St. Clare of Assisi

[OLAM Dad]

[img]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/materdei/StClara11-8.jpg[/img]


Memorial: 11 August

Clare was a beautiful Italian noblewoman who became the Foundress of the order of Poor Ladies, now called "Poor Clares." and first Abbess of San Damiano; born at Assisi, July 16, 1194; died there August 11, 1253. She was the eldest daughter of Favorino Scifi, Count of Sasso-Rosso, the wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family, who owned a large palace in Assisi and a castle on the slope of Mount Subasio. As a little girl she was known by members of her household to be a sensitive child, gentle, prayerful and kind. She would sometimes hide food from her plate so as to later give it to the poor. At the age of 15, arrangements were made for Clare to marry, but she refused.

In 1211, after hearing Francis preach the Lenten Sermon in San Rufino, Clare began to meet with Francis to discuss her vocation. On March 28, 1211 she left her father's house to receive her habit from Francis in the Porziuncola. She became a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi, and with her sister, St. Agnes, she founded the Poor Ladies of San Damiano. Her mother and another sister joined them in the religious community later. Many miracles took place among St. Clare and her sisters. Saint Clare lived a rigorously devoted life of prayer, penance, and service. She continually cared for her sisters, particularly the weak, and all those in need.

It was during the night of the Palm Sunday, on March 18th 1212, that took place the experience that determined a radical change in her life; in fact, during that night, the girl joined in secret St. Francesco at the "Porziuncola". There, in the little chapel of ‘Mary of the Angels’, she laid aside her rich clothes and Francis, after cutting off her long blonde hair, clothed her in a rough tunic and a thick veil. Acting entirely unconventionally and without Canonical authority, Francis accepted Clare's bill of divorce from the world and lodged her nearby in a Benedictine Nunnery. From that moment she vowed to live her life entirely in the service of Jesus, her heavenly spouse.

Clare Saint died on August 11th, 1253 of natural causes. On August 15, 1255, Pope Alexander IV canonized Clare as Saint Clare of Assisi. On February 17, 1958, Pope Pius XII designated her as the patron saint of television. The tomb of Saint Clare of Assisi was found in 1850. On 23 September in that year the coffin was unearthed and opened, the flesh and clothing of the saint had been reduced to dust, but the skeleton was in a perfect state of preservation. Finally, on the 29th of September, 1872, the saint's bones were transferred, with much pomp, by Archbishop Pecci, afterwards Leo XIII, to the shrine, in the crypt at Santa Chiara, erected to receive them, and where they may now be seen. In 1263, Pope Urban IV officially changed the name of the Order of Poor Ladies to the "Order of Saint Clare". The name Clare means "shining" or "clear".

Patron of: sore eyes, television

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Happy Feast day to all our Poor Clare Sisters and to you, Dad! Now that Lauren is with the Poor Clares does this make her your mother in law???? Hmmm.

I'm sure the sisters are having a great celebration for the solemnity of their Holy Mother! Today, Sr. Mary Paschal is making first profession. She came to our monastery several years ago with a friend who was discerning a vocation. We knew Sr. MP had a contemplative vocation before she did! Her friend ended up entering Nashville.

[franciscanheart]

The more I learn about Saint Clare, the more I love her. She is beautiful.

Saint Clare, pray for us!



[u]Novena to Saint Clare[/u]
Dear Saint Clare, as a young girl you imitated your mother's love for the poor of your native Assisi. Inspired by the preaching of Saint Francis, who sang enthusiastically of his Lord and Lady Poverty, you gave your life to Jesus at nineteen years of age, allowing Saint Francis to cut off your beautiful hair and invest you with the Franciscan habit.

All through your life you offered your great suffering for your sisters, the Poor Clares, and the conversion of souls. You greatly aided Saint Francis with his new order, carrying on his spirit in the Franciscans after his death. Most of all you had a deep love of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, which fueled your vocation to love and care for the poor.

Please pray for me (mention your intention) that I will seek to keep Jesus as my first love, as you did. Help me to grow in love of the Blessed Sacrament, to care for the poor, and to offer my whole life to God.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Saint Clare. Through her intercession, please hear and answer my prayer, in the name of Jesus Your Son. Amen.

[OLAM Dad]

Thanks for posting the novena, Laura. I'm with you; the more I learn about her the more I admire and love her. Has anybody read anything about her? I read a book called Clare and her sisters: Lovers of the Poor Christ. It is very well done if anybody is interested in learning more about her.

