, October 5, 2013

5:00 pm

Readings: Heb 1:2-3, 2:2-4; 2Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10

Presider: Jessica Rowley

Homilist: George von Stamwitz

Readers: Ceci Paul, Mark Reinhardt

Eucharistic Ministers: Barbara Harris, Mary Jordan, Mary Ellen Kruger

Sacristan: Cecelia Andres

If you are not able to serve in your scheduled ministry, please let Steve know when you get a substitute so that we can publish the correct names in the newsletter. Thanks.

scampbell@ppcsinc.org or call or text 314.603.9991.

Parish Council

Bienvenue, Bon Voyage and Bonne Chance

This September we welcomed Mary Niehaus and Clarence Heller as newly elected members of our Parish Council. We are looking forward to the wonderful new ways that Clarence and Mary will bring forth their respective gifts to our beloved community. At the same time, we offer the utmost gratitude for the grace and spirit of justice that Mary Crecelius brought to the Council during her tenure, which has come to an end. Hers is a voice that we pray continues to inspire our community in the future. Additionally, we are so grateful to Nancy Wamser whose initial term has ended but she graciously agreed to run and serve another term. The Community will continue to be blessed with a spirit of concern for those who might otherwise be overlooked as Nancy gives voice to the voiceless.

In other news, I have decided to take a few months sabbatical/leave of absence through December at least. I'm sure you understand how difficult the summer has been for me following the death of my father; however, I am also entering the final year of my studies at Eden and this semester in particular will be a challenging one as I have three classes and a mandatory Oral Evaluation. These next few months will require all of my energy and in order to focus and do the best I can I will be stepping back from church ministry these next few months.

I am so grateful to Marty Campbell for her unconditional support of my decision. The Council will be in good hands under her leadership as Vice Chair. I am also grateful to Jessica and Frank for their pastoral support. In fact, Jessica reminded me that one of my gifts to her has been my conviction that ministry not be dependent on solely one individual. I believe the very model we received of ministry from Jesus is one that prepares a community for a change in leadership.

I am excited for the wonderful things that lie ahead for our community. I am grateful to each of you for your gifts and your service. Even as I step back for a few months, please do not hesitate to reach out when you need to. I'm not going anywhere!

Blessings and Peace,

Michelle

Pet Blessing

Saturday, October 5, 2013

1:30 pm

Sts. Clare & Francis

204 East Lockwood 63119

Bring your pets and come celebrate the feast of our patron, St. Francis. If it is raining at church, the Blessing will be canceled. Call Jenn Lay with any weather questions, 314.707.7313. For more information, see the flyer.

The Catholic Monologues

Benefit Catholic Action Network

October 13, 2013

3:00 pm

1001 Park Avenue 63104

$15 general admission

$12 JPS shareholders and students

All are invited to attend the debut performance of the original show created by the Catholic Action Network: The Catholic Monologues. The Catholic Monologues highlights true stories and experiences of how different persons' Catholic faith has impacted their lives. A number of the stories have come from our own SCF community, as well as a number of actors/actresses who will be performing them. So get your tickets today to support the work of the Catholic Action Network to mobilize faith into action, as well as in support of all the brave men and women who have shared their stories for this original play. See you there!

Micro-Lending as a Communal

Work of Service

This is your opportunity to participate in micro-lending through our community. Often only a relatively small amount of money stands in the way of Kiva (www.kiva.org) borrowers and their dreams. Whether it's a Kenyan farmer who needs $500 in order to double her grain production, or a young Bolivian woman who lacks the $1,500 tuition for nursing school, Kiva lenders provide a hand up to these and countless other borrowers. Sometimes providing just one small loan to people in poverty can be enough to help them become profitably self-employed and financially stable. These loans are not donations, and are almost always paid back.

Today we launch the period of inviting donations to support this effort. You may donate a) after the Masses on October 5, 12 and 19, b) by mailing a check to the parish office, and c) via our website (http://www.stsclareandfrancis.org/site/donate). If donating by check, please put Kiva in the memo line. If donating via PayPal on our website, make a comment that your donation is designated for Kiva.

