Saint Clare of Assisi Parish

If you are getting married RUN AWAY FROM THIS PARISH as fast as you can. When I decided along with my fiancee to have a destination wedding out in Arizona where my parents live and we knew we wanted a nuptial mass in a church, we picked St. Clare of Assisi as that is their parish. We met with Deacon Luke and his wife, Gayle, who have been married some 50 years and we thought they were sweet senior citizens who ran the parish marriage center. My parents are wedding photographers for over 25 years. Right away there were problems. They immediately signed us up for a 1:30 mass as our paperwork backs up. Deacon Luke would call us asking for things such as the marriage license that we had told him wouldn't be obtained till we arrived the week prior to our wedding. Then in August, wherein he said they had made an error and that we needed to have our wedding at 1:00 not 1:30 as they first instructed us. My dad told Deacon Luke that the invites had already been printed and gone out with the 1:30 time slot on it and that we couldn't change it. Our family's chalice and plate, the "Hand Prayer" all became issues. At our meeting on Tues., they started with "could we be at the church at 1:00". My mom told them no politely as guests were expecting a 1:30 start. They wanted us out of the church by 3:00 for a church function we conceded that we would scrap the receiving line and inside photos to accommodate THEIR error ! The morning of the wedding, we had the terrible misfortune of our transportation cancelling on us. We had to scramble and get alternative means from the resort to get everyone to St. Clare's. They were supposed to arrive at 1:00 and instead arrived exactly at 1:30. My mom immediately approached Deacon Luke and Gayle. Once she spoke to Deacon Luke and explained, he seemed to calm down. We immediately lined up, but the Groom's mom was waiting for her son to escort her down the aisle. Deacon Luke kept yelling at her. My mom now emotional at having to have words with Deacon Luke, went down the aisle crying. Then my two ring bearers had been sleeping on the 45 min. ride to the church and with his yelling at everyone, started having a melt down. Both moms ended up carrying their crying babies down the aisle all disheveled. Once the mass began, we noticed that a lot of our songs had been cut that Deacon Luke got up on the podium and stated that "you didn't come to hear me speak, so we will cut to the chase...." I was devastated at how my mass was unfolding. He cut out the "Hand Prayer" by my parents which we were so looking forward to. Later we found out that two of our guests were made to cry as he insulted them in the pews and he was so awful to our wedding coordinator that she had to go out to her car for 15 minutes to compose herself! Every guest came up to my parents during the reception and remarked how nasty the two of them were and how rushed it was in church. He grabbed the program out of Father Nicholas' hands as he did the ring exchange saying to Father, "we don't do it LIKE THAT!" Their complete take on everything is that you are coming here, don't belong, probably don't go to mass and he wanted to get home and get done with it. He literally shut the lights off in the church while people were filing out and locked the doors with our belongings inside. My family's chalice and plate which was thrown in a bag and later broke into pieces. Deacon Luke at the end had the audacity to walk over to my mom and tap her shoulder and say words to the effect that "stuff happens, that's the way it goes!"

Got to the church at 8:30 for a 9:15 Easter Mass with my family ( 1 & 6) so we can get a seat close to the door and then was asked to give up one of our seats for an older gentelman that came in at 9:15.... Definitely would do that on my own anyway but that's why we got there so early... Discouraged from coming back by one of the ushers that should have found him a seat from people where they had no kids...

I have been there 6 or so times and each time the congregation has not given me a look or an hello! I went to a coffee gathering and sat alone for 20 minutes without anyone saying hello so I left. The priests always greet me after the mass and they are the only ones who have ever said anything to me. I gave something to the office once and you would have thought the gifts were not good enough for them.

This church has done wonderful things for my family. When we moved to Arizona 3 years ago my oldest child was in high school which was tough. They have an amazing youth group and Youth Minister. Since attending as a family we have gotten involved and have grown more spiritually. My children have an even closer relationship with God. Due to their influences my daughter is now in college and seeks a degree in Social Work with hope to conitinue to serve God and one day work for Catholic Charities. My son wh is now in high school is also thinking about being a Priest. I love this church.