Our Mission:
Believing that we cannot proclaim a gospel we do not live, we dedicate our activities to promoting the welfare of those in need of comfort, shelter and food and, through education and action, to working for justice and peace.
 
 
CIA Prayer:
Dear Lord, you are the light that brings us together. We thank you for the gifts that you have given each of us to do your work. Help us to remember our blessings and to recognize the needs of your people. Grant that our minds and hearts are open to your will and give us the wisdom to know how we can serve you. In the spirit of St. Clare, may we respond with charity and love. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
 
 
Meetings
CIA members (below) invite you to join us as we meet the second Tuesday of each month, from 7:30-9 p.m. Contact Karen at 281-486-4403 or Roberta at 281-486-9673 for information.
 

   
Newsletter:
Click here to view CIA’s 2019 newsletter, with photos and information about group activities and community outreach.

 
 Projects/Events through December:
Two parish-wide Thanksgiving Projects help feed the poor. The projects will begin with CIA volunteers handing out grocery lists and signing up family sponsors in the narthex after all masses Oct.12-13. Parishioners will be able to adopt needy local families, ranging in size from small (3-4 members) to large (16 members) in the Thanksgiving Adopt-a-Family Project. Food for this project should be boxed, marked with the recipient family name and number, and turned in at the St. Clare Conference Center by noon on Saturday, Nov. 16. Food may be dropped off earlier near the CIA Food Collection Box in the hallway to the Conference Center. Donations for the second project, the Thanksgiving Food Drive, will be shared by St. Pius V Catholic Church and Casa Juan Diego food pantries. The list for that project is shown below. Monetary donations also are welcome. Please make checks payable to St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church with “CIA Thanksgiving Food Drive” on the memo line. Donations should be received in the parish office no later than Nov. 8.

Please drop off donations at the CIA Food Collection Box; or, you may bring them directly to the Conference Center from 9-11 a.m., Nov. 16-17. For information, call Yvette at 281-480-1330 Adopt-a-Family Project) or Kathye at 281-486-6944 (Food Drive.) Your generous donations go to feed Houston's hungry. Thanks for your participation.

 

The Spirit of Christmas Project helps you share Christmas blessings with the underprivileged from two organizations. St. Clare and the Salvation Army have been partners in the Spirit of Christmas project for many years.  Scheduling and delivery challenges led the Christians in Action to consider whether we could serve others in a different partnership.  St. Pius V Catholic Church Social Services ministry provides assistance to parishioners and neighbors in a low-income area of Pasadena.  Recipients qualify through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (a federal program).  Help us bring holiday cheer to children (newborn through high school) or seniors (age 65+). Can you make their three wishes come true? Families in our second agency, Casa Juan Diego (CJD), struggle without proper subsistence. CJD helps with basics—food, shelter and medical care. You can make Christmas special by giving gifts many of us consider ordinary. Jackets, blankets, underwear, and space heaters can make all the difference to these poor families. CIA members will be in the narthex the weekends of Nov. 16-17 and 23-24 with information on how you can participate. Gifts are due Dec 8. For information, contact Marla at 281-480-1231 (St. Pius) or Karen/Gordon at 281-486-4403 (CJD.) (A very early) Merry Christmas to you!

Recent Accomplishments:

Thanks for making the School Supply Drive a success. You gave two SUV loads of school supplies to help children in need. Your gifts help ensure that needy children who attend Queen of Peace and St. Pius V Catholic schools have a good start to their education year.

 
 
Thank You So Much:
St Clare’s Christians In Action members gratefully thank all parishioners for support of our many outreach projects last year. Your caring and generosity allowed us to assist the most needy. Below are some of the ways you helped others during 2018.
 

• Provided 282 needy families with financial help to pay monthly rent, utilities and other aid, at a cost of more than $58,000.
• Presented gift bags for 72 elderly clients identified by Catholic Charities, in the Valentine Senior Services Project.
• Donated 175 boxes of essential items for those served by Casa Juan Diego Shelter, through the Lenten Box Project.
• Contributed an entire truck full of underwear, socks, books, toiletries, puzzles and games in the Hospitalized Veterans Project.
• Raised $1,750 in the annual CROP Hunger Walk, to help the needy through three local organizations and the international Catholic Relief Services.
• Gave enough school supplies to meet the needs of many under privileged children served by St. Pius V and Queen of Peace Catholic parish schools.
• Adopted--and provided food for--49 needy families and donated enough food to fill almost 100 boxes for pantries at St. Pius V Parish and Casa Juan Diego Shelter, in the Thanksgiving Adopt-a-Family Project and Food Drive.
• Gave gifts of clothing, shoes, toys, and essentials to the needy: 75 children and 25 seniors identified by Salvation Army, and many clients of Casa Juan Diego Shelter, in the Spirit of Christmas Project.
• Helped feed the homeless of Clear Lake, through the Mercy Tree project.
• Supported our parish weekly food basket, and donated eyeglasses, education box tops, Sunday coupon circulars and stamps to help others.

 
 
Ongoing Support:
Did you know your contributions to CIA’s monthly envelope (Aid to the Poor and Needy) pay for nearly all of CIA’s financial outreach assistance to the needy?  CIA receives donations from two grocery store programs (see paragraph below) and St. Clare’s Knights
of Columbus, but no additional funding comes from the church for outreach aid.  The amount that you decide to include in your envelope the fourth weekend of each month is what helps the local needy who come to us with immediate, critical, short-term needs--like assistance with rent or utility bills. Typically, CIA spends about $4,500-$6,000 each month, to help 20-35 families. We appreciate your generosity. After all, donations from St. Clare parishioners keep Christians In Action “in action.”
 
Grocery stores Kroger and Randalls both have free loyalty cards, which offer customers in-store and online savings and special offers.  And, when you link your card to St. Clare’s Christians In Action, we earn money from these companies several times a year to help clients who need emergency outreach assistance. You need to link your cards only once: for Kroger Plus Card to KM540 and for Randalls Remarkable Card to 8313. Visit Kroger.com or Randalls.com for information. Each time you shop, use your card; or, if you’d prefer, list a phone number with your account and give that number to the cashier. It’s easy. When you do this, you save on grocery shopping and CIA earns money for outreach clients. That’s a real win-win. Questions? Contact Yvette at 281-480-1330.