Meet Our Pastor

 

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Fr. Hans P. Ruygt and his parents, Helen and Louis Ruygt on the day of his installation as pastor.

 

    Welcome to our website.  I hope we can serve you well through this site and whenever you call or visit the parish office or when you join us for any of our liturgies or activities.  We want to get to know you and live our faith together in Jesus Christ.

     We have a very friendly and lively faith community.  Our parish is in an area of rapid growth, so most of our parishioners come from "somewhere else".  Many moved from other states seeking the sun and family.  Like them, I moved to Phoenix, having begun my priestly ministry in northern California. I was ordained a Catholic priest in 1985 for the Diocese of Santa Rosa and was granted permission to serve in Phoenix starting in 2000.  I was assigned by Bishop Thomas O'Brien to St. Clare Parish on July 1, 2002.  I continue to serve under our new shepherd, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted who was installed as bishop on December 20, 2003.  He incardinated me in March 2005. I am delighted to be part of this new parish and to be a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix.

     St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church was established by Bishop O'Brien on July 1, 2000 with its first pastor being, Rev. John Coleman. We cover approximately 65 square miles within and around the city of Surprise - an area of rapid growth in the northwest region of the Phoenix metropolitan area.  

  Registration. You are very important to us!  Please call or come to the office to register your name and family members' names, ages, sacraments, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail address and special needs or interests so that we can serve you better!

 

Our Parish Boundaries

   In order to serve our communities best, the Catholic Church divides an area into parishes and sets parish boundaries so that priests and pastoral services are more equally distributed. Our mission at St. Clare of Assisi is to serve all the people within our parish boundary, and registered parishioners who live outside the boundary as long as they are able to come to our church site. If a parishioner is ill and lives outside the boundary, normally the local parish will serve them best when they need the sacraments because they are closer and can can more easily visit the hospital or home of the person who is ill.  If we can be of help at such times, please do not hesitate to call us and we will be more than happy to assist you. In our situation, Del Webb Hospital is just outside the parish but close enough that we regularly see our parishioners there and bring the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion.  Boswell Hospital is much further, but we do our best to visit there or send someone from a parish nearby.  We also visit many assisted living residences and the local hospices.  With only one priest in the parish, it is a challenge but we do what we can and want to help all in need and have many wonderful lay Ministers of Care.  We also have a very active St. Vincent de Paul Society to serve the area's poor and needy.

North:  Beginning at the junction of Grand Avenue and Litchfield Road,

            thence northwesterly along Grand Avenue almost to the town

            of Wittman

West:  Thence south on 211th Avenue to the junction of Waddell Road

South: Thence east along Waddell Road to Litchfield Road

East:   Thence north along Litchfield Road to Grand Avenue

 

Our Parish Mission Statement

Saint Clare of Assisi parishioners strive to be faithful disciples of Christ's Catholic community, drawing strength from the Eucharist, living the Gospel of Jesus without compromise, doing works of charity and justice.

     In our lives we seek to be "doers" of the word:

  • learning from Sacred Scripture, the Church's Tradition and from its successes and failures in being a sign of God's love.

  • practicing hospitality, welcoming everyone, living our faith with such joy that we transform the entire community, attracting many to find Christ in our midst and respecting every human life as sacred.

  • deepening spirituality where everyone feels called to develop a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus through a lifelong journey of continuing education and enrichment.

  • living stewardship where everyone participates actively in sharing their gifts of time, talent, and treasure to build the Kingdom of God in gratitude for all God's gifts.

I invite you to share the mission Christ gave us and His vision of a restored harmony with God and our neighbors.  Together, with God's grace we can move closer to the fulfillment of God's loving plan.

Your servant in Christ in union with our Blessed Mother Mary,

   Fr. Hans P. Ruygt

 

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Sunday Bulletins

 

To see neighboring parish locations, click here:   Maps:  Parishes & Schools in Diocese of Phoenix

 

Our neighboring parishes are:

 

►Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (one parish with two churches)

Includes parts of northern Surprise east of Grand Ave.

       O.L. Lourdes Church

N. 128th Ave. Sun City West 623-546-2767  map

       Prince of Peace church,

14818 W. Deer Valley Dr, Sun City West, 623-214-5180.             map

 

►Santa Teresita Parish,

14016 N. Verbena St., El Mirage 623-583-8183. Includes parts of Surprise east of Litchfield Rd. and south of Waddell Rd. map

 

►St. Anthony Parish,

232 N. Tegner St., Wickenburg, 928-684-2096. Includes Sun City Festival, northern part of the city of Buckeye, and other residential developments west of the alignments of North 211th Ave. and West Waddel Rd.  map

 

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