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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. 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 Tom McCarthy.  "Over the years my native skepticism has served me well in my career as a lawyer, but not really in growing my Catholic faith. So rather than a spirit of Christian stewardship, it was frustration with the church and dissatisfaction with the parish that called me in the early 1990s to get involved with Saint Clement, first with the Coordinating Commission (now the Pastoral Council), and later the Stewardship & Development Committee (now the Stewardship Council). Over time, I found myself joining a variety of other parish ministries and committees as well. A funny thing happened along the way as I watched this stewardship stuff in action. My skepticism slowly crumbled as I watched countless parishioners give up their time, talent and treasure to serve the parish and the world around them. I saw the true spirit of stewardship in the eyes of the many parishioners with whom I have served in ministries and on parish committees, in the energy of the volunteers who give up their Saturdays in late April every year to serve needy people they don't know, and even on the faces of the children as they waddle their way up to the altar at Sunday Mass to make their weekly contribution to the parish. From their example, these and many other parishioners have shown me that being a Christian steward is not about earning some divine reward or pastoral extra credit, but about being the person God made me to be. Toward that end, I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with the Engagement Committee to help design the Strengths For The Journey program that assists parishioners in discovering the talents God gave them to become the stewards our faith calls us to be. In my case, those gifts have enabled me to contribute to developing and spreading the stewardship message to the Saint Clement community, including our "Pray, Serve, Give" stewardship theme, "Our Parish Anchors," and our Sunday Giving Commitment, Clement Commits and Community of Shepherds giving programs. I may still be a skeptic about a lot of things, but not about stewardship. By embracing Christ's call to stewardship, I have discovered that my Catholic Faith makes sense. For a skeptic like me, that means a lot." | 
evening before the Super Bowl, guests were greeted with festive football decorations, including pom poms, megaphones and football lanterns. Approximately 80 new parishioners, parish staff members and ministry leaders attended the dinner.
The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour where guests mingled and sipped on drinks. Parishioners later sat down at tables labeled after various NFL teams. After being led in grace by Fr. Ken, each table was called up by their team name to enjoy a buffet dinner from Smoque, complete with brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, cornbread and a vegetarian chili (courtesy of parishioner Sherry Frick).