Apr. 25, 2021 A Catholic Community guided by the Holy Spirit to proclaim Christ’s love in worship, service and life-long learning
Church
8535 SW 19th Ave Portland, OR 97219 503.244.1037 Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9am - 12:30pm & 2 - 4pm [email protected] www.saintclarechurch.org Follow us on Facebook at St. Clare Catholic Church
Pastor Fr. Don Gutmann 101 Deacon Dcn. Bill McNamara 108 Business Manager Shelley Worrell 102 Pastoral Associate Pia de Leon 103 Children's Faith Formation Kristine Kvochak 104 ECHO Apprentice Lexie Wasinger 105 Administrative Assistant Laurie Zupsic 100
School
1807 SW Freeman St Portland, OR 97219 503.244.7600 [email protected] www.stclarepdx.org
Principal Chris Harris Office Manager Donna Parker MacNeur
Preschool
1812 SW Spring Garden St Portland, OR 97219 503.244.5458 [email protected]
Director Nancy Melzer Administrative Assistant Jeanne Raffety
Sacraments - Please visit www.saintclarechurch.org for more information on sacramental preparation.
Weekend & Daily Mass: Reconciliation Saturdays with Fr. Don Gutmann from 4pm - 4:30pm in the church. Social distancing will be practiced. Please wear masks. Saturday - 5pm Sunday - 8:30am & 10:45am Matrimony Six month preparation required. Contact Deacon Bill McNamara
Weekdays except Tuesdays - 8:30am Baptism for Infants Contact Deacon Bill McNamara.
Each Mass is now open to 130 people. Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation for Adults & Teens
Visit www.saintclarechurch.org for Contact Pia de Leon.
mandatory sign-up at weekend Masses Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation for Children and to view pre-recorded Sunday Mass. Contact Kristine Kvochak.
A Warm Welcome To All Who Worship with Us
Whether you are a long-time parishioner and need to update your information or newly arrived in the parish and not yet registered, please complete the information below and place in the offertory basket or mail to the parish office.
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□ New Parishioner □ Returning Catholic □ Moving (please remove from parish directory) □ New Phone Number □ New Address □ Please send Sunday Offertory envelopes Weekly Reflection Fr. Don’s Musings . . .
4th Sunday of Easter This Easter Season our parish focus has been on Apr. 25, 2021 praying. As a parish, we are going through Matthew
The cornerstone is the first stone that is Kelly’s book, I Heard God Laugh. Your homework for laid and the stone that not only determines how the this past week was to read Part III about the basics of other stones are placed but the position of the entire praying. He writes about his suggested Prayer Process, structure. As human beings, we need a cornerstone and the what, when, where, how, and why of praying. or reference point so that our lives can be properly Matthew Kelly’s Prayer Process is found on p. 41. placed and positioned. Our cornerstone determines It’s a 7 step process that works well. I want to review not only how we see ourselves but who we will a prayer process I’ve taught you before, which is very become. Without a cornerstone or reference point, similar to Kelly’s process, but perhaps a little easier we will be disconnected, disoriented, and poorly to remember than his. My process is called the Five positioned for effective action in our world. In order Finger Prayer. I recommend, like Kelly, to spend to be the children of God we are, Jesus Christ needs 10 minutes/day with it. to be our cornerstone and the reference point for all · Thumb: Thum bs-ups means “Good job” or that we do. He alone is the Good Shepherd who can “Thanks.” Start your prayer by thanking God guide us through life’s questions and challenges, for good things in your life. bringing us to proper pasture. Without this proper base, we can easily fall into the trap of self- · Index finger: We use this finger for all aggrandizement and quickly lose our way. If that kinds of things. Talk to God about all kinds of happens, then moral principles, proper conduct, things, significant things in your life: When justice, wisdom, and virtue will be difficult to find. were (or weren’t) you the best version of yourself We need to listen to the today? What important things are happening in right voices and allow God your life? to show us how to build · Middle finger: This finger, if raised by itself, our house well. Salvation is a sinful gesture. Confess your sins to God, ask only comes from God and God’s forgiveness. Enjoy his mercy/compassion. only God will protect us, no matter the cost. ©LPi · Ring finger: This finger doesn’t do much. Do nothing, with God. Sit quietly, listening to God. Too often we talk all the time in prayer, but
listening is important too, even if we don’t often Week-at-a-Glance “hear” anything.
