St. Clement Parish offers an opportunity to remember your deceased loved ones through Christmas memorial donations. The money we collect will go toward decorating our church during Advent and throughout the Christmas Season. Please put your donation in an envelope marked with your name and name(s) of those you wish to remember, and drop the envelope in the offertory basket, the wooden podium by the parish office entrance or at the Parish Office. All checks should be payable to St. Clement Parish and turned in by Dec. 16. Thank you!

St. Clement is once again taking part in the Grant County Holiday Project to assist families in need have a better Christmas. The “Giving Trees” are up and ready for you to grab a leaf. Please return all gifts to the church by Sunday, December 15, wrapping will begin right after Mass. Gift cards or cash should be placed in the wooden podium outside the parish office. Be sure to attach the tag to the gift! We have adopted 7 families who will be grateful for our care and compassion this Christmas. Thank you to Lynn Crooks, Ashleigh Hampton, Cheryl Raisbeck, and Emily and Sue Schildgen for organizing this work of mercy and love.

This week in our continuing series on evangelization tips we're talking about the importance of praying out loud with others. While it may seem daunting at first, this practice can yield abundant fruit. Here's a basic "How To" on interceding for someone out loud: As Catholics we are used to saying "I will pray for you" or "I will offer this up for you." But it is usually better to offer to pray out loud for people instead. We can say, "Would it be okay if I said a prayer for you now?" Or "Do you need prayer for anything? ... Can I pray for you now?" That way, the person knows that you are going to pray out loud and they can simply receive the prayer in their heart. People are often more open to receiving prayer in the moment when they know they aren't expected to say anything. Before praying, guide them through the process, step by step. If you haven't already learned their first name, now would be a good time to ask. As Dale Carnegie said, "a person's name is the sweetest sound in any language," so using someone's name in prayer is powerful. If you feel led to put your hand on their arm or shoulder, ask for permission first. Human touch can be therapeutic. Then lead them in a basic prayer, mentioning their intentions. You can use something like "A.C.T.S." A.C.T.S. stands for Adora tion (giving God praise and glory), Contrition (asking for forgiveness for the things they -and we- have done wrong), Thanksgiving (giving God thanks for the good things in the person's life), and §.upplication (praying for their specific needs). For example, "Almighty God and Father, we praise you and glorify your holy name. We are sorry for the things we have done wrong and the ways we have failed you. Thank you for my new friend, Joe, for his family, for his friendship, and for the gifts he brings to his community. Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, please help Joe find a new job so he can provide for his family and fulfill his duties in this life. Amen." Whether praying for a physical, emotional, or spiritual healing, at the end remind them that God loves them and has a good plan for their life! Encourage them to pray about the problem too, and emphasize that God wants all of His children to be healed. This evangelization tip was brought to you by St. Paul Street Evangelization. Take our course on Healing in Evangelization and prayer ministry at evangelizationschool.com.

Our next week to host families with children experiencing homelessness will be the week of December 1 – 7. Volunteer sign-up sheets are in the back of the church. Last Monday was the feast of St. Martin of Tours. One night, Martin, a Roman soldier, was entering a city during the winter. There at the gates he met a beggar freezing in the cold. Martin took his military cloak and cut it into 2 pieces, giving one to the beggar. That night, Jesus appeared to him in a dream, telling Martin that He, Jesus, was that beggar in disguise. That event changed his life. Like St. Martin, we put our faith into action by our care and concern for God’s children, especially those in need. Help us support families that are trying to make ends meet and to achieve independence by volunteering for our host week. Contact Bill Manthe at 723-4990 or Peg Jonas at 723-2051 if you have questions.

St. Clement CCW invites women of St. Joseph The Worker Pastorate to an Advent Celebration at the historic L. J. Arthur House, 210 N. Jefferson St, Lancaster, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 6:00-8:00 p.m. A light meal of appetizers, sweet treats and punch will be served. Fr. Mark Miller will give an Advent reflection. All women of our pastorate are members of CCW and welcome to attend. Please let us know by Dec. 9 that you plan to celebrate with us. Call or text Bernadette Schaefer at 608-732-7475, or Marcia Hampton at 608-732-8849.

