Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi

Memorial

• Of noble birth and reputed beauty, Clare heard Francis of Assisi preach a Lenten retreat in 1212. Captivated by this new witness of a life “after the manner of the holy Gospel,” Clare stole away from her home on the night of Palm Sunday to join Francis. For the next forty years she lived in a convent attached to the Church of San Damiano, leading the young women who joined her, the first Poor Clares. When Pope Innocent IV composed a rule for her nuns that permitted them to receive an annual living, Clare responded with her own stricter version, the first women’s rule written by a woman. She died in 1253 with the approved rule in her hand.

She was a woman of great courage and strong conviction. She remains an inspiration for all who seek to live a holy life “after the manner of the holy Gospel”.

Santa Chiara, pray for us.