The catechists evangelize by sharing their stories of faith and support the Catholic formation that starts at home with each family in our parish. A sincere THANK YOU goes out to more than 40 volunteers who help to make this happen each year. For the 2012-13 year, we celebrated 93 First Communions, heard 82 First Reconciliations, Confirmed 55, and had a total enrollment of 230 children.

Religious education families, students, and volunteers reflected on the past year:

"My confirmation process at Saint Clement was a life-changing experience for me. After completing my service project, reflection paper, retreat, and discussions with my sponsor (my big brother, Paul), my spirituality has been raised to a whole new level. I realize now, how much I need God in my life. Without being confirmed, I would have never had this realization and wouldn't be who I am today."

-- Dana Coons, 8^th grade student

"It was a wonderful experience meeting new people and sharing the same love for God while being a part of Saint Clement's Religious Education program. I learned so much from my peers and my teachers and truly got closer to God. Confirmation was the high point of this past year and I really enjoyed the retreat. I truly recommend the Religious Education program for kids who want to learn and get closer to God."

-- Patrick Breslin, 8^th grade student

-- Miller and Stephanie Bransfield, 6^th grade parents

"Our daughter Abby has been enrolled in religious education class for the past two years. We are very happy with the biblical lessons that our daughter has learned. Her teachers are motivated and enthusiastic about teaching and she always comes home with handout worksheets from class that we can talk about at home. These worksheets provide good 'talking points' for us to start conversations about the biblical stories and real world lessons that help us parents teach our children about God and being a good Christian. Our three year old daughter Charlotte has also been asking us for two years when it is going to be her turn to go to class; she cannot wait!"

-- Laurie & Paul Rades, 1^st grade parents     

"I have so enjoyed my experience with Saint Clement's Religious Education program, working with the supportive staff, great catechists, and very enthusiastic students and families; my family and I feel so blessed to be a part of this parish. The high point of the year for me was during a discussion on 'Saints' when I mentioned two saints with special connections to Saint Clement, one being St. Jude, to whom former Saint Clement parishioner Danny Thomas asked for intercession, promising to give back if he was able to be successful in his career; he was successful and fulfilled his promise by building St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The other saint connected to Saint Clement Church is Mother Cabrini, born in in Italy in 1850, who often attended Mass at Saint Clement and passed away at nearby Columbus Hospital in 1917; her framed photo is next to the statue of St. Jude. The students were so excited by these connections to their parish, and to all of us; it brought up even more conversation and requests for specific directions as to exactly where the St. Jude statue resides in Saint Clement. This year was especially joyful for my family, as our older daughter made her First Communion with her classmates. The support from Fr. Simpson, the Religious Education staff and teachers, and the other families made the preparation and the Mass such a wonderful experience for us all."

-- Dr. Catherine Pesek Bird, 4^th grade catechist

"For me, teaching religious education has awakened an awareness of the magnificence of the Catholic faith. In three years of teaching, I have tried to absorb as much as possible about our faith, and, in turn, I have tried to spark a similar appreciation for it in my students. While every lesson plan has an important message, I have found the most fruitful classes inspire students to share ideas with their classmates and explore some tough questions that may not be in the lesson plan at all. In the process, I have learned so much that I did not expect -- perhaps just as much as the students!"

-- Karen Koski, 4^th grade catechist