Saint Clare of Assisi

Life, Faith, and the Founding of the Poor Clares

Clare of Assisi was a religious woman, a collaborator of Francis of Assisi, and the founder of the Order of Poor Clares.

In 1255, she was canonized by Pope Alexander IV.

In 1958, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her the universal patron saint of television and telecommunications.

The Life of Saint Clare

The Escape from Home and the Meeting with Francis

On Palm Sunday, the night of March 18, 1212, the young Clare of Offreduccio, accompanied by Pacifica di Guelfuccio, fled through a side door of her father's house, located near the cathedral of Assisi, San Rufino, and went secretly to the Porziuncola. There, Francis was waiting for her with his first friars, who welcomed her into their community.

Francis cut her hair and gave her the rough habit of poverty and penance, with a cord around her waist and a veil over her shaven head. Her desire to follow Christ in the manner of Francis had now been fulfilled: at that time Clare was eighteen years old.

This was the culmination of a journey that had already begun. Clare and Francis had already met periodically for two full years; during these meetings, Clare was supervised by Bona di Guelfuccio, while Francis was accompanied by Brother Philip. Throughout this time, Clare received from Francis a luminous guide in the ways of the spirit, and the result of those meetings was her decision to embrace a life according to the Gospel.

Clare pursued her project with tenacity, even in the face of every attempt to prevent her from following a life of absolute poverty. Out of her fidelity to Francis's intentions, she shared his ideals and even more so because she had been called by God to follow them. Even a cousin of Clare, Rufinus, had already joined the community around 1210, becoming one of Francis's most faithful companions.

Clare was certainly aware of the public dispute Francis had with his father in the presence of the bishop in 1206 and his total change of life, and she was fascinated by it.

The Foundation of San Damiano and the Poor Clares

However, after being welcomed into the Order, Clare was hosted for a brief period with the Benedictine nuns. Evidently, this happened because she could not stay at the Porziuncola and there was simply nowhere else to put her. Almost immediately she was joined by her sister Agnes.

However, it was not long before Clare begged Francis to allow her to leave the Benedictines and lead a truly Franciscan life. Thus, with the bishop's permission, Francis settled her and her sister Agnes in the chapel of San Damiano, which he himself had rebuilt and where he had heard the voice of the Crucified in the spring of 1206, commanding him: "Francis, repair my house, which is falling into ruin."

Thomas of Celano describes Clare's first days at San Damiano as follows: "After a few days, she went to the church of Sant'Angelo di Panzo. But since her soul was not completely at peace there, on the advice of Blessed Francis she finally returned to the church of San Damiano... In the prison of that small cloister Clare shut herself in for the love of her heavenly spouse. There she hid from the tumult of the world and imprisoned her body for as long as she lived."

Not before 1215 did Francis compose a special formula of life for Clare and her companions, who by then had increased to five. For those three years they followed the Rule of life that Innocent III had approved for the friars in 1209.

Popularly called "Damianites" and by Francis "Poor Ladies", they would forever be known as "Poor Clares". Clare continued unwavering in her fidelity to the ideals and teachings of St. Francis. She died on August 11, 1253, and was canonized two years later. Of all the followers of St. Francis, before and after her, no one ever loved and understood him and his evangelical vocation as Clare did, who called herself the "little plant of the most blessed father Francis".

The Privilege of Poverty

Clare obtained from Innocent III and Gregory IX the privilege of poverty, according to which the sisters were allowed to live in total poverty and no one could force them to accept goods of any kind. The houses of the Poor Clares were without endowments, and it is this absolute poverty the characteristic trait of the originality of their life. Until then, it had never been heard that a monastery could live without property.

Saint Clare continued to live at San Damiano for over forty years. Here Clare was initially joined by her other sister Beatrice and her mother Ortolana, later by other women and girls, and soon they were about fifty. Clare wanted to create a family of poor cloistered nuns, immersed in prayer for themselves and for others.

The Miracles and the Patron Saint of Television

On Christmas Day, at the Mass served by Francis, Clare was not there because she was in bed due to her infirmity. Wishing to participate in the Christmas celebration, a vision of the celebration appeared to her.

The Saracens were at the gates of Assisi and were besieging San Damiano. Clare took the monstrance and exposed it at the window. A blinding light frightened the Saracens, making them flee from the convent and from Assisi.

In 1958, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her the universal patron saint of television and telecommunications. She is honored today as Saint Clare, the founder of the Poor Clares, who live a completely cloistered life.