. SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI

Original Text by Michael Olteanu, OFM. This was modificated.

Clare of Assisi (1193-1253) is the feminine expression of the ideals of Francis of Assisi. Her name means "the enlightened one"'. Her life was often seen like the radical Gospel ideals of Francis. It is only in recent times, and particularly since 1953, and during the 8th centenary of her birth in 1993-94, that Clare has emerged as a unique contribution to the ideals of Francis. Clare often called herself "the little plant of the most blessed Francis" (Rule I,3; Testament 37. 49).

Her ideals matched those of Francis, but they are the expression of an authentically female approach to the Gospel, and a proof that radical evangelical living is not only the prerogative of male apostolic spirituality. She is a mediaeval woman whose role as a great mystic rivals that of other great female figures of her age.

Clare was born in 1193-94, in a noble family, whose house overlooked  the  cathedral  square of  Assisi.  Her  father  was Favarone di Offreduccio di Bernardino, and her mother's  name was  Ortolana. This pious woman was convinced that her  daughter would be "enlightened" by God, and hence called her Clare, after being assured of a safe delivery in a vision (Process of  Canonization  of St. Clare = Proc III,28; Legend of St.  Clare  LegCl  2).  Clare's  childhood years were marred  by  some  sad events,  notably the ransacking of the Rocca Maggiore  by  the Assisi citizens in 1198 and the war between Assisi and Perugia. During these years, when Clare was still a child, the nobilityhad  to flee from Assisi and her family had taken  refuge  in Perugia. On the other hand, Clare was growing up as an educated young  lady,  as befitted her noble status.  From  her  mother Ortolana  she  learned  to become a woman of  prayer,  with  a gentle and brave heart,  generous towards the poor but strong in her beliefs. Back in Assisi in the early years of the 13th century, Clare soon became aware of the fresh ideals of Francis and his brothers, who were living down at the Porziuncola. She longed to become a member of the new movement, but she was a noble woman, and her only choice would have been that of joining one of the great monastic Orders for females, notably the Benedictines. An apostolic and itinerant life for a noble woman was not a common thing in the Middle Ages, even though we have ample witness of female movements which harmonised contemplation with apostolic witness and a penitential life, such as Beguines, Recluses, Hermits, etc.

After a period of reflection, during which Clare met Francis on some occasions, Clare decided to choose a life of radical evangelical poverty. During the night of Palm Sunday (28 March 1211 or 18 March 1212, according to different chronological tables), Clare escaped from her family's home in Assisi and hurried down to the Porziuncola, where Francis cut her hair and gave her the habit of penance at the feet of the altar of the Virgin Mary of the Angels. That same night Clare was escorted to the Benedictine monastery of San Paolo in Bastia Umbra, where she was protected by papal interdict against possible intrusion by her family to take her back home by force . After some weeks Francis transferred Clare to another monastery at the foot of Mount Subasio, Sant'Angelo di Panzo. There Clare was joined by her  sister  Caterina (Sister Agnese). All  attempts  by  thenal uncle  Monaldo  to take back the two girls  by  force  proved futile, the two girls were valient and oposed to all for their beliefs, unusual in that times for any woman. Francis then sent Clare and Agnese to the small church of San Damiano and gave them a Form of Life, which is the basis of the Rule of St. Clare. San Damiano was to be the place where Clare lived a cloistered contemplative life, but with great apostolic horizons, until the day of her death in 1253. The first sisters to join her would be called the Poor Ladies of San Damiano. Although compelled to accept the title of Abbess in 1215, a year later Clare asked Pope Innocent III to approve the Privilege of Poverty, by which the Poor Ladies were bound to live without property like the Friars Minor. This Privilege was confirmed by Gregory IX in 1228.

