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Reflection
Jesus reminded his disciples that passing judgment on others reveals more about you than about them. The faults we can identify in others are the ones we have in ourselves.
We are so close to ourselves, we block everything else out or we put such a personal spin on all our perceptions that what we see in others, especially to criticize, is usually about us. Thomas Aquinas put this principle of subjectivity simply “Whatever is received into something is received according to the condition of the receiver.”
Do Not Judge
Someone Else's
Life Story
On
The Chapter
You Walked In On
Jesus wanted his disciples to be free of this kind of self-entrapment. Not to need to pass judgment on others is a great grace and real freedom if we can do it. Judgmental people end up cornering themselves within their high standards which requires them to keep track of other people’s faults to maintain their system of self-righteousness. Jesus saw the paralysis this created in the scribes and Pharisees. Instead of guiding people to God, they set up a thicket of rules around a wall of laws behind which God was inaccessible to everyone except the perfect.
Pope Francis made news around the world when he said, “Who am I to judge?” on a topic many others are quick to judge. If God does not judge us, who are we to judge one another? He set the tone for his papacy and revealed its central theme that God is merciful. Making God the enforcer of our systems of morality prevents us from accessing mercy when we really need it.
From: Pat Marrin Spirituality, Pencil Preaching on Mote & Beam
Recent St. Cletus Activites
The St. Cletus parish family has supported a number of recent activities to help our parishioners, neighbors, and others.
Supporting Our Youth
Kathy Brendenkoetter
Sister Cathy Doherty, Pastoral Associate at Our Lady of Guadalupe and Rosanne Doherty, principal of St. Cletus have been working on a number of social justice activities at their two schools. The emphasis is based on multi-cultural awareness and anchored in the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching from the USCCB.
St. Cletus Peace & Justice Ministry continues to explore ways to assist both schools with these and other important aspects of social justice.
Current activities include:
the Homeless Jesus Statues,
DACA and Immigration,
Mass in four languages,
Student exchange activities between OLG and Cletus
John O’Leary's inspirational presentation on overcoming burns over100 percent of his body at 9 years old,
Multi-cultural "dance-offs",
Kids traveling to "Mass on the Border" sponsored by the diocese of Tucson and the archdiocese of Hermosillo, Mexico,
A grant on Teaching Tolerance (a year-long effort across several grade levels)
Anti-racism and multicultural books,
Collecting bottle caps to make park benches,
Exploring black and Latino saints
St. Cletus Supports Foster and Adoptive Families
Jim LaVictoire
The July STOP collection supported the Foster Adoption Support Team.
The St. Cletus Peace and Justice Ministry coordinates a number of Sharing Our Table Of Plenty (STOP) events each year that support local charities.
St. Cletus parishioners were very generous with their contributions to the Foster Adoption Support Team (FAST) back-to-school STOP event sponsored by the Peace & Justice Ministry. Donations included 328 school supply items, $225 in shoe cards, and $325 in cash.
In addition, the FAST Trivia Night on July 9 raised over $12,000 to support kids.
All of these items will go directly to our foster and adoptive families. Many of the items will be distributed at our back-to-school event in a few weeks. We thank you again for your efforts. St. Cletus has truly been a blessing for FAST!
St. Louis Area Foodbank Collection
Terri Noel and Mary Howle
St. Cletus participated in the Fill Up The Pickup Food Drive on September 11 -12.
Fill Up The Pickup food drives were created in 2020 by a small group of St. Louis residents that wanted to help with food insecurity families were facing during the pandemic. This small group of residents quickly found support from individual neighborhoods all over the metro area and those modest efforts resulted in 61,000 meals being provided to families in dire need of assistance.
St. Cletus participated in this food drive on September 11th collecting 4 full SUV's for the Food Bank!
Racial Justice
Barb Prideaux
Barb Prideaux orchestrated St. Cletus’ representation at the "Good Trouble" vigil July 17 in the
Central West End to honor US Rep. John Lewis' work on expanding voter rights
LGBTQ
Jean Weber
Jean Weber reported on a very productive meeting on July 6 with Pat Holterman-Hommes, CEO of Youth In Need, and Dr. Michael Meehan, Chief Clinical Officer of Great Circle on the LGBTQ community.
God Is On Your Side.
Bill Weisrock
The statement from U.S. Bishops on protecting LGBTQ youth was included in the St. Cletus bulletin on August 28-29.
While recognizing and accepting Catholic teaching on this issue, as found in §2357 - 59 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we, the St. Cletus Peace and Justice Ministry stand in support of LGBTQ youth, and this statement by these Catholic bishops. If you, as a parishioner, would like to have St. Cletus Parish sign on to this statement, please let us know at PJ@saintcletus.org.
Background information on the statement can be found here.
In May 2018 the Peace & Justice Ministry held a 4-week book discussion, based on the acclaimed book by Fr. James Martin SJ, entitled Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.
