Saints and Holy Men: Clare
St. Clare was a life-long friend and associate of St. Francis. She started the first community of Poor Clares, the Franciscan order for women.
In 1212, when Clare's parents wanted her to marry a wealthy man, she left home and went to Francis for protection. She lived briefly in a Benedictine monastery of nuns then a house for female penetents. Her sister, Agnes left home and joined her. Later, Clare and Agnes moved to the church of San Damiano. Other women joined them and the group became known as the "Poor Ladies", much as the monks with Francis at the time were called the "Poor Friars". While the friars traveled around preaching the teachings of Francis, that would not be acceptable for women at the time, so the ladies remained at the church doing manual labor and praying. In 1816, when the order was directed by Francis, Clare accepted the role of Abbess. St. Clare and her companions had no written rule to follow beyond a very short formula vitae given them by St. Francis, and which may be found among his works. Once when her convent was about to be attacked, she displayed the Sacrament in a monstrace at the convent gates, and prayed before it; the attackers left.
Clare often met with Francis and could be considered his "Soul mate" in the true sense of that name. One story, perhaps exagerated, says that when she was meeting with Francis one evening after dark, the room filled with such bright light that monks came running with buckets of water to put out the fire.
Not a lot of detail is known of the forty years Clare spent in San Damiano. It is known that she spun wool and embroidered, even when bedridded due to illness. She was als reputed to have done a number of miracles during her lifetime. It is said that when she blessed empty olive jars, they became full again. When a heavy door fell on her and everyone thoght she was crushed, she was unharmed. She cured the sick by praying and making the sign of the cross over them. Some of the sisters reported that when she meditated, a rainbow aura could be seen around her. This is how she expressed the power of prayer:
“Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
And transform your entire being into the image
of the Godhead Itself through contemplation”.
After the death of Francis, Clare continued to promote the order depite her own failing health. When she became too ill to attend mass, it is said that she was miraculously able to see and hear the mass on the wall of her room. For that reason, she was made the patron saint of television in 1958. Mother Angelica, founder of EWTN is a Poor Clare.
This interesting painting shows Clare praying to help a child being attacked by wolves, but I can't find the story behind it.
Of course, a child being attacked by wolves is often an allogorical way to say a soul being attacked by demons, so perhaps that is what the real story was about.
In 1212, when Clare's parents wanted her to marry a wealthy man, she left home and went to Francis for protection. She lived briefly in a Benedictine monastery of nuns then a house for female penetents. Her sister, Agnes left home and joined her. Later, Clare and Agnes moved to the church of San Damiano. Other women joined them and the group became known as the "Poor Ladies", much as the monks with Francis at the time were called the "Poor Friars". While the friars traveled around preaching the teachings of Francis, that would not be acceptable for women at the time, so the ladies remained at the church doing manual labor and praying. In 1816, when the order was directed by Francis, Clare accepted the role of Abbess. St. Clare and her companions had no written rule to follow beyond a very short formula vitae given them by St. Francis, and which may be found among his works. Once when her convent was about to be attacked, she displayed the Sacrament in a monstrace at the convent gates, and prayed before it; the attackers left.
Clare often met with Francis and could be considered his "Soul mate" in the true sense of that name. One story, perhaps exagerated, says that when she was meeting with Francis one evening after dark, the room filled with such bright light that monks came running with buckets of water to put out the fire.
Not a lot of detail is known of the forty years Clare spent in San Damiano. It is known that she spun wool and embroidered, even when bedridded due to illness. She was als reputed to have done a number of miracles during her lifetime. It is said that when she blessed empty olive jars, they became full again. When a heavy door fell on her and everyone thoght she was crushed, she was unharmed. She cured the sick by praying and making the sign of the cross over them. Some of the sisters reported that when she meditated, a rainbow aura could be seen around her. This is how she expressed the power of prayer:
“Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
And transform your entire being into the image
of the Godhead Itself through contemplation”.
After the death of Francis, Clare continued to promote the order depite her own failing health. When she became too ill to attend mass, it is said that she was miraculously able to see and hear the mass on the wall of her room. For that reason, she was made the patron saint of television in 1958. Mother Angelica, founder of EWTN is a Poor Clare.
This interesting painting shows Clare praying to help a child being attacked by wolves, but I can't find the story behind it.
Of course, a child being attacked by wolves is often an allogorical way to say a soul being attacked by demons, so perhaps that is what the real story was about.
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