On November 9 before Mass, we will gather as a community to select loan recipients. Everyone is invited to participate.

If you have any questions or want further information, please contact Clarence Heller (marclar123@aol.com, 636.256.6515).

Book Club

Monday, October 21, 2013

7:00 pm

Saturday, October 26, 2013

3:00 pm

We'll be covering Chapters 5 & 6. You are welcome to join us for interesting discussion, whether or not you have read the book.

What we've been talking about from The New Jim Crow:

"Once a person is labeled a felon, he or she is ushered into a parallel universe in which discrimination, stigma, and exclusion are perfectly legal and privileges of citizenship such as voting and jury service are off-limits."

Recycling Electronics

Dear Sisters and Brothers --

Cleaning out some stuff, I discovered a whole bag of old phones, cords, plugs, etc. As I considered making space in the closet, it occurred to me that I could offer this for recycling, even though it's of no worth to me. Here is a link to WITS, the answer to my problem! www.witsinc.org

At Sts. Clare & Francis, the used battery recycling mini-project has worked well. SO NOW, I'm bringing a slightly larger box for small electronic or technical refuse. If you, too have stuff like this, bring it along to church, and deposit it in one of the two cardboard recycling boxes. (We're still doing batteries!) But PLEASE: Nothing larger or heavier than an old-fashioned video camera. This maturing person can't manage large or heavy items.

IT MUST FIT IN THE BOX!

I will accumulate this small stuff and get it to a WITS location. The Earth thanks you.

Sue Stolze (scstolze@sbcglobal.net)

Racial and Economic Justice

Fr. Dickson Cemetery Workday and Invitation to Walking Tour

Please join us at either or both upcoming events:

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Fr. Dickson Cemetery work day

9:00 am Blessing of the Baby Heaven memorial and commissioning of workers

9:30 am Planting of the memorial tree, plants and flowers, general clean-up (Come when you can...leave when you want)

845 South Sappington Road 63126

Bring trimmers, lawn mowers, hand trowels, bulb planters, compost or worm castings. Wear appropriate gardening attire.

A group will be gathering for breakfast at The Barn restaurant (next to the cemetery) at 7:30 am and again for lunch around 12:30 pm, if you would like to join us! (The Barn welcomes gardening attire.)

Sunday October 13, 2013

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sappington Historic House Complex

845 South Sappington Road

Parking available for Grant's Trail or the House Complex

We are doing this:

1) To pay tribute and celebrate the spirit and determination of our fellow African Americans.

How? Developed walking tour featuring biographies of black Americans from every generation.

2) To expose youth (especially at-risk black youth) to the contribution

of African Americans.

How? Invited students of Webster high school Peabody teacher of the year, Julie Burchett, to help with the tour.

Invited north city youth from Angel Baked cookies to hand out their cookies at end of tour (please engage them, this is part of the Angel Baked mission).

3) To partner with a black organization, win their trust, learn from their experience and hopefully, build from there.

How? By helping Ernest Jordan and the board of Friends of Fr. Dickson, all black Americans.

4) To learn from history and try to connect with present issues .

How? By gently introducing the mass incarceration issue into our tour, citing Michelle Alexander's book, The New Jim Crow, raising awareness in the community.

To the whole SCF community: Thank you for all the contributions of time, money and prayers that have made this communal work happen and have made it so much fun!

Homilies

Frank's homily from the 25th Week of the Year,
Finding Our Way Back Home,

and all homilies from Sts. Clare & Francis, can be found at

http://scfhomilies.wordpress.com/.

Sponsored by Friends of SCF

Week/Month of Guided Prayer Ministry

One God, Many Paths

Saturday, October 5

1:00 - 4:00 pm

Mercy Center, 2039 North Geyer Road

The format will be a presentation from panelists representing Buddhism, Kabbalah and Native American Spirituality, followed by questions and open discussion. The focus will be on images of God, relationship with God, meditation and prayer techniques, and other spiritual practices.

