Saint Clare of Assisi 13th C.
Saint Clare of Assisi was born on July 16, 1194, and she died on August 11, 1253. Saint Clare of Assisi was a follower of St. Francis of Assisi and the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition.
The Order of Poor Ladies was different from any other convent because it followed a rule of strict poverty. Following Saint Clare of Assisi’s death, the order she founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares. Saint Clare of Assisi’s real name was Chiara Offreduccio. Can you imagine having an organization named after you?
Saint Clare of Assisi Biography
Saint Clare of Assisi was born into the Offreduccio household during the High Middle Ages (July 16, 1194). She was one of three sisters, all three of whom became nuns. Clare’s younger sisters, Beatrix and Catarina, followed her into religious life. (The latter took the name Agnes and became an early abbess. She established it in additional communities and was declared a saint in the mid-18th century.
Saint Clare of Assisi overcame the opposition of her family, who wanted her to marry, to become a nun. She heard Francis preach during a Lenten service in the church of San Giorgio at Assisi when she was 18. Inspired by his words and knowing that marriage was rapidly approaching, Clare went to Francis and asked him to help her live after the manner of the Gospel. She left her family and became a nun on the evening of Palm Sunday, March 20, 1212.
Francis placed Saint Clare of Assisi in the convent of the Benedictine nuns of San Paulo, near Bastia. Her father, along with other members of her family, attempted to convince her to return home. Her family continued to bother her, and in order to provide the greater solitude she wanted, a few days later, Francis sent her to Sant’Angelo in Panzo, another monastery of the Benedictine nuns on one of the flanks of Subasio. That proved a fateful decision. Her sister Catarina unexpectedly joined Clare 16 days later and took the name ‘Agnes’.
The sisters remained with the Benedictines until a small dwelling was built for them next to the church of San Damiano. That was where Francis had repaired some years earlier. San Damiano is traditionally considered the first house of this order, despite its relative disrepair; it may have been affiliated with an existing network of women’s religious houses organised by Hugolino (who later became Pope Gregory IX).
For a little while, the order was directed by Francis himself. In 1216, however, Clare accepted the role of abbess of San Damiano. She was reluctant. As abbess, Clare had more authority to lead the order than when she was the prioress and required to follow the orders of a priest heading the community. Clare did not care for titles or power within the Order and took on the role of abbess only because Francis wanted her to. Saint Clare of Assisi referred to herself by such terms as mother rather than an abbess.
After Francis’s death, Clare continued to promote the growth of her order, writing letters to abbesses in other parts of Europe, including Agnes of Prague. Clare began writing her own Rule, keeping Francis’s teachings at the forefront of her mind. Her Rule especially emphasized the absolute non-possession of property.
As Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II battled Pope Gregory IX for control of Italy during the Crusades era, separately in September 1240 and June 1241, Saracen armies attacked the monastery of San Damiano and the town of Assisi. Both targets were successfully defended as Clare prayed to Christ. In her later years, Clare endured a long period of poor health. Saint Clare of Assisi died on 11 August 11 1253. One day after having the Rule she wrote approved by Pope Innocent IV. Her last words are reported to have been, “Blessed be You, O God, for having created me.”
Conclusion
Saint Clare of Assisi was a contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi. She knew him, but was noteworthy on her own. She wrote a rule for Benedictine nuns that was named for her. She overcame the dissent of her family to enter the convent. That shows that despite challenges, anyone can prosper and do what they want. That she defeated two armies by praying shows the power of Christ.
