Saint Clare of Assisi Parish Logo

Saint Clare of Assisi Parish in Clairton came into existence as a result of a merger of three parishes in the City of Clairton. The merger occurred in February 1994. The three former parishes were the original Saint Clare of Assisi Church, St. Joseph the Worker Church and Saint Paulinus Church. Over the past ten years, the parish has struggled to establish its identity as a single parish in Clairton. The logo is one element in assisting the parish to develop a new identity. As the people of Israel wandered through the desert, various symbols, such as the Pillar of Cloud, were instrumental in forming them into a unified people. The parish logo is one symbol of many to unify the Catholics of Clairton into a single parish, yet respecting the different gifts each former parish brings to the new parish.

The bread and the cup are symbolic of the Eucharist. The Eucharist was the center of the life of St. Clare of Assisi. The ladle from which molten steel is being poured is a symbol depicted in the window of St. Joseph the Worker Church. St. Joseph was known for his work. In Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Laborem Exerens, he states that the human person imitates the creative power of God through work. The bell is symbolic of a call to prayer and to evangelization. The statue of St. Paulinus of Nola in the church building has the saint holding a bell. In the center of the logo is the Tau. The Tau is Christ’s cross, shaped like the Greek letter “T”. Tau has two meanings for the friars. This was the crest and signature of Francis. It symbolized life-long fidelity to the Passion of Christ and his pledge to serve the least, the leper and outcasts of his day. It is also a call to reform. In Ezekiel 9:4, it says “We are called to reform our lives, to stand in the presence of God as righteous people.” Pope Innocent III, who commissioned Francis’ new community, used the sign of Francis, the “Tau”, to call for reform in the Church.

Saint Clare of Assisi Parish is centered on the Eucharist, work, prayer and evangelization through Franciscan spirituality. Franciscanism is marked by life-long fidelity to the Passion of Christ and a life of reform, “to stand in the presence of God as righteous people.” 

 Cup & Bread         ladle             Bell                   Tau Cross