Sharon Corcoran teaches regular meditation classes in Washington, Missouri and became a lay Dharma teacher under the direction of Master Jiru, MABA's abbot, in 2009.

Rabbi James Stone Goodman serves Congregation Neve Shalom is a writer and musician who integrates story, poetry, and music in an incantational performance art form, producing seven CDs to date, the most recent Book of Healing.

Sr. Jacqueline Schroeder, OSF served on Standing Rock reservation in western South Dakota for 8 years from 1996-2004.

If you plan to attend, please contact Clarence Heller at marclar123@aol.com or 636.256.6515.

Free will donations will be accepted.

All are welcome even if only able to attend part of the day.

~~~~~

Mercy Center

Contemplating Teilhard de Chardin's Divine Milieu - A Day of Prayer

Don Goergen, OP

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Registration: 8:30 a.m.

Program: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Non-refundable registration: $25 due Oct.15

Total cost, including registration: $60 (includes lunch)

Contact: Bonnie Green 314.909.4677 or bgreen@mercycenterstl.org

Teilhard de Chardin's spiritual classic was The Divine Milieu, written between two world wars, a spirituality of hope and realism. There will be input on Teilhard's spirituality, in particular, his appreciation of the world as a divine milieu wherein we find God, as well as time for personal reflection and interaction. We will focus on the core insights that Teilhard offers for our own spiritual pilgrimages.

Presenter: Don Goergen, OP is Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Aquinas Institute of Theology and is Prior of the Dominican formation community.

~~~~~

Transformation Counseling

Introduction to Visual Journaling: Using Images to go Deeper Than Words With Clients

Saturday, November 2, 2013

9:30 am - 12:30 pm

8730 Big Bend Boulevard, Suite B 63119

Kate Schroeder

Learn to move beyond thought and words into feelings and intuitive knowledge in your work with clients.

For a flyer for this workshop, click here.

On Becoming a Parent

Thursday, November 7, 2013

7:00 - 9:00 pm

8730 Big Bend Boulevard, Suite B 63119

Attend this workshop to learn more about:

Your core parenting personality and innate preference patterns as a parent
Your defense system and how you cope will parenting stress in your life
How these two parts affect your parenting and what you can do about it

For a flyer for this workshop, click here.

random sightings

wisdom...reflection...insight...amusement

When another's experience of God isn't exactly the way I would describe it, it doesn't mean that they haven't had an experience of God or that their experience is completely wrong. We have to remain with Francis' prayer: "Who are you, God, and who am I?" Isn't there at least ten percent of that person's experience of God that I can agree with? Can't I at least say, "I wish I could experience God in that way"?

What characterizes anyone who has had just a little bit of God is that they always want more of that experience! Could it not be that this Hindu, this Sufi, this charismatic, this Jewish woman has, in fact, touched upon the same eternal Mystery that I am seeking? Can't we at least give one another the benefit of the doubt? I can be somewhat patient with people who think they have the truth. The problem for me is when they think they have the whole truth.

The mystic probably represents the old shibboleth, "Those who really know don't speak too quickly. Those who speak too quickly don't really know."

Richard Rohr

Adapted from Following the Mystics Through the Narrow Gate . . . Seeing God in All Things

Sts. Clare & Francis offers information about other organizations and activities as a way of providing information that we feel is useful or relevant to our members and to the public. As an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) organization, Sts. Clare & Francis is required to abide by certain rules. Sts. Clare & Francis is absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Sts. Clare & Francis is also prohibited from devoting a substantial part of its activities to attempting to influence legislation. As a result of these rules, we do not specifically endorse these organizations or activities nor do they specifically represent the views of Sts. Clare & Francis, to the extent that doing so would jeopardize Sts. Clare & Francis' standing as a Section 501(c)(3) organization.

If you have an item that you wish to submit for publication in the Weekly News, please send it to

Steve Campbell no later than noon on Wednesday of the week you would like it to appear. If you cannot send an

e-mail, you may contact Steve at 314.603.9991.