We have an important document relating to the early years of the history of the Poor Ladies of San Damiano, written by Jacques de Vitry (c. 1170-1240), who was Bishop of Acre in the Holy Land. This historian was the biographer of the life of Marie d'Oignies, who died in 1213, and a great enthusiast of the Beguine movement in northern Europe. While in Perugia in  1216 after the death of Innocent III, he came into contact with the movement initiated by Francis of Assisi. During the same year, in a letter written from Genova, he states: "found one consolation in those parts: many men and women, rich and worldly, after renouncing everything for Christ, fled the world. They are called Lesser Brothers and Lesser Sisters ("Fratres et Sorores Minores"). They are held in great esteem by the Lord Pope and the cardinals. They do not occupy themselves with temporal affairs, but work each day with  great desire and enthusiastic zeal ... They live according to the form of the primitive Church ... They go into the cities and villages during the day, so that they convert others, giving themselves to active work; but they return to their hermitages or solitary places at night, employing themselves in contemplation. The women live near the cities in various hospices. They accept nothing,  but  live  from the work of  their  hands"  (Clare  of Assisi.  Early  Documents.  Edited and Translated  by  Regis  J. Armstrong OFMCap, Paulist Press, New York, 1988, pp. 245-246). Clare and her Sisters were inspirated of Francis' evangelical initiative. They were so close to the Friars Minor that they were also known by the name "Lesser Sisters". Their way of life was a cloistered  one but not in the style of the old monastic Orders. The cloister at San Damiano was more spiritual than material. Moreover, the Poor Ladies lived close to the cities, and seemingly in close colaboration  with the apostolic work of the Friars Minor, of  whom they shared the zeal in a contemplative attitude. The Poor Ladies were quite unlike other female religious movements, in the sense that they had no property. The Privilege of Poverty could be seen as the characteristic note of Clare and the Poor Ladies of San Damiano. The reason for this insistence upon voluntary radical poverty lay in the fact that the Church was continually insisting that Clare and the Sisters accept a more stable way of life according to the canons of monastic Orders. This would have included property in common. Clare resolutely refused this condition, even when she had to accept a Rule given by Cardina Hugolino in 1218-19, which was modelled on the Rule of  St. Benedict. Again, in 1247, Innocent IV made her accept another

Even though it placed the Poor Ladies under the jurisdiction of the Friars Minor. Clare continued to insist, and went as far as taking the initiative of writing a Rule modelled the Later Rule of the Friars Minor. This Rule was finally by the Cardinal Protector Rainaldus on 16 September and finally by Pope Innocent IV himself on 9 August 1253, two days before Clare died. The years which Clare spent in San Damiano were marked by spreading of her movement. In 1219 her sister Agnese was  to  found  the monastery of  Monticelli,  near  Florence.ideals travelled far and wide, especially with the  help  the first Franciscan missionaries to northern  Europe.  In the Poor Ladies had a monastery in Prague (Bohemia), where princess Agnes took the penitential habit and began to live radical poverty according to the style of the Poor Ladies  at  Damiano. Four letters which Clare wrote to Agnes of  Prague been handed down to us. Clare was frail in physical health. Since 1224 she was ill at San Damiano. Nevertheless her strong character and spirit never left her. She welcomed Francis, who was at San Damiano in the spring of 1225. There he wrote the of Creatures. To her and the Sisters Francis directed Last Will before dying, and his funeral cortege stopped at Damiano for a last farewell by Clare and the Poor Ladies on 4 October 1226. Twice Clare saved San Damiano and her Sisters from plunde hordes of Saracen mercenaries, especially in September through the miracle of the Eucharist which Clare held praying for her Sisters and the city of Assisi, and again the troops of Vitalis d'Aversa in June 1241 (Proc III,18 The first event was to leave an indelible mark on later representations of Clare, even though the small ciborium she held on that occasion has often been repre as a post-Tridentine Council monstrance. As the day of her death approached, Clare twice received visit of Pope Innocent IV himself and begged him to approve Rule. This he did on 9 August 1253. Two days later, on 11 Clare died at San Damiano. Her last words are recorded Sister Filippa, the third witness in the Process of Canoniza "Go calmly in peace, for you will have a good escort, He who created you has sent you the Holy Spirit and has guarded you as a mother does her child who loves her. O may You Who have created me, be blessed" (Proc III,20). Just two months later, on 18 October 1253, Pope Innocent nominated bishop Bartolomeo of Spoleto to conduct the process canonization, which was held in Assisi between 24-29 Novem On 15 August 1255, the successor of Innocent IV, Pope IV,  who had been Cardinal Protector  of  the  Poor  solemnly canonised Clare in the cathedral  of  Anagni, promulgated the Bull of canonisation "Clara claris  praecla". In 1260 the Poor Ladies moved to their new monastery in where the church of San Giorgio once stood. They took them the crucifix of San Damiano and the mortal remains of Clare. After her death her Sisters became known as the Order Sisters Clare (OSC). The tomb of St. Clare was found on 30 August 1850, and on September her relics were exhumed. In 1872 they were placed an urn in the cript of the basilica, for the veneration of The original Rule of St. Clare with the bull of approbation "Solet annuere" was found in 1893.

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