A Catholic Parish in Southwest Portland
St. Clare Parish sits on SW 19th Avenue in the Multnomah neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, just south of the Barbur Boulevard interchange. The parish is a community of Roman Catholics guided by the Holy Spirit, called, in its own words, "to celebrate life-giving liturgies, provide a center for Christian formation, reflect Christ through warm acceptance of all our brothers and sisters, and to serve all, especially those most vulnerable." Its patroness is Clare of Assisi, whose life of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and her gentle regard for all God's creatures, gives the parish its name and its spirit.
A quotation from Clare of Assisi captures something of the parish's outlook: "We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love nothing, we become nothing." Father Don Gutmann serves as pastor, assisted by Deacon Bill McNamara, the parish staff, a Pastoral Council, and an Administrative Council.
The parish draws worshipers from across southwest Portland and from nearby Lake Oswego and Sellwood. The parish grounds are convenient to I-5 via the SW Barbur Boulevard exits, and parking is available just past the church on Spring Garden Street. Visitors are welcomed with a simple invitation: "May you find your spiritual center here among others who have adopted her way."
Mass and Reconciliation: The Weekly Rhythm
The parish's Sunday schedule centers on three liturgies. The Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:00 pm. On Sunday morning, Mass is offered at 8:30 am and 10:45 am. Daily Mass is celebrated at 8:30 am on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; there is no daily Mass on Tuesday. On Holy Days of Obligation, three Masses are offered at 8:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 7:00 pm.
The sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Saturday afternoons from 4:00 to 4:30 pm in the church, or by appointment with Father Don. On the first Saturday of every month, the parish gathers for Eucharistic Adoration from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, with Benediction beginning at 3:45 pm. Sunday Mass is livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.
Parishioners have the option of registering as a new family online, and online giving is available for those who want to support the parish through recurring or one-time gifts. Weekly bulletins, posted in downloadable form, keep the parish informed of upcoming events and contain Father Don's weekly reflections.
The Seven Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
St. Clare Parish offers preparation for all seven Catholic sacraments. Infant baptisms are celebrated during the regular weekend Masses; parents are asked to contact Deacon Bill McNamara beforehand. Children preparing for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist take part in a two-year sequence of parent-and-child sessions that begin in the fall of first grade with Reconciliation and continue after the new year with Eucharist. Children in grades 4 through 8 can train as altar servers, assisting the presider as cross bearer, candle bearer, thurifer, and at the altar.
Confirmation preparation, in response to Archbishop Sample's recent change moving the age of Confirmation to seventh grade, is offered in a two-year program that combines solid catechesis with team-building activities, a weekend retreat, monthly service projects, and shared spiritual experiences with sponsors. Adults who have not been baptized, or Christians baptized in another tradition who seek full communion with the Catholic Church, journey through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, beginning each fall with the pre-catechumenate, or period of inquiry.
Couples preparing for marriage are asked to begin at least six months ahead of the wedding date and to contact Deacon Bill McNamara. The Anointing of the Sick can be arranged through the parish office during business hours, and a communal celebration of this sacrament is offered periodically. The parish is also a place where vocations to Holy Orders are prayerfully encouraged, and Father Don and Deacon Bill are available to talk with men discerning a call to the diaconate or priesthood.
St. Clare School and Preschool
St. Clare Parish has its own parish school, St. Clare School, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school describes itself as a Catholic parish-school community "rooted in Gospel values and dedicated to the spiritual and educational development of the whole child." Chris Harris serves as principal, and the school is integrated into the life of the parish through weekly liturgies, sacramental preparation, and family events.
St. Clare Preschool extends the parish's faith-based education to younger children, from infants through pre-kindergarten. The preschool describes itself as "a Catholic early childhood education program that fosters joy, curiosity, confidence and spiritual connection in a welcoming community." Director Nancy Melzer leads the program.
Children at the school and the preschool move naturally into the parish's faith formation programs as they grow, with the parish Children's Faith Formation Coordinator, Debbie Henkelman, working closely with families throughout the sacramental years.
