Saint Clare of Assisi, a devoted follower of Saint Francis, is celebrated as the foundress of the Poor Clares, an order committed to radical poverty and contemplative prayer.
Born into nobility in Assisi, Saint Clare (1194-1253) was profoundly influenced by Saint Francis, leading her to renounce her privileged life at age 18 to establish the Order of Poor Ladies, now known as the Poor Clares. She is revered for her steadfast faith, severe asceticism, and deep contemplative prayer, fiercely advocating for her order's strict adherence to evangelical poverty, a principle she successfully enshrined in her Rule, the "Form of Life," approved just before her passing. Her life serves as a powerful testament to absolute trust in God and profound love for Christ, making her an enduring exemplar of a life fully consecrated to God through prayer and poverty within the Church.
Born Chiara Offreduccio in 1194, Saint Clare emerged from a wealthy and noble family in Assisi, Italy, during a period of profound spiritual renewal ignited by the charismatic figure of Saint Francis. From a young age, Clare displayed a deep piety and a compassionate heart, often setting aside food from her family's table to distribute to the poor. Her early life, though marked by privilege, was also characterized by a quiet yearning for a deeper connection with God, a desire that would soon find its direction through the radical example of Francis of Assisi, who was preaching a life of absolute poverty and evangelical simplicity in the streets of her hometown. The stirring sermons of Francis deeply resonated with Clare's soul, inspiring her to envision a life entirely dedicated to Christ, a path that would require a courageous break from the societal expectations and comforts of her aristocratic lineage.
In the year of our Lord 1240, the city of Assisi, nestled in the Umbrian hills, faced a grave peril. A formidable band of Saracen mercenaries, in the employ of Emperor Frederick II, descended upon the region, their brutal intent clear: to pillage and destroy. Their destructive path led them to the very gates of San Damiano, the humble convent where Saint Clare and her sisters, the Poor Clares, lived a life of profound prayer and radical poverty. Panic gripped the city, and fear surely touched the hearts within the convent walls as the sounds of the approaching invaders grew louder, their shouts and the clanging of their weapons echoing ominously.
Many of the sisters, terrified, ran to their ailing Mother Clare, who was confined to her bed, weakened by her austere life and persistent illness. They begged her for help, their voices trembling with terror, for the Saracens had already scaled the outer walls and were preparing to breach the enclosure. Despite her physical weakness, a surge of spiritual strength coursed through Clare. She rose from her bed, her eyes burning with an unshakeable faith, and called for the ciborium, the sacred vessel containing the Most Blessed Sacrament.
With the ciborium held firmly in her hands, Clare, supported by two sisters, made her way to the convent gate where the invaders were most fiercely pressing their attack. As she stood before the gate, a shield of faith against the storm, she knelt, lifted the ciborium, and with tears streaming down her face, prayed with fervent intensity to Christ, the true King. "O Lord, protect this city, which Thou hast given to us. If it please Thee, deliver Thy handmaids, for I cannot protect them alone."
From the very Host, a voice, sweet and clear, resounded, reaching only Clare's ears: "I will always protect you." A moment later, a sudden, inexplicable terror seized the Saracens. They recoiled, abandoning their siege ladders, and fled in disarray, as if driven back by an unseen force. Assisi was saved, and the convent of San Damiano remained inviolate, a testament to the unwavering faith of Saint Clare and the miraculous power of the Blessed Sacrament she so devoutly cherished.
c. 1238-1240
To the venerable virgin, Lady Agnes, daughter of the glorious King of Bohemia, Clare, the unworthy handmaid of Jesus Christ and a useless servant of the Poor Ladies, wishes salvation in the Lord, and all good things with the highest desire.
Since I know that you, Lady, a princess and a sister, have left the magnificence and glory of the world, and have become a spouse of the Most High King, and dedicated yourself to a life of poverty and humility, I rejoice in the Lord, and congratulate you with all my heart, because you have chosen the better part, which will never be taken from you.
Truly, you have chosen that which is most noble and holy, that which is most pleasing to God, and most profitable to your soul, that which is most excellent and most glorious. For you have chosen poverty, which is the most excellent way, and the foundation of all virtues. It is the pearl of the Gospel, which the Most High King, our Lord Jesus Christ, came down from heaven to teach us, and which He practiced all His life long, and left to us as an example. For He was born in poverty, lived in poverty, and died in poverty.
Therefore, my dearest sister, since you have chosen this most holy poverty, embrace it with a fervent spirit, and hold fast to it with all your heart, and never let it go. For it is the way of salvation, the mother of virtues, and the root of all good. It is the reward of the humble, and the treasure of the poor in spirit.
