"I appreciate the shared belief here that we are responsible for our community, together, as a faith, to help those in need."  Such was a reflection from one of more than 425 parishioners who participated in the 9th annual Service Day on Saturday, April 26.  Due to the large number of volunteers, we were able to send 24 teams to 21 different sites across the city, such as homeless shelters, youth centers, senior homes, schools, and churches.  On a slightly chilly morning, hundreds of parishioners came to the church, eager and willing to give of themselves in service, completing service projects such as painting, cleaning, sorting, gardening, and entertaining nursing home residents.  This year we saw the largest group of 6th-12th graders and their parents to date. 

One team, led by captain Eric Mariani, traveled to Queen of the Universe School on the south side.  Site coordinator Amy Drozda of the Big Shoulders Fund, who helped organize the project, remarked: "You all truly made a huge impact in a short amount of time...You all were machines and truly helped make a storage area a useful library.  The principal, Jessica, called this morning raving about all of you."  Sarah Kover from House of the Good Shepherd had the following to say: "It was truly a pleasure working with your volunteers.  They were energetic and thorough - we have never seen the garage looking so clean and organized! They also showed enthusiasm for the program. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to share our mission with a new group of friends."  Another team traveled to Amandla Charter School in Englewood and met a student who was there to assist, and seemed genuinely moved by the service of our parishioners, remarking, "There is a lot of love in this room."  Countless other positive remarks came from site coordinators, appreciative of the time our parishioners gave.

During the day in the Chapel, a team sorted and delivered approximately 75 bags of clothing to House of the Good Shepherd, Madonna House, Christopher House, Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Center, and Juvenile Court.  At Saint Clement School, approximately 45 Kindergarten-5th graders took part in age-appropriate service projects, and completed a mural in the cafeteria highlighting our parish anchors of Pray, Serve, Give, Learn & Belong.  The children prepared toiletry kits to be given out to the homeless through the Night Ministry, designed Mother's Day cards for mothers at the Ronald McDonald House, made sack lunches for Inspiration Corporation, fleece blankets for children at Lurie Children's Hospital and Madonna House, played bingo and visited with residents at Lakeview & Sunrise Nursing Homes, and prepared and delivered sack lunches to the Lincoln Park Community Shelter, also staying to create centerpieces for their dining area. Clothing and travel-sized hygiene products were also donated for surrounding organizations.  The day was wrapped up by Aidan McCormack from the Night Ministry, who led the children in a reflection on how their faith is connected with their service.

Throughout the day of service, participants had the opportunity to reflect on what their service means to their faith through an opening prayer service, team reflection off-site, and finally, Mass at the close of the day.  The day truly encouraged parishioners to live out our parish anchors of Pray, Serve & Give.

We are so appreciative of the many parishioners who gave their time and talent to make Service Day engaging: the talented and organized planning committee who assisted with a variety of tasks including setting up sites, reaching out to team captains, and coordinating children's activities, the 26 team captains who communicated with site coordinators and teams of volunteers, the site coordinators at the social service agencies we served, the school faculty and staff who gave up their Saturday to spend the day with our parish children, the parish staff for their endless support, parishioners who donated clothing and hygiene products, and all those who represented our parish throughout the city. We are incredibly grateful for the many ways you made this day a success and served in Christ's name. And the parishioners and volunteers are thankful for the leadership and coordination executed behind the scenes by Saint Clement's Director of Community Outreach, Maggie Hanley, who works tirelessly each year to ensure a valuable experience for all our volunteers.  

Save the date for the 10th Annual Clement Service Day: Saturday, April 18, 2015.

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 Pike Family: Amy, Rob, and Carson: 

"We found Saint Clement during our search for a school for our daughter Carson. The parish we belonged to didn't have a school and as parents of a single child with both our families from out-of-state, we wanted to "bring her up" in our vision of a parish school -- where the school and church blend together with a strong focus on faith and community.