This week in our continuing series on evangelization tips we’re talking about the method of Listen, Befriend, Proclaim, and Invite. Evangelization is an important responsibility of all Catholics. However, many of us Catholics can be a little intimidated by the idea that we might openly share the saving story of Jesus Christ with others. It’s not that we don’t find it important or desire the salvation of our brothers and sisters who don’t know Him. On the contrary. We simply get nervous when we have to share something as personal and demanding as the Gospel. We don’t know how people will react. But what if we had a template that we could use for sharing the Gospel? What if we had a predetermined method that removes a lot of our own stumbling and guesswork, so that there’s a defined beginning, middle, and end? SPSE has created a model called Listen, Befriend, Proclaim, and Invite. And it’s as easy as it sounds. First, you simply listen to a person to show them that you care about what they have to say. As they say, “nobody cares what you know, until they know that you care.” And that’s what listening accomplishes. Next, befriend by making conversation and finding a shared interest or common ground on a topic. After that, it’s your turn to talk. This is where you proclaim the Gospel. Briefly tell them about Jesus, what He’s done out of love for us (the kerygma), and what our response should be. (Don’t focus too much on the negative/sin aspect, as this may be their first encounter with Jesus in a long time or ever.) Finally, invite them to take a step towards Jesus, either by encouraging them to pray, or perhaps to do some reading based on recommendations you’ve given them about Jesus. Or who knows … maybe they’re ready for confession! As long as they are taking a step, no matter how small, in the direction of Our Lord, then it’s a successful mission. One final thing to remember—what they do with the information you’ve given is up to them. All we do is plant seeds — it is God’s job to make them grow. So your next step is to practice. Run through this method with a few friends or family members, and then ask God to put someone in your path who needs to hear it. Don’t be surprised when He does!

Share the gift of life by donating blood. The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at St. Mary School in Bloomington from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25.

Everyone is invited to attend this fun, family event and enjoy the yummy breakfast, craft show, raffle, delicious Christmas cookies & candy, and visit with Santa on Sunday, Dec. 1 at St. Mary's School in Bloomington. All St. Mary’s fabulous bakers are invited to donate cookies and candy for the Cookie Sale. Please drop your cookies or candy off at the school by 10 AM on Saturday, Nov. 30. Monetary donations would also be appreciated; call 994-2435 for more information.

Thank you to all for supporting our Ss. Andrew-Thomas Pumpkin Sale Fundraiser and special thank you to all that made it possible: Dan Pierce, Kevin Udelhoven, Jamie & Angie Pierce, Fred & Ginny Koeller, Larry & Betty Kalina.

The Advent Breakfast at St. Charles School has been cancelled this year.

Please join us for Rosary, Adoration and Benediction at St. Andrew Church every 4th Thursday of the month, to pray for peace from 7-8:00 p.m. It will be the third Thursday in November sue to Thanksgiving.

The long-awaited and overdue 2023 St. Clement Parish Directories have finally arrived! It was my understanding that the directories, like the photographs, would be mailed directly to those who had photos taken at the parish. But that is not the case. All were delivered to the parish office. We will be distributing them after the weekend Masses to those who had photos taken or who submitted photos. We will also be hand delivering some of them. You can stop by the office to pick yours up too. If you did not have your photo taken, directories can be purchased for $15 (the cost of a photo submission). The 2023 directory summarizes and totals the number of sacramental events that have taken place since we were established in 1859. This is the last photo directory for St. Clement Parish. Once our pastorate is merged, the next directory will be that of St. Joseph the Worker Parish which will include all seven churches. ~Bill Manthe

A Bereavement Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. at St. Andrew Church in Tennyson on November 3.

We will remember loved ones who have died this past year at the Mass on Saturday, November 2 at St. Mary's Church, Glen Haven. If you would like to have your loved one remembered, please contact the St. Charles Parish office (608-725-5595).

We will remember loved ones who have died this past year at the 8:00 p.m. Mass on Saturday, November 2 at St. Mary's Help of Christians Church. If you would like to have your loved one remembered, please contact the St. Charles Parish office (608-725-5595) with the person’s name and which Mass you will be attending.

We will remember loved ones who have died this past year at the 4:30 p.m. Mass on Saturday, November 2 at St. Charles Church. If you would like to have your loved one remembered, please contact the St. Charles Parish office (608-725-5595) with the name of the person.

Thank You to everyone who attended our and special thanks to the many wonderful volunteers and generous donors. We couldn’t have a successful festival without you! Congratulations to our raffle winners: $5,000 - Maddie Driscoll (gave $500 back) $3,000 - Stan Miles $1,000 - Mary Jo Roesch $500 - Tom McLimans $100 - Kathy Edwards (gave all to school) $100 - Patricia Adams $100 - Larry Duncan $100 - Connie Murray $50 - Judy Leeser $50 - Mary Chapman

To create an account to place an order: https://store.ignatiusbookfairs.com/ 1. Click “Sign Up” 2. Click “Create an Account” then Choose your role 3. Fill out your information: name, email, create password 4. Add your child’s name 5. Find your school with zip code and/or State. Click “search” and select your school 6. Choose Classroom 7. Confirm 8. Click “Get Started” or click “Add another child”