Children's Ministry and the Family Mass
Children's ministry at St. Clare begins at baptism and continues through the elementary years. A particular feature of parish life is the Family Mass, usually celebrated on the first Sunday of the month during the school year as a variation of the 8:30 am Mass. The Family Mass is geared toward families with children ten and under; readings, Eucharistic Prayer, and music are chosen to be accessible to all ages. A Children's Choir, made up of children ages four to ten, rehearses on the Saturday morning before the Family Mass and sings at the liturgy.
During the 8:30 am and 10:45 am Sunday Masses from September through June, children ages four to nine are invited to take part in Children's Liturgy of the Word. After the Opening Prayer, the children are called forward, blessed by the presider, and led to the parish hall where adult and teen leaders walk them through the same Sunday Scripture readings using age-appropriate language, music, activities, and a short video. They return to the church in time for the Presentation of the Gifts.
Each Advent, the parish hosts an Advent Faith Fair for children and families. Children's ministry also includes the parish's annual Advent Giving Tree, the principal outreach to families served by the parish's St. Vincent de Paul Conference.
Youth Ministry: Saturday Night Live
St. Clare's youth ministry, called Saturday Night Live, gathers middle school and high school teens on the second Saturday of each month from October through June. The evening begins with the 5:00 pm Saturday Vigil Mass, which is youth-led, with the Youth Choir providing music and teens serving in the liturgical roles. Afterward, teens share dinner, faith-sharing, and a fun activity together. Catholic and non-Catholic teens are welcome.
The ministry is co-led by Patrick Morgan, a member of the St. Clare School faculty, and Debbie Henkelman, the parish's Children's Faith Formation Coordinator, who together bring years of experience working with teens. The Youth Choir rehearses from 4:00 to 4:45 pm before the Youth Mass and welcomes any teen who sings or plays an instrument. Confirmed teens are also invited to serve as Readers and Eucharistic Ministers at the Youth Mass.
Adult Faith Formation, RCIA, and ACTS Retreats
St. Clare Parish takes seriously the Church's call to make adult faith formation "the central task" of its catechetical work. Throughout the year, the Adult Faith Formation team organizes small faith sharing groups, study groups, parish prayer groups, and occasional renewal missions, workshops, and presentations.
Small Faith Sharing groups meet once a month, often in parishioners' homes, to read and pray with Scripture or other spiritual texts. A separate set of Faith Sharing and Study Groups gathers for shorter seasons such as Lent or Advent to study a particular encyclical or seasonal theme. One informal reflection group meets on Wednesday mornings after the 8:30 am Mass at the parish office. Parish Prayer Groups gather for monthly Eucharistic Adoration on the first Saturday and for other prayer and study events during the year.
For Catholics and non-Catholics seeking to know more about the Catholic faith, the parish offers the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. RCIA begins in the fall with the pre-catechumenate and walks inquirers through a process of study, prayer, formation, and liturgical rites that culminate in the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, at the Easter Vigil.
Twice a year, the parish hosts an ACTS Retreat, a three-day, three-night lay retreat presented by fellow parishioners and built around the pillars of Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. The Men's and Women's Retreats are held separately, beginning on Thursday evening and closing with Sunday Mass celebrated with the parish. ACTS retreats are led by a team of parishioners who have previously attended a retreat themselves, and are designed to deepen participants' relationship with God and with the parish community.
Music Ministry: Four Choirs
Music at St. Clare is one of the liveliest features of parish life, with four choirs contributing to the weekend and monthly liturgies. The Joyful Noise choir leads the music at the 8:30 am Sunday Mass. The St. Clare Choir leads the music at the 10:45 am Sunday Mass. The Youth Choir leads the music at the second-Saturday 5:00 pm Youth Mass. The Children's Choir sings at the Family Mass on first Sundays, with monthly Saturday morning rehearsals.
Instrumentalists and cantors are part of the music ministry as well, and the parish welcomes parishioners who sing or play an instrument. Beyond the choirs, the Liturgy Commission oversees a wide range of liturgical ministries, including sacristans, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, lectors, greeters, ushers, gift bearers, altar servers, audio technicians, and the Environment Team that prepares the church for the seasons of the liturgical year.
