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 7-8 p.m. Contact Gordon at 832-580-8006 for information.














General Information:
CIA is accepting calls for emergency outreach assistance and is working with Interfaith Caring Ministries to assist those in need. If you know of anyone in local zip codes 77058, 77059, 77062, 77546, 77565, 77573, 77586, and 77598 who needs short-term, critical help with rent or utilities, please have them call 713-530-7452, from Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon. Volunteers will answer calls and offer help as available.

CIA members and other parishioners continue to feed the local homeless in partnership with local charity The Mercy Tree. Volunteers bring prepared food from a specific menu to TMT workers, who then box lunches for recipients. For information on St. Clare’s participation, contact Nancy at 281-286-4548.

Projects/Events: July-September
The annual School Supplies Drive, which helps children of low-income families, began in mid-July, as CIA members handed out lists of needed items in the Narthex after Masses. Donations were collected in specially marked bins in the hallway to the Conference Center, through early August.  Your gifts help ensure that needy children who attend Our Lady of Fatima (Texas City) and Our Lady of Lourdes (Hitchcock) Catholic schools have a good start to their education year. For information, call Kathye at 281-782-8825. Thanks for your participation.

In June and August, will CIA sponsor Desserts for Donations fund raisers at the Knights of Columbus BBQ dinners. Donations help fund CIA’s many outreach efforts. We hope to see you for dinner and dessert in the Parish Hall the next time! 

Recent Efforts:
During May, the month of Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day, parishioners supported the Hospitalized Veterans Project, donating $1,660 in gift cards, nine bags of clothing and footwear, and 13 boxes of toiletries and dental products
for our military men and women who receive treatment at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.  Thank you for your support.   

In addition to helping client families with emergency outreach financial assistance, the donations from parishioners and others, and recent fund-raising efforts allowed CIA to give financial support to charities that offer help throughout our community, for services including food, pregnancy aid, senior services, help for the homeless and refugees, aid to battered women and children and assistance to the poor.  Thank you for your caring concern.

Thank You So Much:
St Clare’s Christians In Action members gratefully thank all parishioners for your support of our outreach efforts in 2022. Your caring and generous response to these activities ensured that St. Clare parishioners assisted some of the most needy in our community. Together, we accomplished so much:

• Provided lunch for homeless clients of The Mercy Tree 11 times during the year, and gifted jackets and needed supplies.
• Gave emergency financial assistance for rent and utilities to 209 clients, for a total of almost $81,000.
• Supported clients of Houston Catholic shelter Casa Juan Diego by giving 250 boxes of toiletries and personal supplies in the Lenten Shoebox Project.
• Donated 26 boxes of clothing, toiletries and other supplies to support local hospitalized veterans.
• Gave 48 boxes of needed school supplies to Catholic School students at two area under-served schools.
• Donated 140 boxes of food to the local hungry served by Galveston County Food Bank and Clear Lake Food Pantry, in the Thanksgiving Food Drive.
• Provided groceries for 40 local families in need, in the Thanksgiving Adopt-a-Family Project.
• Shared Christmas blessings and gifts with numerous clients of Houston Catholic shelter Casa Juan Diego and many at-risk CCISD students, in the Spirit of Christmas Project.
• Supported inmates at the nearby Carol S. Young Prison by offering nearly 3,300 free greeting cards for the use of inmates.
• Provided weekly donations to our food pantry partners to help the local hungry, and recycled used eyeglasses and postage stamps, to assist non-profit groups.

 
Ongoing Support:
Because parishioner contributions to CIA’s monthly envelope pay for nearly all of CIA’s financial outreach assistance to the needy, we humbly request your continued support. To donate, please use your monthly envelope entitled CIA Aid to the Poor and Needy. It is collected the fourth weekend of each month. If you don’t have an envelope, just note “for CIA” at lower left on your check. Thank you for making a difference to those in need.

Link your Kroger Plus Card to KM540 and St. Clare’s Christians In Action will earn money to help clients who need emergency outreach assistance. Link your card only once, either at a store customer desk or by visiting www.Kroger.com.

If you have questions, please call Gordon at 832-580-8006.