[url="http://www.pauline.org/store/moreinfo/0819815616.html"]http://www.pauline.org/store/moreinfo/0819815616.html[/url]

[passionheart]

[quote name='OLAM Dad' post='1041639' date='Aug 11 2006, 04:20 PM']
Thanks for posting the novena, Laura. I'm with you; the more I learn about her the more I admire and love her. Has anybody read anything about her? I read a book called Clare and her sisters: Lovers of the Poor Christ. It is very well done if anybody is interested in learning more about her.

[url="http://www.pauline.org/store/moreinfo/0819815616.html"]http://www.pauline.org/store/moreinfo/0819815616.html[/url]
[/quote]

Denise and myself both know the author. A former BSP member.

I agree with you Dad, the more you learn about here, the more you begin to admire St.Clare. In my experience, she has been a good friend and sister. In some ways I am sorry I don't have a Franciscan vocation.

Years ago, a friend of mine, who is now a priest, took both St.Clare and St.Francis as patrons for our relationship. We asked them to help us to guide us in our relationship and to learn to love each other chastely.

Edited August 11, 2006 by passionheart

[franciscanheart]

That's awesome, passionheart.

Thanks for the link, OLAM Dad.

[zunshynn]

I can't believe I ever thought the Franciscans sounded dull! St. Clare is awesome!

"Benedictine Nunnery" though? Who wrote that bio?

[cappie]

Homily for the Feast of St Clare

WHAT WILL YOU NAME AS THE PRICE OF YOUR LIFE?

At some point of our life this question is posed to each of us in a way we cannot avoid. The Lord Jesus repeatedly confronted his disciples with this issue but it was only when he himself met with the immediate prospect of death and actually submitted to it on the cross that they were forced to come to terms with it. That we are here today to hear this question posed to us is due to the fact that after the resurrection and the gift of the Spirit his followers dealt with the urgency of this challenge in the light of faith in the risen Christ.

The sooner we take a deliberate, considered stand on what goal we set for our self as the aim of our existence here on earth, the more meaningful we shall find our life becomes. Unless that choice conforms to the most fundamental and noblest aspirations of our nature, before long we shall find our self confronted with the same question once again. Experience reveals to those who reflect and have eyes to see that no earthly success or achievement bestows satisfaction for long. Only to the extent that the goal attained includes some value that transcends the finite limits of this material universe does it continue to gratify our aspiration for happiness and fulfillment.

Jesus, in this address to his followers, not only poses this challenge of confronting squarely the value we set on our life; he also indicates the condition for meeting this challenge successfully. The way to attain to the fullness of life that we restlessly strive after is to give our self to him knowing that belonging to him means to suffer, even to lose our life in this world, one way or another. We must learn, in other words, that there is a kind of happiness that this world does not understand and cannot appreciate. It is the fruit of life in the Spirit, bestowed on us through the cross of Jesus. It consists in a communion with the Father through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

The saint whose memory we commemorate today, St. Clare of Assisi, like her companion St. Francis, illustrates this truth in practice. One of the most striking features of her life as well as that of her inseparable friend, Francis, is the cheerful joy and humanity that radiated from her and those whom she formed in the way of life that was a taking up of the cross of Jesus. She had every advantage the world of her time and place could offer: youth, beauty, intelligence, wealth and influence. But she early came to see clearly their limits and looking beyond their false promise saw that the value of her life was not to be measured by any of these things or all of them together.
God alone in Jesus the Savior is the price St. Clare and St. Francis set on their life.

Today as we are confronted with our Lord's question "WHAT WILL YOU NAME AS THE PRICE OF YOUR LIFE?" we are invited to make the same choice. At this Eucharist we are offered the answer to this query in the most personal possible manner as we receive the risen Lord Jesus into the depths of our heart. May we find in this sacrament the one answer that will always prove true and never fail to fulfill its promise: life in Christ Jesus, our Savior and our God.

[OLAM Dad]

Father, is that your homily? It is awesome! Thanks for sharing it with us.

I would also encourage everybody to go to www.ewtn.com and listen to today's homily. It too is awesome.

[Era Might]

Poor Clares are kewl.

[uruviel]

I've been looking for a good book on her and all I could find was a very small documentary on her along time ago, it's a very short book. I will look into that Clare book thanks OLAMdad! :