Saturday, Apr. 24 · Little finger: Ask God for specific ways you 4:00pm Confession Church want help for your loved ones or for yourself. 5:00pm Mass +Mike Saalfeld Church Your homework for the coming week is to spend Sunday, Apr. 25 10 minutes/day doing Kelly’s Prayer Process or the 8:30am Mass +Tom & Anna Coughlin Church Five Finger Prayer, or try both and see which is best 10:45am Mass For the People Church for you. No reading assignment this week, just praying. Monday, Apr. 26 No point in reading about prayer if we aren’t doing 8:30am Daily Mass Leonor Lewis Church prayer. As Nike says, “Just Do It!” ~ Fr. Don Wednesday, Apr. 28 8:30am Daily Mass Church
Thursday, Apr. 29 8:30am Daily Mass +John Philp Callahan Church HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Friday, Apr. 30 Deacon Bill! 8:30am Daily Mass +John Duyn Church Saturday, Apr. 24
Saturday, May 1 He volunteers a huge amount 2:00pm Eucharistic Adoration Church of his time and energy to serve 4:00pm Confession Church 5:00pm Mass +Debbi Schmitt Church St. Clare Church. It is a joy to work beside Deacon Bill. May Sunday, May 2 God bless him and his family 8:30am Mass For the People Church 10:45am Mass Church abundantly. ~ Fr. Don
4th Sunday of Easter ~ Apr. 25, 2021
Introduction to the Celebration
The Good Shepherd gathers us and makes us one. Let us rejoice in God’s goodness.
United in Prayer ~ Lord Hear Our Prayer
For the whole church, its leaders and members, may we never forget the name of Jesus Christ upon whom we believe and for whose name we give praise and service . . . we pray to the Lord.
For unity in our communities, institutions and among nations in the world especially in calling out for healing of all hearts and souls of nations . . . we pray to the Lord.
For all families who experience tragedies, death and loss due to violence, hatred, racism, pandemics and other natural disasters, may they always be reminded that God overcame death for them . . . we pray to the Lord.
For a deeper sense of responsibility and re-energized commitment for the protection of God’s creation . . . we pray to the Lord.
For all of our first communicants and their families, may these children grow closer to Jesus Christ as they prepare to receive Him for the first time next weekend . . . we pray to the Lord.
For all of the Faithful, that during the Easter season, we may ponder more clearly God’s unique call for each one of us in our lives and give him our faithful, yes . . . we pray to the Lord.
For the sick and the dying and for those who have died, may God’s mercy and compassion be theirs . . . we pray to the Lord.
Thoughts for Kids from Deacon Bill . . . 4th Sunday of Easter ~ Apr. 25, 2021
“Jesus said, ‘I am the good shepherd. A good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away. And the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.’ ” John 10: 11-13
Today, Jesus talks to us about sheep and shepherds. We have all probably seen or know a little about sheep. They are fluffy animals that give us wool to make nice warm clothes that keep us warm in the winter. I can remember seeing them as talking sheep that helped a little pig in the movie called, “Babe.” There are not too many shepherds around here today. Shepherds were extremely popular before and during the time that Jesus was physically with us. They were in charge of flocks (a whole lot) of sheep. Shepherds lived with the sheep day and night and were truly dedicated to looking after and protecting all of the sheep in their flock. At night, they would lead the sheep into a fenced in area, called a pen, where other shepherds and sheep would spend the night. In the morning, each shepherd would have a special call sign, so the sheep would recognize their voice and follow the shepherd to pasture.
