Hello Friends,

My name is Natalie Bottger and I am the new Amate House fellow working as the Coordinator of Community Outreach at Saint Clement!

I grew up just outside Cleveland, Ohio, attended school at John Carroll University (JCU), and graduated with a bachelor of science in biology. Science and ministry have always been strong interests and passions of mine. During my time at JCU, I was very involved in campus ministry which was focused Catholic Social Teaching. This helped teach me and I continue to learn and embrace the principles of seeing the dignity and rights of each life through the lens of Jesus and to walk in solidarity with others. I am excited to continue this journey and bring these perspective to Saint Clement.

As the Coordinator of Community Outreach, I will be assisting, coordinating, and promoting volunteer opportunities and service events with organizations in Chicago for Saint Clement and Our Lady of Mercy parish. In addition, I will also provide support for Friday Sack Lunch and Hospitality Program, food drives, the Jesse Tree Christmas program, Service Day as well as many other volunteer programs at the parish. The generosity of Saint Clement amazed me during my interview and I am excited to be part of such a vibrant community. I can not wait to meet everyone!

Peace,

We look forward to seeing you at this community event!

Have you downloaded our new app yet? If not, be sure to today! You will have all the many Saint Clement opportunities available for you to go further in your faith right at your fingertips.

To download our app, simply search for Saint Clement in the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). Or, you can text stclementapp to 77977. It's that easy!

Concerts Under the Dome returns with a dazzling concert of music for brass ensemble, organ, and choir. The program will feature the works of Gabrieli, Palestrina, Proulx, Duruflé, and more. Come and enjoy this exquisite program in the reverberant and breathtakingly beautiful sanctuary of Saint Clement Church.

Admission is free and open to all. If you’d like to make a donation when you register, the funds will help support our Concerts Under the Dome 2022-23 Series. We appreciate your support! Register today!

We invite you to join us on Tuesday, August 23 for an evening focused on community, rest, and reflection. Expect wine, wisdom, faith, and fun with the friends you know and the friends you’ll make! The evening will run 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Saint Clement Parish.

Learn more about the Lydia Institute and sign up here.

Have you been wondering what Alpha is all about?

We invite you to take part in this course this Fall, starting mid-September. If you can join us in-person, we will begin the evening together with a meal, watch a video posing these life questions, and then break out into our small groups to discuss.

What are you waiting for?

The program will be held in the Saint Clement School gym Wednesdays, from September 7th-December 14th (week of November 23rd off) from 8:15 a.m. - 9:45a.m. The cost is $240 per child & $200 per second child.

All moms to young children (birth to five years old) are invited to join our Clement Moms group! Clement Moms offers social, spiritual, and educational support as you begin and continue the momentous journey of motherhood.

Contact Christina Weber to learn more!

Welcome! God loves you! Outreach is an LGBTQ Catholic Resource created by Father James Martin, S.J. and several others. They hope to offer news, resources, and community for LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies. Click here to learn more and check back for updates!

Be sure to join us after the Saturday Mass for our Saturday Social, and after the Sunday morning Masses for some coffee, juice, donuts, and conversations on the plaza. If you are interested in volunteering at our socials, please click here!

Please note, our Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Chapel Mass will continue to be celebrated every week this summer. There will be no hiatus in August as has been in the past.

"Today’s Gospel is a hard reminder that our time here is limited and God makes demands of us, but He never abandons us. He gave us His Son, the Sacraments, the Eucharist, the communion of saints, and we have but to draw near and take advantage of the many tools He gave us."

We joyfully welcome back our Saint Clement School students, teachers and faculty as they begin the new school year this upcoming week! Be sure to join us in praying for them to help them have a great start and an even better year.

To all our parish children and educators returning to school, please know that God loves you and is with you, and that your whole Saint Clement Parish family is rooting for you!

Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and Our Blessed Mother by joining Fr. Matt Litak on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land!

The pilgrimage will be held from April 18 - 28, 2023. Please click the flyer for further details including cost and trip itinerary.

Reserve your spot by October 3, 2022.

For more information, please contact the Totally Yours Pilgrimages staff at 1-630-279-8424. Visit their website at www.MEDJ1.com to sign up online.

This weekend we joyfully welcome the following to our community through the sacrament of baptism:

ALL are welcome to celebrate Mass with the Faith Hub on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. in the main Church of Saint Clement Parish. We model blending our rich Catholic tradition with radical hospitality and transformative liturgy. Please join us in this welcoming, highly engaging and more contemporary experience of the Mass. We can't wait to worship with you!

The Faith Hub is an experimental lab of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s renewal efforts. Learn more about the Faith Hub!

Calling all vocalists and musicians! Are you interested in getting involved in music ministry? Join us for an evening of music and networking with members of our parish ensembles. Learn about becoming a cantor, chorister, or instrumentalist in a fun and relaxed setting.

6:30 p.m. Doors Open

7:00 p.m. Sung Evening Prayer

7:30 p.m. Reception

The Love Your Neighbor Ministry is expanding! We are thrilled to announce that the Ministry of Care has begun again through the Love Your Neighbor PRAY PILLAR. Thank you to the individuals who have been providing the Holy Eucharist to our parishioners during the pandemic. Ministers of Care will bring prayers and communion to local hospitals, nursing homes and the homebound.