Oh, how glorious is the kingdom of heaven, where the poor in spirit are crowned with glory and honor! Oh, how blessed are they who, for the love of Christ, have chosen poverty, for they shall possess the kingdom of heaven! Oh, how holy are they who, following the footsteps of Christ, have embraced poverty, for they shall be filled with all good things!
Therefore, my dearest sister, put aside all earthly desires, and cling to the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. For He is your peace, He is your salvation, He is your joy, He is your life, He is your all. And He will never leave you, nor forsake you, but will always be with you, and will protect you, and will deliver you from all evil.
Look upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him. If you suffer with Him, you shall reign with Him. If you weep with Him, you shall rejoice with Him. If you die with Him on the cross of tribulation, you shall possess with Him the mansions of heaven in the splendor of the saints. And your name shall be written in the Book of Life, and your memory shall be glorious among men.
Therefore, my dearest sister, persevere in the holy service which you have begun, and in the holy poverty which you have embraced, and in the holy humility which you have chosen. For these are the virtues which will lead you to the kingdom of heaven, and will make you worthy to stand before the face of God, and to enjoy His presence forever and ever.
Farewell in the Lord, and pray for me, your unworthy sister, and for all my sisters, that we may always walk in the way of truth and justice, and may always be faithful to the Lord, and may always serve Him with a pure heart and a fervent spirit. Amen.
To the venerable and most beloved daughter in Christ, Agnes, Queen of Bohemia, I, Clare, the unworthy servant of the Poor Ladies, wish health in the Lord, and all good things. And because I know that you, Lady, a princess, and a sister, have left the magnificence and glory of the world, and have become a spouse of the Most High King, and dedicated yourself to a life of poverty and humility, I rejoice in the Lord, and congratulate you with all my heart, because you have chosen the better part, which will never be taken from you.
Truly, you have chosen that which is most noble and holy, that which is most pleasing to God, and most profitable to your soul, that which is most excellent and most glorious. For you have chosen poverty, which is the most excellent way, and the foundation of all virtues. It is the pearl of the Gospel, which the Most High King, our Lord Jesus Christ, came down from heaven to teach us, and which He practiced all His life long, and left to us as an example. For He was born in poverty, lived in poverty, and died in poverty.
Therefore, my dearest sister, since you have chosen this most holy poverty, embrace it with a fervent spirit, and hold fast to it with all your heart, and never let it go. For it is the way of salvation, the mother of virtues, and the root of all good. It is the reward of the humble, and the treasure of the poor in spirit.
Oh, how glorious is the kingdom of heaven, where the poor in spirit are crowned with glory and honor! Oh, how blessed are they who, for the love of Christ, have chosen poverty, for they shall possess the kingdom of heaven! Oh, how holy are they who, following the footsteps of Christ, have embraced poverty, for they shall be filled with all good things!
Therefore, my dearest sister, put aside all earthly desires, and cling to the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. For He is your peace, He is your salvation, He is your joy, He is your life, He is your all. And He will never leave you, nor forsake you, but will always be with you, and will protect you, and will deliver you from all evil.
Look upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him. If you suffer with Him, you shall reign with Him. If you weep with Him, you shall rejoice with Him. If you die with Him on the cross of tribulation, you shall possess with Him the mansions of heaven in the splendor of the saints. And your name shall be written in the Book of Life, and your memory shall be glorious among men.
Therefore, my dearest sister, persevere in the holy service which you have begun, and in the holy poverty which you have embraced, and in the holy humility which you have chosen. For these are the virtues which will lead you to the kingdom of heaven, and will make you worthy to stand before the face of God, and to enjoy His presence forever and ever.
Farewell in the Lord, and pray for me, your unworthy sister, and for all my sisters, that we may always walk in the way of truth and justice, and may always be faithful to the Lord, and may always serve Him with a pure heart and a fervent spirit. Amen.
c. 1255-1261
Chapter II: Her Conversion
When therefore, the holy virgin Clare, who was chosen for God, had grown up to womanhood, and was flourishing in youthful bloom, she heard of the fame of the blessed Francis, and of his holy life, and of his preaching, and of the way of life which he had begun. And the Spirit of God, which filled her heart from infancy, began to work more powerfully in her, and to move her to embrace a life of perfect poverty and humility, and to follow the footsteps of Christ.