The discussion was well-attended by 60 people, and results of a post-discussion survey indicated it was valuable in expanding minds and opening hearts of many to the needs and struggles of LGBTQ Catholics vis-à-vis Church teaching and often Church exclusion.
Since then, our Ministry has held several meetings and discussions with members, as well as clergy and experts, to try to determine what our next steps should be. We posed two basic questions. First, how can we inform all parishioners as to that need for respect, compassion, and sensitivity toward our LGBTQ sisters and brothers? Secondly, how can we recognize and welcome those LGBTQ persons and their families in our community, while simultaneously respecting both Church teaching and the often varied and divided opinions about the LGBTQ community?
We recently became aware of the Tyler P. Clementi foundation formed by his parents following the untimely death of their gay son who came out to his family and friends in college. Smart, talented, and creative, Tyler Clementi was deeply loved by family and friends for his kind heart and bright spirit. At the young age of 18, he became a victim of a horrible act of cyber-harassment and humiliation. His story puts a human face on the consequences of cruelty, which has been faced by millions of others suffering in silence in their schools, colleges, teams, workplaces, or faith communities. (For more information, visit www.tylerclementi.org.)
In January 2021 fourteen US Catholic bishops co-authored on the Tyler Clementi website God Is On Your Side: A Statement From Catholic Bishops on Protecting LGBTQ Youth. To date, 26 Catholic parishes, 96 Catholic orders, 25 Catholic organizations, and 22 Catholic colleges and universities have signed on to the statement.
This statement appeared to us to be an excellent way to inform our parishioners of this great need and to convey the message to LGBTQ persons and their families of the concern and desire to help on the part of the Peace & Justice Ministry. Accordingly, with our pastor’s permission, we published this statement in our parish bulletin at the end of August. One of our next steps will be to assess the level of interest within certain other parishes within the archdiocese in the bishops’ statement. Planning is also underway to extend the discussion through educating, listening, questioning, and dialoguing to enhance respect, compassion, and sensitivity in relation to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.
Christ's saving work on earth continues through his disciples...and now through us. When we give to the poor, Good indeed pours his love, peace, and joy into our hearts, into our lives and into the hearts of those who are poor.
The St. Cletus St. Vincent de Paul Society provided the following assistance over the past year.
$77,038 spent helping 349 clients
349 people helped (1,009 hours) by our St. Vincent DePaulSociety
Parish Education
Pam Brown
Pam Brown includes occasional reflections and informational inserts into the parish bulletin to help educate the parish on environmental topics. Here is one such insert on appreciation of our weather. Pam also included a blurb on how to recycle plastic grocery bags.
Reflect
The weather can have a direct affect on our mental and emotional well-being. But when we choose to see our connection to the created world, we can be sure that—rain or shine—we will encounter the sacred.
Pray
God of warm summer nights
and freezing gray mornings,
help me respond to the invitation of the earth today.
Whether in boundless energy
or in contemplative stillness,
may I accept
and not judge my body’s response to the weather.
May I recognize that everything has its place,
and everything has its time—
including my feelings.
Amen.
Act
Check the weather forecast for today. Think of how can you use the weather to draw near, listen, and respond to God’s voice.
Credit: Pause and Pray Franciscan Media
"In the Catholic faith we understand that there is such a thing as “structural sin” that occurs on a collective basis; sin cannot only be in the context of individual acts or omissions. Thus, no matter who I am or what I do, I am living in a societal structure that engages in structural and systemic acts of suppression of other people. That is a sin and cannot be swept under the rug. As Catholics we must recognize that just as Jesus ministered to the marginalized -- loving our neighbor means also loving our marginalized brothers and sisters. However, Personal good works alone will not solve the structural problems of racism."
Beloved Community
At this time of deep and often crippling polarization in our nation, justice-seekers across the U.S. need a source of hope, connection with each other, and a vision for personal and systemic transformation. They need beloved community – in the example of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders, whose vision of beloved community animated the civil rights movement.
The Beloved Community describes a society based on justice, equal opportunity, empathy, and love; where neither punishment nor privilege is tied to race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. It is a society where our diversity is celebrated and embraced as a source of strength rather than weakness.
Building community is – like the name suggests – a community effort, and we need Sojourners readers and supporters to come together to make this movement possible. Will you help us build the beloved community with a gift to Sojourners today?
Credit: Sojourners (sojo.net)
St. Charles County Homeless Update
Homeless Children Need To Stay In School
Bill Weisrock
Children in homeless families or unaccompanied homeless youth are at risk for missing out on school, either due to relocating from within their school boundaries or simply due to the pressures and turmoil that come with being homeless. This promises to become even worse due to the recent lifting of the CDC’s moratorium on renter eviction, which could place thousands of more families out on the street.
