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 applications 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 complete and submit one of these forms: If you are unable to access the form, please leave a voice message at 713-530-7452, from Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon. Volunteers will provide assistance to fill out the form.

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. In addition, on a second day each month, CIA uses donations to purchase boxed lunches for TMT clients. For information on St. Clare’s participation, contact Nancy at 281-286-4548.
 
Projects/Events: October-December
CIA’s traditional fall and winter projects have changed for 2026 due to construction and the accompanying lack of storage facilities at St. Clare Parish. 
 
Two parish-wide Thanksgiving Projects that help feed the poor will begin in October.  Due to storage restrictions, for this year’s Thanksgiving Adopt-a-Senior Project, CIA is collecting only grocery store gift cards. Recipients are frail, homebound senior clients of Interfaith Caring Ministries. We prefer $50 Walmart cards (because Walmart can deliver to seniors who cannot get out to shop). However, gift cards of any amount from any grocery store are welcome. Put cards in envelopes marked CIA-Thanksgiving Seniors and place them in the collection basket at mass or give them to the St. Clare parish receptionist in the school foyer. Deadline to receive cards is Nov. 15. Questions? Text Mary Ann at 281-796-0493. Donations for the second project, the Thanksgiving Food Drive, will be shared by the Galveston County Food Bank and Clear Lake Food Pantry.  Beginning Oct. 24, please place food donations in the food basket, which currently is in the back of the Family Life Center during weekend masses.  During the week, the basket is in the school foyer. In lieu of our traditional Thanksgiving Food Drive, CIA members will be volunteering at Galveston Food Bank on Friday, Nov. 13. We will deliver parishioner food donations then. Any questions, please text Kathy at 713-725-7888. Thank you in advance for your donations to help feed the poor.
 
The Spirit of Christmas Project helps you share Christmas blessings with local, underprivileged people at two organizations. This year, we are requesting parishioners donate gift cards to SOC-Students, to help school children in Clear Creek Independent School District. Gift cards will be used to purchase much-needed clothes, supplies and toys for recipients. Gift cards and online purchases are being sought for clients of Casa Juan Diego, a shelter which helps with food, housing and needs of children. Once again, gift cards will go to purchases of needed items. You can make Christmas special by giving generously to benefit these organizations. Please read the CIA Spirit of Christmas notices in the St Clare Bulletin, beginning Nov. 14, for information on how to donate gift cards and make online purchases for SOC-CJD. We will accept gift cards through Dec. 13. Please label donation envelopes with “CIA SOC-Students” or “CIA SOC-CJD”. Contact Ellen at 281-732-7965 (donations for CCISD students) or Alma at 832-620-3467 (donations for Casa Juan Diego) A very early, Merry Christmas to you all!
 
Participating in the Card Collection Project is another way to share your Christmas cheer. From Nov. 14-29, CIA will collect donations of new, unused Christmas cards for the use of recipients at the Seafarer's Center of Galveston, St. Dominic Village-Houston, Parsons House-La Porte and The Crossroads at Park Place. Please put donations in the drawers marked “greeting cards” in the wooden CIA collection cabinet in the school foyer. For delivery details call Marla, 281-480-1231. Thanks for your generosity.
 
Recent Efforts:
Thanks for making the School Supplies Drive a success. You gave $2,505 in gift cards to help children in need. Your gifts helped ensure that children from underprivileged families who attend Our Lady of Fatima (Texas City), and Our Lady of Lourdes (Hitchcock) Catholic schools had a good start to their education year. Thanks for your participation.
 
Please Note Construction Revisions: 
Due to construction at St. Clare, some CIA efforts have changed. The food donation basket has moved to the school foyer, through the double-glass doors near the church. However, until St. Clare Church reopens in late November, on weekends, the food basket will be in the Family Life Center (near the kitchen). CIA’s wooden storage cabinet also has been moved to the school foyer. Please bring donations to the cabinet for the greeting cards, eyeglasses and stamps collections. 
 
CIA’s Emergency Outreach Assistance Program and Mercy Tree monthly lunches, coordinated off-site, continue unchanged. Contact Gordon at 832-580-8006 for additional information. Thank you for continuing to support these charitable efforts. 
 
Thank You So Much:
St Clare’s Christians in Action members gratefully thank all parishioners for your support of our outreach efforts in 2025. Your caring and generous response to these activities ensured that St. Clare parishioners assisted the less fortunate of our community. With your support, CIA was able to: 
 

• Give critical, emergency financial assistance for rent and utilities to 281 clients, for a total of more than $93,000,
• Provide lunch (and needed personal supplies) for homeless clients of The Mercy Tree 24 times during the year,
• Surprise 100 senior Meals-on-Wheels clients with Valentine treat bags, 
• Donate 225 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 35 boxes of clothing and toiletries and $995 in gift cards,
• Offer solid support to underprivileged children at two Catholic schools, by giving 76 boxes of donations in the summer School Supplies Drive,
• Supply 165 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 38 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 2,800 free greeting cards year-round for the use of people at four organizations: nearby Carol S. Young Prison, St. Dominic Village, the Seafarer’s Center of Galveston and residents of Parsons House assisted living facility in LaPorte.
• Support worthy local charities through donations of more than $5,000 from 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 10.6.2026/jwk