Community Life: Coffee, Campouts, and Circles
Beyond the liturgies and formation programs, St. Clare Parish is known for its community life. Coffee and doughnuts are served in the parish hall after each Sunday Mass, providing a regular moment to catch up with old friends and greet newcomers. On the third Saturday of the month, a light snack and beverage social follows the 5:00 pm Mass. The Circle of Moms ministry offers monthly gatherings, with one evening for moms of infants and pre-kindergartners and another for moms of school-age children, including prayer, conversation, and service project planning.
Each July, more than 200 campers from St. Clare head to an Oregon state park for five days of camping together. The annual parish picnic, the St. Clare One Mass and Picnic, combines the 8:30 am and 10:45 am Sunday Masses into a single liturgy on the Sunday after Labor Day, followed by a family picnic on the school playground. During Lent, parishioners gather on Tuesday evenings for simple Soup Suppers, sharing bread and soup and conversation.
Other community life ministries include Heaven Sent Meals, a ministry that cooks and delivers meals to families welcoming a new baby; funeral receptions hosted by volunteer parishioners; and sacramental receptions following First Eucharist and Confirmation. The parish also has a Catholic Youth Organization sports program for students in grades 1 through 8, with parents serving as coaches.
Outreach: St. Vincent de Paul, Rebuilding Together, and More
Outreach at St. Clare is organized through the parish's Outreach Commission and includes both parish-internal works of charity and partnerships with broader community organizations. The St. Clare Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul serves people in need of food, rent, and utility assistance within the boundaries of the parish, and volunteers respond to emergency assistance calls, deliver food, and maintain the food pantry.
Each Advent, the parish Giving Tree invites parishioners to donate Christmas gift cards, personal hygiene items, turkeys, hams, fruits, vegetables, canned goods, and treats to St. Vincent de Paul families served by the parish. Travel-size toiletries collected year-round support Fr. Jim Galluzzo's Toiletries for the Needy Project, which delivers hundreds of toiletry packages during Advent to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and the HIV-AIDS Day Center in downtown Portland. The annual Junque and Jewels Rummage Sale, held in the parish gym over a long weekend in late June, raises money for the parish.
St. Clare parishioners participate in Rebuilding Together, joining a parish team each April to provide critical repairs and renovations for low-income homeowners in the Portland area. The Knights of Columbus John Clare Council gathers Catholic men from St. Clare and nearby St. John Fisher parishes for fellowship, service, and outreach. Once a year, the parish also hosts an American Red Cross blood drive.
Through the St. Andre Bessette ministry, parishioners prepare and serve a warm meal every other month to people who are homeless or have limited financial resources, sharing hospitality with guests in the Burnside area of Portland. The parish also has a Peace and Justice Ministry that meets monthly to support and grow the social justice work of the parish.
Pastoral Leadership, Commissions, and Safe Environment
Father Don Gutmann has served as pastor of St. Clare Parish and is assisted by a full parish staff. Deacon Bill McNamara assists in liturgy, baptismal preparation, and marriage preparation. Kim Zea, the parish's pastoral associate, coordinates the RCIA process, sacramental preparation, small faith sharing groups, and adult faith formation. Debbie Henkelman coordinates children's and youth faith formation and the parish's family and youth programs.
The Pastoral Council, made up of nine parishioners, the pastoral associate, and the pastor, advises on the parish's overall vision and meets once a month. The four Commissions of the parish, Liturgy, Education, Community Life, and Outreach, carry out the work of the council in their respective areas. The Administrative Council advises the pastor and Pastoral Council on finances, facilities, and human resources, and oversees the annual budget and long-range financial development.
St. Clare Parish takes its commitment to child safety seriously. Adult volunteers who have any contact with minors are required to complete the Archdiocese of Portland's Child Protection training, take annual refresher courses, and renew their background checks every three years.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, and can be reached at 503-244-1037 or office@saintclarechurch.org. St. Clare Parish is located at 8535 SW 19th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97219.