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Newly Registered Parishioners Welcomed at Annual Dinner
 Last Friday, February 8, the Welcome & Hospitality Committee hosted the annual "Let's Get Acquainted" dinner for all new parishioners who have registered in the parish over the past year. More than 125 parishioners attended the dinner, designed to more formally welcome and introduce new members to the parish and current, active parishioners.
Beginning at 7:00 p.m., parishioners gathered for cocktails and conversation, decked in Mardi Gras beads and surrounded by festive Mardi Gras decorations. Fr. Ken Simpson then gathered all together to pray before the meal and spoke about our parish stewardship of Pray, Serve, and Give.
 In keeping with the Mardi Gras theme, parishioners dined on red beans and rice, jambalaya, rigatoni veggie creole, and other southern eats catered by Heaven on Seven. Various ministry and committee leaders, parish staff, and school faculty members joined new parishioners during dinner to answer questions, make connections, and further welcome them to the parish. During the meal these leaders were introduced to the larger group, and new parishioners learned about some of the ways they could Pray, Serve, and Give within the community. Parishioners stayed late into the evening, enjoying each other's company and building community.
Many thanks go to the Welcome & Hospitality Committee for hosting the event and further engaging our newest members of the parish. If you are a new parishioner and were unable to attend the dinner, the next New Parishioner Reception will be held on Wednesday, March 13, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fahey Center. Contact Maggie Hanley with questions.
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Stories of Stewards
As part of our ongoing engagement process, we have come to realize the importance of parishioners sharing their personal stories of how they have connected with Saint Clement as an important factor in their lives. We regularly share the stories and reflections of our engaged parishioners who are living a stewardship life of prayer, service, and giving. This week we hear from Emily Stein and John Castaneda.
 "When we met each other in August 1991 in the Saint Clement Chapel Choir, we came to sing, meet new friends, have fun, and search for...love. Over time, singing in the choir became a large part of our lives. Singing made church more enjoyable...and more meaningful. We were moved to tears singing about incorruptible faith (Know that I am with you through it all), unconditional love (You have sent me a banquet of love in the face of hatred), and true gratitude (I want to praise Your name, I want to sing Your goodness!). Contrary to the old saying, we found that singing is praying much more than just twice. We have prayed quite a lot without realizing it!
We also came to realize that the Saint Clement Chapel Choir is as much a part of the Saint Clement community as each individual member of the congregation. With each passing year, visiting the all-welcoming house of God on a weekly basis became less of a regular singing destination and more of a reminder that we are many parts, but we are all one body. Singing became a practice, a ritual that we commit to each week that (hopefully) allows us to start fresh, to learn, to share something with our community.
We act as stewards by "stewing" (we could not resist) our gifts with the gifts of everyone else in our congregation. We encourage everyone to sing. We sing all together to remind ourselves that we are really not so different from one another as we may think. We sing to help create a welcoming respite from the inevitable pain of life; we sing to help create a welcoming celebration for the inevitable joy of life. By singing, we try to provide an environment where the congregation can dip into the wellspring of humanity of which we are all a part, despite our individual egos. In this way, we make strong for service.
Singing makes it easier for us to understand that the gifts we have, we are given to share, and we pray that the spirit of love makes us one indeed. It doesn't matter whether lyrics are from 1 Corinthians, whether the music is by a certain composer, or whether our esteemed choir director has transposed the song to be merciful to the sopranos (!?). We simply sing of the Lord's goodness with...love."
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Saint Clement Hosts Newtown Benefit Concert
A group of professional singers from around Chicago gathered at Saint Clement last Friday to present a benefit concert for Newtown, CT. The concert was titled: Call to Remembrance -- Songs of Mourning and Prayers for Hope. Around 100 people enjoyed a phenomenal concert of unaccompanied music from the 15th century through modern times. All proceeds from the concert were donated to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund. The funds primarily help with counseling for the children and assisting with emergency workers. Thank you to all who participated!
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Opportunities to Pray.Serve.Give.
For more information on upcoming events, including our regular, weekly opportunities, please view the parish's master calendar.
Weekend Masses in 2013: New Mass Journal initiative, to support our participation and reflection at Mass. Extra journals available in the church vestibule.
Saturday, February 16 @ 9:00 a.m.: From Nicaea to Vatican II: The Church's 21 Ecumenical Councils (Chapel); continues each Saturday during Lent
Saturday, February 16: Last day to receive discounted room rate for the night of Anchor Ball at Radisson Aqua Blu Hotel; call
312-565-5258 to make your reservation. Don't forget to buy your Anchor Ball event tickets!
Sunday, February 17 @ 8:15 p.m.: Anchor Ball Volunteer Training Meeting (Chapel); contact Rose McLean
Monday, February 18 @ 6:30 p.m.: Altar Server Training for children in grades 5-12 (Church); to register click here
Tuesday, February 19 @ 7:00 p.m.: Young Adult Community Book Discussion on My Life with the Saints by James Martin (Fahey Center I); contact Kimm Mering
Wednesday, February 20 @ 6:15 p.m.: The Way of the Cross, stations, (Church); continues weekly until March 20
Thursday, February 21 @ 6:30 p.m.: Prayer Yoga (FC I)
Saturday, February 23 @ 9:00 a.m.: From Nicaea to Vatican II: The Church's 21 Ecumenical Councils (Chapel); continues each Saturday during Lent
Sunday, February 24 @ All Masses: Monthly Food Collection of non-perishables
Sunday, February 24 @ 12:15 p.m.: Church Art & Architecture Tour (Church)
Monday, February 25 @ 6:30 p.m.: Altar Server Training for children in grades 5-12 (Church); to register, click here Tuesday, February 26 @ 7:00 p.m.: The Next Chapter (FC I); support group for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one through divorce, separation, or death. Contact Deacon Tim Sullivan.
Wednesday, February 27 @ 4:30 p.m.: Altar Server Training for children in grades 5-12 (Church); to register, click here
Wednesday, February 27 @ 6:15 p.m.: The Way of the Cross, stations (Church); continues weekly until March 20
Thursday, February 21 @ 6:30 p.m.: Prayer Yoga (Chapel)
Saturday, March 2 @ 9:00 a.m.: From Nicaea to Vatican II: The Church's 21 Ecumenical Councils (Chapel); continues each Saturday during Lent
Save the Date:
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Saint Clement Offers a New Support Group: The Next Chapter
This past summer, Deacon Tim Sullivan was assigned by Cardinal George as Permanent Deacon at Saint Clement Parish. One of Deacon Tim's hopes was to become engaged in a ministry to divorced and separated Catholics in the parish, and in November he started a monthly support group for such parishioners. Since then, the group has expanded to welcome those who have suffered the loss of a loved one through divorce, separation, or death, and is aptly named, "The Next Chapter," to help members face this next chapter in their lives.
"The Next Chapter" meets once a month for prayer, reflection, and sharing, focusing on a different topic every month. These meetings serve as a venue to learn and grow and move forward. The heart of the meetings is prayer. If you are interested in joining us, please come to our next meeting on Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fahey Center.
For further information on the meetings, or to coordinate a time to speak with Deacon Tim Sullivan, please contact him at 734-502-1818 or via email.
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Submit Your Ideas
We hope you have enjoyed this week's issue of The Plaza. If you know of a parishioner living their life as a steward or a topic that would interest other parishioners, please submit your idea here.
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And finally...
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