Saint Clement Parish Introduces Our Parish Anchors 

At every Mass this past weekend, Fr. Ken introduced Our Parish Anchors. This handout (available online or in the back of Church), is the culmination of the hard work of many parishioners over several years. 

In 2011, nearly 1,000 parishioners completed a survey to measure their sense of engagement, their deep emotional connection, with Saint Clement Parish. Respondents expressed the need to understand what Saint Clement expects of them as parishioners and what they can expect from the parish. Our Parish Anchors describes these expectations. The right hand column lists what parishioners can expect from Saint Clement Parish; the left, what Saint Clement can expect from parishioners. 

Fr. Ken spoke about our relationship with our parish, our God, our wider community, ourselves, and our Catholic tradition in the context of belonging, praying, serving, giving, and learning; the same five action words that make up the backbone of our website and our bulletin. Fr. Ken was assisted at each Mass by some of our school children who helped teach the congregation the hand gestures for each of these action words. Our school children have been learning these hand gestures at all school Masses over the last two years. Parishioners read aloud from Our Parish Anchors and were encouraged to take home a copy to hang on their refrigerators, discuss at the dinner table, and incorporate in their daily lives.

As individual parishioners and as Saint Clement Parish, we seek deeper holiness, greater communion and wider service. Rooted in our Catholic Tradition, empowered by the liturgy, and grateful to God for our blessings, we strive to grow our faith together by belonging, praying, serving, giving, and learning. Everyone is invited to embrace Our Parish Anchors.

Acceptance of the five Anchors is not a formal precondition to membership in Saint Clement, nor is it intended to impose a burdensome set of duties or obligations. Our Parish Anchors is designed to give you the opportunity to freely make a personal commitment to the parish and to understand Saint Clement's commitment to you. Our Parish Anchors provides a realistic framework for parishioners to explore and grow their Catholic faith at Saint Clement Parish. Our Parish Anchors also expresses Saint Clement's commitment to parishioners in a spirit consistent with our Parish Mission and vision.

Visit our website to read "Guide to Our Parish Anchors" for more information.

Liturgical Ministers Celebrated at Annual Dinner

Did you know that as many as 22 liturgical ministers serve at each weekend Mass? These devoted volunteers take time each week to serve our community and in between Sundays (or even serving on weekdays!), spend time praying, preparing for, and reflecting on, their ministry.  They serve as Sacristans, Lectors, Babysitters, Children's Liturgy of the Word leaders, altar servers, bread bakers, Arts and Environment Caregivers, Eucharistic Ministers, Hospitality Ministers, Cantors, and Chorists.

To show our appreciation for these stewards of the Mass, we hosted our annual Liturgical Ministries Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday evening, February 18.  More than 100 volunteers feasted on delicious Turkish food from Zizi's Café, relished in conversations with old friends, and delighted in getting to know parishioners they had not met before.

While the scheduled presenter was unable to attend because of an illness, speaker, educator, and liturgical consultant Fr. Phil Horrigan saved the evening by coming on short notice. Fr. Phil offered a brilliant reflection on liturgical ministries and how these ministries help to make God present to all at the Mass.  Lector JJ Keil says, "I thought the speaker was one of the best ever on Liturgical Ministry. Just outstanding!" All who attended left the celebration feeling renewed and energized in their ministry. 

The next time you see a liturgical minister at Mass, share your thanks with them!

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. As a feature twice a month, we 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 the Zappa family: John, Marguerite, and Anna:

Relocating nine years ago to Chicago, the Zappa family joined Saint Clement Church, and we enrolled our daughter, Anna, in 2nd grade at Saint Clement School. What we enjoy is a beautiful Church, a vibrant community, a welcoming school, an opportunity to grow in our faith, and a united Church and school. 

Over time, our family has been fortunate to participate in some wonderful and varied activities. Our initiation began by celebrating First Holy Communion, Reconciliation, class Masses, singing in Jubilate, going to Anchor Ball, joining Clement Couples, making homeless lunches, and participating in Service Days. As Anna entered middle school, she became an altar server and her dad became a lector, while I joined the Mom's Rosary group, a small faith sharing group, and I began attending Eucharist Adoration. Next, Anna celebrated her Confirmation, graduated from grade school, and joined the God Squad, while John and I participated in Strengths for the Journey. This year, Anna is teaching Religious Education, and John belongs to Communio while also serving on the Pastoral Council. We are looking forward to what the future will bring. 

We are very grateful to Saint Clement and feel blessed to be members of this family. We believe that the experiences we have had and the people we have met are priceless, thus we participate in the Sunday Giving Commitment. We are already connected to the community with our hearts and minds, and by giving financially, we are extending our treasure.