Sam Clemmons

I joined the parish staff at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception and St. Mary Help of Christians in the summer of 2019 as the Director of Liturgical Music. In the three years since taking on that role, I have grown exponentially in my faith life and have learned a lot about theology and lay-ministry within the Catholic Church. In September of 2022, I took on the new role as the Director of Liturgical and Music Ministries, encompassing much of the work from my previous position as well as the other ministerial positions within the parish. I have been part of the St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception parish community for most of my life. I received all my Sacraments as a member of the parish and continue to volunteer here in several ways.

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in May 2020 with a degree in Music Education, with an emphasis in Choir and Piano. I served as the Director of Choirs for the Columbus School District from June 2020 through June 2022. With my change in duties at the parish, it was also time to make a change in my teaching career. Beginning in August 2022, I took on the role as the new Director of Choirs and General Music at Bartels Middle School in Portage.

I am a lifelong native of Portage and continue to be active throughout the community in several ways. Aside from my service at the church, I am active in the community as a board member for The Boys & Girls Club of West-Central Wisconsin–Portage Area/Columbia County. In addition, I serve on the Board of Directors at the Portage Center for the Arts, where I continue to advocate for the local music community of Portage. I enjoy making music outside of church and school as the Music Director for The Candlelight Ladies (an all-female choral ensemble) and as the Co-Director for the Zona Gale Singers (a non-auditioned community choral ensemble).
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Everything we do in life should be driven by the example of Christ–each of us is a steward of the world and we all serve faithfully through the gifts that have been bestowed upon us. My passion is to give back to the Portage community to ensure that there is a vibrant Catholic community here for many generations to come!