Hello, St. Clement parishioners & friends!
This weekend we welcome Fr. Bryan Brooks, pastor of the Church of St. Benedict in Broken Arrow, and Fr. Richard Bradley, a retired priest of the Diocese of Tulsa with family ties to St. Clement Parish, while Fr. Juan is traveling. Next week’s daily Masses will be offered as usual.
Read on for updates and info about parish, people, doings and special events -- including a visit from a Silver Rose like the one pictured here!
We invite folks to send names (first only are fine!) to include on a list of people for whom to pray, such as the sick and suffering of our parish. If you’d like to add a name to the prayer list (yours or someone else’s *with their permission), please email that info to Bonnie at music@stcbixby.org.
Please take a few moments to complete the Disciple Maker Index! Click here to get started.
As November unfolds, we continue our prayers and sacrifices for the dearly departed. Feel free to add the names of your loved ones to the tree of life at the front of the church.
“Purgatory is not a punishment – on the contrary, it is the epitome of divine mercy. When our time on earth ends, we do not have to be perfect in life to dwell in heavenly splendor. Purgatory! What a consoling teaching! It is a teaching that allows us to be always close to those who have died and give us great hope in moments of despair and sadness at the loss of a loved one. Hope that our prayers, our good works, and our suffering can assist our loved ones and others to achieve that purified state and gain their true home in heaven.” Click here to read more of Deacon Neal’s homily given at this past Saturday’s Mass on All Souls Day.
Outreach feature by Barbara Hudnall
The Outreach Ministry has been active at St. Clement Church since at least 1980. We moved here in 2014 from the Dallas area. I quickly realized that retirement was boring, so I was intrigued when Marty Pike approached me about checking out the food pantry with the intent of taking it over when she stepped down. We have about 100 active families on our roster, and each month anywhere from 50-75 of them show up to get food to help make it through the month. We love our clients, and it is very satisfying to help them.
Outreach is funded solely by donations from our parishioners who have always been very generous. We do have some funds in savings but have recently had to start dipping into it for two reasons: we have recently gotten an influx of new families, and there is not as much free USDA food available through the Food Bank as in previous years.
We managed to stay open all through the Covid epidemic, thanks to volunteers Carol Beltran and Maria Gonzalez. Most of our volunteers are retired. Lois Parsons is handling the new commodities program that we recently enrolled in to give additional groceries to some of our clients. That food comes from the USDA. Jen Worthington, Jim Sturdivant, Rita Kirk, and Petrina DiGiacomo help on a regular basis. Brenda Reynolds works at all of the Saturday openings. Stephanie O'Connell and Rosemary Murphy sub and help out when needed. Our newest volunteers are Dianna Withem and Amy Matinyak. Allen Lutsko, Floyd Auten, JB Parsons, Ray Reynolds, and Al Rudolph do the heavy lifting on delivery days and organize our inventory.
Again, we appreciate the donations of time and resources from the parish. Feel free to visit us any Tuesday or Thursday from 9-11am or on the first Saturday from 9-10. Contact Barbara via the parish office (918-366-3166) if you would like to volunteer.
The Knights of Columbus Silver Rose will be displayed at our parish next Wednesday & Thursday, 13 & 14 Nov. There will be a dedicated Rosary at 6:00pm. All parishioners are welcome! Each year from early March through mid-December, Silver Roses are stewarded by Knights of Columbus councils along routes from Canada to Mexico. Every stop the Silver Rose makes throughout the pilgrimage is a Rosary-centered occasion for Knights, parishioners and community members to pray for respect for life, for the spiritual renewal of each nation, and for the advancement of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Reminders:
As the holidays approach, there are several ways to help those in need:
- The Women’s Guild Christmas Jar will be at the back of church for the next several weeks.
- Envelopes are available in the entryway for donations to holiday meal certificates distributed by our parish Outreach program.
- The angel tree will be going up closer to Thanksgiving.