This is like when we have a pet. Pets can’t take care of themselves. We need to feed them, clean them, protect them, care for them, and even take them to the vet if they get sick. If they get lost, we go to look for them and bring them home. Having a pet is a big responsibility. As I write this kids page today, our grand dog, Bernie, is visiting. She is a terror. She has a lot of energy and gets into a lot of trouble. She loves to play rough with Ricky, our dog. She comes on like a wolf. I have to act like a shepherd to protect Ricky. I have to give both dogs a lot of attention. If Bernie were not with us, she would have to go to a kennel and need to spend the whole night by herself in a cage. A hired man would take care of her but not a shepherd. So, I get to be a shepherd to Bernie. Some examples of shepherds might be parents, grandparents, older brothers or sisters, firefighters, nurses, and doctors. Some examples of hired hands could be friends who disappear when you are facing a crisis or people who promise to help but don’t come through.
Shepherds do things out of true love. Jesus is the real thing – the Good Shepherd. Jesus will always be with us – always love us. We are his flock. Jesus continuously looks after us and protects us. He wants us to listen to hear his voice. So how do we hear Jesus’ voice today? We hear Jesus talking to us through those people in our lives who love us - our parents, grandparents, teachers, priests, and other ministers. These are the people who are shepherds to us today.
Heavenly Father, thank you for letting Jesus reveal to us what shepherds are all about and for being our Good Shepherd. Thank you also for placing loving people in our lives to lead us and guide us. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen, Alleluia.
Our One True Home A story of a faith journey, each week of the Easter Season from the Neophytes of 2021, Leigh Anna’s Story
The middle of five children, my parents raised us with a For about 4 or 5 years I stayed in this in-between space, where knowledge of God’s love and his presence in our lives. I I would tell people I wanted to become Catholic but hadn’t yet. attended Catholic elementary school and high school, had The reasons were mostly fear-based, admitting I didn’t have mostly Christian friends, and watched Catholics from afar, the answers, confronting incorrect ways of thinking, and mostly. I considered Catholicism to be boring and dry, with having to more or less jump into the unknown. But it seemed lots of rote movements and lacking feeling. But I also accepted that in spite of these fears, the Holy Spirit continued to draw that we were all Christians, just with a few differences about me. I finally made the decision to reach out to St. Clare after which I knew very little. my boyfriend and I had been dating about a year and were I became Christian secretly. I quietly took a Bible after a becoming more serious considering our future together. He Vacation Bible School but don’t recall ever talking openly supported me from the beginning, himself being unsure of about what it meant for me to become Christian. One where it would take us. I was baptized and we were both afternoon when I was alone, I asked Jesus over and over to confirmed at the Easter Vigil mass. come into my heart, just as my pastor had told us to know. I I have a great peace knowing I can trust the authority of the wanted to be sure Jesus was there, but I didn’t feel any Catholic Church, but the same question is there for me that different. there was before I even started thinking about Catholicism, In high school, my best friend started asking questions about which is: what difference does my faith make to my life? how do we know what is truth, what is the “right” religion. My I think that God wants to fill me up in all the ways he has junior year, I received a letter from my dad that felt like God made me: intellectually, physically, and emotionally. So while I talking right to me telling me how he loved me, and that it was want to keep learning about the Church, about the traditions, not because of anything I ever did. My dad loved me because I devotions, saints, and such, I must also make the continual was his daughter, and I remember thinking God was making commitment to practices such as attending Mass, bringing himself known to me. myself into the physical space of the church, and of course in I chose to attend a Christian college, tried to pray, journal, prayer to talk with Jesus so He can grow me in the ways he read my Bible, had conversations with other Christians, and desires. My biggest take-away from this journey so far has every once in a while attended a church service. Life was very been that even when I don’t have all the answers, I should full at that time, but I didn’t feel challenged in any particular press into the calling that God places on my heart because way to reconsider my faith, except that I knew it was each time I have taken the step he has been there. important, but actually how much of a difference it made was another story. Then