And when she heard of the contempt of the world, and of the love of poverty, and of the renunciation of all things, which the blessed Francis preached and practiced, she began to conceive a great desire in her heart to imitate him, and to embrace the same way of life. And she often went to him secretly, and consulted him about the salvation of her soul, and about the way of life which she ought to choose. And the blessed Francis, seeing her great desire, and her fervent spirit, and her contempt of the world, encouraged her in the Lord, and strengthened her in her good purpose.
And when the blessed Francis saw that the time was ripe, and that the holy virgin Clare was ready to embrace the life of poverty and humility, he told her to come to him on Palm Sunday, in the evening, after the solemnities of the church were over. And she, full of joy, and with a fervent desire, went to him as he had commanded.
And when she came to him, he led her to the church of Saint Mary of the Angels, where he himself had begun the Order of Friars Minor. And there, before the altar of the Mother of God, she cast off her worldly garments, and the blessed Francis, with his own hands, cut off her hair, and received her into the life of poverty and humility, and gave her the habit of penance, and the veil.
And thus, the holy virgin Clare, having renounced the world, and all its pomps and vanities, and having embraced the life of poverty and humility, became the first daughter of the Order of Poor Ladies, which was founded by the blessed Francis. And she began to live a life of such great austerity and penance, that all who saw her were astonished, and glorified God in her.
And when her parents and relatives heard of this, they were greatly disturbed, and came to the church of Saint Mary of the Angels, and tried to persuade her to return to the world, and to her former life. But she, by the grace of God, remained firm in her purpose, and resisted all their entreaties, and refused to return. And when they saw that they could not move her, they left her, and returned to their home, full of sorrow and indignation.
Chapter III: The First Daughters of the Order
After a few days, the holy virgin Clare, by the counsel of the blessed Francis, went to the church of Saint Damian, which the blessed Francis had repaired, and which was then a small and humble place. And there she began to live a life of perfect enclosure, and of constant prayer, and of manual labor, and of severe penance.
And after a short time, her sister Agnes, who was also a holy virgin, and who had a great desire to imitate her sister, came to her, and desired to embrace the same way of life. And the holy virgin Clare received her with great joy, and taught her the way of poverty and humility, and the rule of life which she herself had embraced.
And after her, many other virgins, from noble families, and from different parts of the world, came to her, and desired to embrace the same way of life. And the holy virgin Clare received them all with great charity, and taught them the way of poverty and humility, and the rule of life which she herself had embraced. And thus, the Order of Poor Ladies began to grow, and to spread throughout the world.
And the blessed Francis, seeing the great increase of the Order of Poor Ladies, and the great fervor of the sisters, rejoiced in the Lord, and gave thanks to God for the grace which He had bestowed upon them. And he often visited them, and exhorted them to persevere in their holy purpose, and to live a life of perfect poverty and humility, and to follow the footsteps of Christ.
And the holy virgin Clare, with her sisters, lived a life of such great sanctity and perfection, that they became a mirror of holiness to all who saw them. And they were an example of perfect poverty, and of profound humility, and of fervent charity, and of constant prayer, and of severe penance. And they glorified God in all things, and served Him with a pure heart and a fervent spirit, and with all their strength.
And thus, the Order of Poor Ladies, which was founded by the blessed Francis, and which was perfected by the holy virgin Clare, became a garden of virtues, and a school of holiness, and a mirror of perfection, to all who desired to follow the footsteps of Christ, and to embrace a life of perfect poverty and humility, and to serve God with a pure heart and a fervent spirit.
In some parishes or religious communities, special periods of Eucharistic adoration or small processions might be held.
This tradition commemorates her miraculous act of repelling Saracen invaders from her convent in Assisi by displaying the Blessed Sacrament.
The observance of novenas leading up to August 11th and special Masses celebrated in her honor, where the faithful pray for her intercession.
This is a common practice in the Catholic Church to honor saints and seek their intercession, especially on their feast days, reflecting devotion to Saint Clare's virtues and charism.
Recitation of specific prayers or petitions to Saint Clare for good eyesight or healing from eye diseases.
Saint Clare is invoked as a patron saint of eye diseases, a patronage stemming from her own suffering with eye ailments during her life.
Prayers offered for those involved in television, media, and communications, or for the responsible use of these technologies.
Pope Pius XII declared Saint Clare the patroness of television in 1958, based on a pious legend that she saw and heard Mass on the wall of her cell when she was too ill to attend in person.
Many faithful visit local Poor Clare monasteries on her feast day to join in their celebrations, offer support, or seek prayers from the contemplative sisters.
This practice honors Saint Clare as the foundress of the Poor Clares and supports her spiritual daughters who continue her charism of radical poverty and contemplative prayer.