We will have in-person training sessions on September 8 & 15 at 7:00 p.m.

If the Holy Spirit is calling you to help serve the elderly and sick, we invite you to click here to register for our upcoming Minister of Care training sessions.

Questions? Please contact Heidi Johnson.

Twice a month, Saint Clement volunteers serve dinner for the Guests at LPCS! Volunteers can participate by cooking onsite at LPCS or by preparing part of a meal at home and dropping it off.

Upcoming dates:

For more information or to sign up, please email Martina Ricca. 

Join us for our upcoming date:

Please arrive at Catholic Charities (721 N. LaSalle) by 3:00 p.m. to assist with meal packaging and service for the monthly dinner program.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Ursula Aguirre.

For Fiscal Year 2023, the staff and leadership councils decided to not host our annual fundraiser, Anchor Ball. This decision came from feedback from the parish for a more inclusive and affordable community event. We are excited, therefore, to offer our first community street fest, Fall Fest!

If you’ve been a parishioner at Saint Clement for awhile, you may remember a fall gathering we would have to promote all of the different ministry and leadership roles one could get involved in. This year’s Fall Fest is not that. It’s a good ol’ Chicago street fest — music, children’s games, food, and drinks — to bring us all together as a parish family.

For those who are able to assist us financially in safely producing this community event, we will be grateful for your sponsorship. You may find more details about our sponsorship levels here. Thank you for your consideration!

If you have any questions, please contact Joannie Weber, Director of Stewardship & Development.

As our Saint Clement Students prepare to come back to school, we have opted to extend the deadline of our School Supply Drive until Wednesday, August 24.

This collection will benefit the Religious Education students at Our Lady of Mercy, our sharing parish. We invite you to donate school supplies items such as:

Thank you for your generosity!

Registration is open for our Religious Education program! All 1st through 8th grade students are welcome to join.

SAVE THE DATE of Sunday, September 25th as we’ll have a special blessing for our catechists at the 9:30 Mass, followed by a reception for families where you will be invited to meet your child’s catechist for the year. Students will attend bimonthly classes on Sundays after the 9:30 Mass for a total of 15 classes throughout the academic year; the calendar of classes is available on the RE webpage. We look forward to welcoming new and returning families on Opening Day!

For further information on our RE program or to register visit clement.org/RE.

The Strengths for the Journey program that Saint Clement has offered to over 700 parishioners for over a decade has now been updated and expanded! Open to all new and existing adult parishioners, participants will take an assessment tool developed by Gallup, Inc. that will identify and explore their God-given talents, strategies for developing their talents into strengths, and ways in which their top strengths can work together on an individual and group basis. Participants will also take an established on-line assessment that allows them to discover their spiritual gifts. Together these assessments will be used to explore how each participant can draw upon his or her God-given talents, strengths and spiritual gifts to become a disciple of Christ.

The five-session fall program this year will be offered on Monday nights, September 19, 26, October 3, 10 and 17.

The Season of Creation begins September 1 (proclaimed World Day for Prayer for Creation by the Orthodox Church in 1989 and many other Christian churches since) and continues through the Feast of St. Francis of Assis, October 4.

On September 29, Saint Clement will host a “Season of Creation” program. You are invited to attend to engage in discussion and activities. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Monica Fox.

In his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis notes how “many people today sense a profound imbalance which drives them to frenetic activity and makes them feel busy.” (LS 225)

The Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles, one of the seven Laudato Si’ Goals, is grounded in the idea of sufficiency and promoting sobriety, or moderation, in the use of resources and energy. 

These are just a few of the ways you can “aspire to a life of dignity and sobriety, without luxury and waste, so that everyone in our world can enjoy a dignified existence.” (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Participants in the EU Youth Conference)

Laudato Si' calls us toward sustainability in the spirit of integral ecology. With profound care for each other, our Creator, and all creation, we are building a better future together.

The Archdiocese is one of nine dioceses around the world chosen to help launch the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Saint Clement will be going through this process and we are encouraging all parishioners to register on the platform found at https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/

All are invited to join the Afternoon Book Club to discuss the book Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance.

Questions? Please contact Rick Jones.

You may be new to Saint Clement or may be a little unsure of who is responsible for what, so be sure to tune in every week for a staff spotlight!

Joanna is one of our veteran staff members, serving our parish since 2005. She has held a few positions over the years, but most of her time has centered around our communications. While Joanna works behind the scenes, you have certainly seen her work! Most of our graphic design needs – from signage to logos to graphics – have Joanna’s digital fingerprints on them. She also ensures we get the word (and Word!) out, covering our e-newsletters such as The Plaza, updating our website, and creating our annual Stewardship Report. When we asked Joanna what she enjoys most about her role here at Saint Clement, she said, “The community at Saint Clement Parish puts so much good out into the world and in people’s lives. I love that I get to share such Good News and that I get to tap into my creative side in the process.”

Joanna's Top 5 StrengthsFinder Strengths:

We're hiring! We invite you to prayerfully consider applying for one of our open positions below.

Primarily responsible for social media, graphic design, and other communication related tasks. Learn more here.

Consider giving back to your community while also working with us. Join us for the Archdiocese of Chicago's next in-person career fair! We are looking to hire: