IN THIS ISSUE
Deepen Your Prayer this Year
New Year's Day Mass & Blessing
Opportunities to Pray.Serve.Give.
Did You Know?



QUICK LINKS  

 

 

Deepen Your Prayer this Year 

 

Are you looking to develop your prayer life in the New Year? Here are a few points to ponder:

What is prayer? Why pray?

It can be hard to motivate ourselves to pray if it feels solely like an obligation or if we aren't sure what we are seeking. It may help to remember that in prayer, we:

  • consciously choose to relate to God, who initiates and desires relationship with us;
  • open our heart and mind to God, in order to let our relationship with God make a difference in our lives;
  • listen for God's call, carefully seeking God's desire for us and the world;
  • respond to God's initiative in our lives with praise and thanksgiving;
  • bring our needs and desires before God recognizing our dependence and trust in God.

How?

There is no singular way to pray. Prayer can be formal or informal; spoken, sung, silent, or written; organized or spontaneous. It includes listening, talking, and simply being with God in a conscious way. Different types or methods of prayer may appeal to different people, even at different times in life. Try a number of different approaches and methods, and see which help you connect and relate to God. Stay faithful and keep trying, even when you miss days or seem to be struggling. Thomas Keating wrote, "the only way to fail at prayer is not to show up."

When/Where to pray?

It can definitely be challenging to find time to pray in our busy, fast-paced world. Planning out the time and place for prayer can help form a routine and integrate it throughout the day. Ask yourself:

  • Are there quiet times and spaces already built into my day?
  • What triggers or reminders could I make use of?
  • When am I alert and attentive during the day?
  • Could I create a special place for prayer in my home?

Praying Opportunities at Saint Clement Parish

  • Mass offered daily 
  • Deepen your understanding of our the rituals of the Mass by attending an upcoming Teaching Mass on February 9 at 11:15am or March 2 at 7pm.
  • Try one of our weekly prayer groups. 
  • Consider individual spiritual direction or joining our monthly spiritual companion group. Details here.
  • Devote a day or weekend to refresh yourself and your relationship with God and others at an upcoming retreat:

Staff Recommended Resources

Don't Know Where to Start?

New Year's Day Mass & Blessing

 

new-year-header5.jpg New Year's Day - Wednesday, January 1

10:00 a.m. in the Church

Join us for Mass to celebrate the new year and also Octave of Christmas Mary, the Holy Mother of God, a Holy Day of Obligation. This will be the only Mass celebrated on New Year's Day. We wish you and your family a safe and blessed holiday!   

 

New Year Blessing

Heavenly Father,
in this time of new beginnings,
we recall how the heavens celebrated the birth of Christ.
We think back to the new kingdom he proclaimed,
and remember the new life we gained in our baptism.
In this time of new beginnings,
and at the beginning of this New Year,
may we always act as good examples
of the new life in you that all Christians have
and be the same for others.
Give us the joy that is ours
as adopted members of God's family.
Amen.

© Liturgical Publications, Inc.  

Opportunities to Pray.Serve.Give. 

 

For more information on upcoming events, including our regular, weekly opportunities, please view the parish's master calendar. 

  

Sunday, December 29 @ All Masses: Monthly Food Collection

Sunday, December 29 @ 12:15 p.m.: Church Art & Architecture Tour (Church)

Wednesday, January 1 @ 10:00 a.m.: Mass celebrating New Year's Day and Octave of Christmas Mary, the Holy Mother of God, a Holy Day of Obligation (Church)

Tuesday, January 7 @ 7:00 p.m.: Monthly Spiritual Companion Group begins (Chapel); please contact a facilitator by January 6 (details here).

Wednesday, January 8 @ 6:30 p.m.: Dinner/Discussion for past
Strengths for the Journey participants (Centennial Hall). Contact Jan Hann.

Saturday, January 11 @ 8:00 p.m.: Concerts under the Dome presents Schola Antiqua of Chicago performing "Thomas Becket: Martyr and Athlete" (Church). Details here; tickets here.

Sunday, January 12: Registration deadline for Married Couples Retreat, held January 18-19 at St. Mary of the Lake Conference Center in Mundelein, IL.  

  

Sunday, January 12 @ 8:00 p.m.: YAC Wine & Cheese Social (Chapel) 
Did You Know?

Start Your New Year Right

Holiday Bulletin Filled with Opportunities

 

We have created a special holiday bulletin filled with several months' worth of opportunities at Saint Clement Parish to pray, serve, give, learn, and belong, becoming an even more engaged Catholic.

 

Whether you are a long-time parishioner or new to our parish, we invite you to page through these many events and opportunities. Listen to your own reactions as you look them over and mark on your calendar those things which may be of interest or attract you. Or perhaps pay special note to those offerings that turn you off or challenge you. These may be exactly the things you need to do. One of the sure lessons of this season is that God works in the unexpected.

 

We hope you will join us as we strive together for deeper holiness, greater communion, and wider service in the year to come. May every good blessing be with you.

 

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.
 
And finally... 

 

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Photo credits: Top bar images 1 & 2 by John Zich, www.zrweddings.com; image 3 by AmyBoylePhotography.com.