St. Clare

St. Clare (http://members.chello.nl/~l.de.bondt/SaintClare.jpg)

The saint I am going to tell you about is St. Clare. She was a courageous young girl who exchanged her riches for the way of Christ. She chose to truly live her life for Christ even though it was not an easy thing to do and it brought many discomforts and hardships. She showed sacrifice and a hunger to know the ways of God.

Clare was a wealthy daughter of a count in Assisi, Italy. She was born July 16, 1194ad. One day, when she was about 18, she heard St Francis preach, she told him of her desire to give herself totally to god. The two of them became close friends, and they decided that Palm Sunday would be Clare's special day.

On Palm Sunday, Clare dressed in her most beautiful clothes and attended mass with all the nobles, even the Bishop was there. That night she left the castle and went to the church of Our Lady Of Angels where she met St. Francis and his brothers. At the altar of the beautiful church, Francis cut off all of her long hair, which was a woman’s pride at that time. She exchanged her expensive clothes for a rough woolen habit and consecrated her life and love to Christ.

St Clare and the Order of the Poor Clares (http://skdsfo.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/elizabeth2.jpg)

In an old house outside Assisi, Clare started her Order of the Poor Claris. Later her sister and mother and other noble Ladies joined her in her quest to follow the ways of God. They lived a life of prayer, silence, work, and fasting and living a life free of worldly possessions.

One day enemies of the church were about to attack the convent. Saint Clare had the Blessed Sacrament placed in a monstrance above the gate of the convent to keep hidden and safe. She then prayed for help and the enemy fled. She died of old age shortly after this occurred August 11, 1253ad. Her feast day is August 11th.