Local News
Spotlight On A Saint: St. Clare Of Assisi
Published: September 18, 2003
Born in Assisi, Italy, on July 11, 1194, the daughter of noble parents, Clare refused to marry when she was 12 years old. So impressed was she by a Lenten sermon given by St. Francis of Assisi in 1212, she ran away to join him and his brothers at their monastery nearby and to imitate his humble life lived for Jesus.
St. Francis cut off her hair and gave her a rough brown habit to wear, tied with a plain cord around her waist. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. She was soon joined by her sister, St. Agnes. St. Francis gave her a small chapel to start a monastery for women.
She was later joined by other women who were inspired to live a life of poverty for Christ. The women wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in poverty and kept silent most of the time. But they were happy and content with their lives and their roles as brides of Christ. These women became an order of nuns known as the Poor Clares. She died in 1253. There is a Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi.
Her Contribution To The Church
One of the most famous stories about St. Clare shows her great love for Jesus in the Eucharist. An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall outside Assisi and there, where the enemies could see it, she placed the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. As she prayed for protection for her fellow sisters, the soldiers were struck with a sudden fright and fled.
How She Can Help You
St. Clare is the patron saint of television. If you’re tempted to watch something that goes against your moral beliefs, ask St. Clare to help you.
Quotable St. Clare
“Taste the hidden sweetness that lies within your heart which God has kept for those whose lives are tender within. Place your mind in the softness of life’s eternal flow. Place your soul in the brilliance of heaven’s endless glow; and love him totally who gave himself for your love, and you will hold him who holds all things in truth.”
