Christians in Action

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, 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.

Please complete and submit one of these forms.

English     Spanish

CIA members and other parishioners continue to feed the local homeless, in partnership with local charity The Mercy Tree. Volunteers prepare food for hot lunches for recipients, about 20 each month. On a second day of each month, volunteers provide boxed sandwich lunches. For information on St. Clare’s participation, contact Nancy at 281-286-4548.
 
Projects/Events, April-June:
During May, the month of Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day, parishioners may opt to participate in the Hospitalized Veterans Project, to collect useful items for our military men and women who receive treatment at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. Lists of suggested donations will be distributed at masses the weekend of May 3-4 and will be posted on the CIA Bulletin Board in the hallway leading to the Conference Center. Donations should be left in the marked bins next to the Food Pantry Box, until May 25. For more information, contact Karen at 281-685-6881. 
 
Recent Efforts:
You gave hundreds of boxed donations for the annual Lenten Box Project, which helps clients of Casa Juan Diego, a local Catholic shelter. The toiletries, underwear, socks and other items you gave will be put to good use by grateful women, men and children. Thank you.
 
The Easter Prison Card Collection brought in 176 Easter cards for the free use of those imprisoned at the Carol S. Young Prison in Dickinson and residents of a local nursing home. Remember, you can donate new, unused cards—birthday, get well, sympathy, Christmas, Easter and blank cards—all year-round. Put cards in the marked drawers of the wooden cabinet next to the Food Pantry Box in the hallway to the Conference Center. Thank you for your generosity. 
 
CIA members gave small Valentine gift bags of toiletries, snacks, and cards to seniors who receive help from the Bay Area Meals on Wheels program. Bags went to about 100 recipients in this effort to assist local senior citizens. 
 
CIA hosted a Desserts for Donations fund drive during five Knights of Columbus Lenten Fish Fry dinners and raised $2,773 for several local charitable organizations: Providence Outreach Ministries, Bay Area Meals on Wheels, Hope Active, Christus Point of Light Clinic and Loving Choice Catholic Pregnancy Help Center. Thanks so much for your generous Lenten charity in helping local people in need. Thanks also to our Knights Council 9708, for encouraging CIA in this fundraiser.
 
Thank You So Much:
St Clare’s Christians In Action members gratefully thank all parishioners for your support of our outreach efforts in 2024. Your caring and generous response to these activities ensured that St. Clare parishioners assisted some of the most needy in our community. With your support, CIA was able to: 

• Give critical, emergency financial assistance for rent and utilities to nearly 290 clients, for a total of almost $81,000, 
• Provide lunch (and needed personal supplies) for homeless clients of The Mercy Tree 20 times during the year,
• Surprise 100 senior Meals-on-Wheels clients with Valentine treat bags, 
• Donate nearly 250 boxes of toiletries and other needed supplies to clients of Casa Juan Diego in the Lenten Box Project,
• Support our hospitalized veterans with donations of 24 boxes of clothing and toiletries and $400 in gift cards,
• Offer solid support to underprivileged children at two schools, by giving 58 boxes of donations in the summer School Supplies Drive,
• Supply 130 boxes of food to the local hungry served by Galveston County Food Bank and CL Food Pantry in the Thanksgiving Food Drive,
• Support food needs of 44 local senior citizens in the Thanksgiving Adopt-a-Senior Project,
• Share Christmas blessings and gifts with numerous clients of Houston shelter Casa Juan Diego and many at-risk CCISD students in the Spirit of Christmas Project,
• Offer more than 3,600 free greeting cards year-round for the use of inmates at nearby Carol S. Young Prison,
• Support CIA’s emergency outreach fund and other worthy charities through donations of more than $4,600 at Desserts for Donations fundraisers, and 
• Provide ongoing food donations to the St. Bernadette and Clear Lake food pantries and recycle 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 weekend of the fourth Sunday 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.
 
 
 

updated 4.15.25/jwk