one of my brothers became Catholic and joined a monastery. Conversations were started, questions were asked, as we, the family, all tried to understand this huge decision he made. I began to listen to Catholic radio, in particular Catholic Pictured: Answers. It felt like the questions I had been carrying around Leigh Anna for so long were being allowed to surface, that maybe I didn’t Morgan need to be afraid of the questions anymore. Questions about (center) with her particular doctrines, or just explanations about why the godparent, Church did a particular thing began to be made clear. I Caitlin brought this new information to conversations with my Lodzinsky, parents, and slowly I found myself reconsidering thinking and St. habits and confronting my anti-Catholic bias. Clare Pastor, Fr. Don Gutmann Outreach
2nd Collection ~ May 1-2 It is time to select qualified parishioners, who are Since 1933, Catholic Charities of Oregon has been a committed to the faith and its work, to membership trusted ally of the most poor and marginalized and on the Pastoral Council which helps our pastor to a leader in finding innovative solutions to poverty shepherd our community. and injustice. The agency is proud to serve all God’s Do you know of anyone who has the passion and children as the official Domestic Relief Agency of care for the mission of the church and for the care the Catholic Church in Oregon. of God’s people? Nominate them. Nominate yourself
Today, in pursuit of our mission, we offer a broad if you feel called. Nominations will begin May 8-9 array of social services that not only meet the very and continue through May 22-23. Watch for a basic needs of our clients but also provide them with detailed flyer next weekend for ways to discern the tools, knowledge, and support needed to improve your nominees and on how to nominate them. their situations and break free from the bonds of In July of this year, when we start the new fiscal poverty. Our programs include financial coaching year, we will welcome new members to the Pastoral and empowerment, affordable and transitional Council. housing, permanent supportive housing, resident services, immigration legal services, refugee services, Let’s pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to come family support and counseling, case management, upon us. and more.
As an agency founded during the Great Depression, Saturday, May 1 2 - 4pm we at Catholic Charities recognize that it’s not a Come and spend a few minutes matter of if a crisis happens but when. Due to the with the Lord in prayer.
COVID-19 pandemic and Oregon wildfires, the need Benediction begins at 3:45pm. to expand our work to include services specific to disaster preparation and response has become more apparent than ever. Thanks to the dedication and Scripture Readings generosity of our community of donors, volunteers, partners, and supporters, we can continue to offer 5th Sunday of Easter May 2, 2021 support that meets people where they are and provides them with access to life-saving services Reading 1 - Acts 9:26-31 as they rebuild their lives. Psalms - PS 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32 Reading 2 - 1 JN 3:18-24 Catholic Charities of Oregon is a member of Catholic Gospel - JN 15:1-8
Charities USA and of Caritas International, the global For daily readings, please visit www.usccb.org network of agencies that make up the charitable arm of the world-wide Catholic Church.
The agency is headquartered at 2740 SE Powell Blvd. Many thanks to all who contribute! For more information, please call 503.231-4866, or Weekly Offertory Report visit www.catholiccharitiesoregon.org. Actual Average Amount Over Offertory Offertory Goal ﴾Under﴿ Goal
W/E 4.18.21 $8,794 $8,481 $313 The St. Clare Conference April to Date $19,586 $16,962 $2,624 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Total Fiscal Year $356,007 $347,721 $8,286 Food Pantry Needs Goal for FY 20-21: $8,481 needed weekly to fund the current • Creamy Peanut Butter • Brown Rice programs, personnel and facilities of the church. • Pancake Mix • Dishwashing Liquid Reminder: Donations may be mailed to or dropped off Donations may be placed in the food baskets in the church at the parish office. Interested in Online Giving? Please or on the front porch of the parish office. visit www.saintclarechurch.org and click the Online Giving *Please check dates to ensure foods have not expired.* link. Thank you! Are you or someone you know • St. Clare Parishioner www.pacificcarcare.com considering or impacted by abortion? “Complete Keys * Locks * Safes • Your Burlingame Automotive “Let Our Neighbor Service” Family 6290 SW Arctic Dr. • Real Estate Broker Take Care FamilyOwned of Your Family” Beaverton Meadows Group Inc., Realtors For compassionate counseling 503-293-7200 503.709.7956 503-245-3653 contact: Call or text me, and let’s find your 8350 SW Barbur Blvd Catholic Charities home with the Orange Door! Portland, OR 97219 www.amaxsecurity.com 800-249-8074 www.SuzannePage.com
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