The 1987 McKinney-Vento Act passed by the Missouri legislature guarantees the right of homeless children to be in school and to receive an equal education. Recently, four school districts in St. Charles County separately published flyers announcing this support and giving contact information for those in need. St. Cletus Peace and Justice Ministry works with St. Vincent de Paul Society to provide temporary housing and other assistance to the homeless in St. Charles County. As such, we thought it would be a good idea to alert our parishioners and others to this problem so that they might pass the information along to neighbors in need. Bill Weisrock, of our ministry, improved the school districts’ flyer by incorporating contact information for all four districts…St. Charles, Fort Zumwalt, Francis Howell, and Orchard Farm.
It is our hope that no child will miss out on his or her educational opportunities due to homelessness.
The following flyer was recently distributed in the St. Cletus bulletin.
St. Cletus Responds To The Homeless Need for Caseworkers
John Feldt
Did you know that each year St. Cletus responds to numerous requests for emergency housing assistance and that close to 80 percent of St. Cletus's homeless clients are female?
There is a need for additional volunteer caseworkers. The time commitment is limited and training is provided.
For more information contact John Feldt at: jjfeldt@gmail.com
Community Council Response to Homelessness
John Feldt
St Charles City and County leadership and organizations are working on strategies to meet the needs of the increasing homeless population.
The Community Council Housing Leadership Task Force met to build strategies focused on the development of a one-stop services site to support clients.
The following chart shows the population of clients that the Community Council served in the past year.
Shirley Mergenmeier
Bridge Bread Celebrates 10 Years
The bakers, donors, supporting churches, social service partners, commercial customers, board members and volunteers were recognized at the Bridge Bread celebration held on September 12 th behind the bakery on Cherokee Street in St. Louis.
Bridge Bread president and volunteer, Fred Domke, provided a trip down memory lane which included the amazing journey of Bridge Bread. Founded in 2011 by Fred and Sharon Domke, it all began with a dough hook, borrowed equipment, donated space and generous donors. Now, ten years later, the bakers are baking bread products out of their own building complete with equipment and even have their own delivery truck!
The goal of Bridge Bread is to employ those who experience homelessness and give them the opportunity to learn skills that will empower them to branch out and excel in the job market and become contributing members of our community.
Their customer base has expanded to include many small businesses which use Bridge Bread goods in their products. A specialty grocer, Fresh Thyme Market, will be opening soon at the Foundry in St. Louis and feature Bridge Bread products. Although sales dried up with schools and churches due to the pandemic, Washington University and SLU have re-started. Churches are still hesitant but hopeful about re-starting.
Bridge Bread has come so far in ten years and Fred hopes that he has to hire more bakers to meet the needs of St. Louis and the surrounding areas. With his positive attitude, energy and drive, Bridge Bread will continue to thrive in their next ten years and beyond!
Featured Song
The Cry of the Poor
St. Louis Jesuits Click here or on image below to listen
Pam Brown and John Feldt
Congratulations Pam Brown!
Pam was just selected as a member of the Archdiocesan Creation Care Advisory Committee. The committee will serve to provide the Archbishop recommendations to further the St. Louis Catholic communities’ commitment and implementation of creation care according to our Catholic social teaching.
God, we have abused the good gift of your creation. Give us the wisdom to live appropriately, the urgency to act, and the courage to make changes.
Give us the voice to call for change from our leaders, and the perseverance to keep asking.
Adapted from Young Evangelicals for Climate Action
Beth Gutzler, Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) Environmental Justice Organizer lead a discussion at St. Cletus on how environmental issues can affect overall community health, and the many injustices related to the way the Earth and all those on it are being treated.
Champion of the Earth
Molly Burns
Molly Burhans is an American cartographer, data scientist, and environmental activist. She is the founder of GoodLands, an organization which is mobilizing the Catholic Church to use its land for environmental and social justice purposes. She was awarded Young Champion of the Earth by the United Nations in 2019
Young Champion of the Earth
Molly Burns - Working With the Catholic Church
Click Here For Short Video
GoodLands focuses on strategies society can utilize land and properties more thoughtfully. GoodLands provides the information, insights, and implementation tools for the Catholic Church to leverage its landholdings to address pressing issues, from environmental destruction to mass human migration.
We combine community involvement, design, and mapping technology to reveal high-impact opportunities for land-use strategies that have a regenerative impact on environmental, social, and economic systems while transforming a sense of ownership of land into a sense of stewardship amongst organizations through top-down planning efforts combined with bottom-up community involvement and education.
Summer 2001 - Tied For Hottest Summer
According to NOAA, this past summer (June–August) tied 1936 for the warmest summer on record, meaning this summer’s heat was equal to the extreme conditions the country experienced during the height of the Dust Bowl. Summers in the U.S.are growing warmer by 1.23 degrees F per century.
The St. Cletus Peace and Justice Ministry meet on the third Monday of every month. We would love to have you join us.
For more information contact: Jim LaVictoire at jimlavictoire@gmail.com
