St. Clare of Assisi Life
St. Clare was born Chiarra Offreduccio in Assisi, Italy on July 16, 1194 to a wealthy family. Her father, Favorino Scifi, was a count and her mother was the countess Ortalana, now a blessed. Her father died when she was very young. After hearing St. Francis preach in the streets one day, she confided to him her own desire to live her life for God. The two became good friends. On Palm Sunday in the year 1212, the local bishop presented Clare with a palm, which she took as a sign to follow her vocation. Clare and her cousin, Pacifica, ran away one night to enter the religious life. She soon accepted the veil of a nun from St. Francis at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi.
Francis place her temporarily with the Benedictine nuns of San Palos near Bastia, then to San Angelo in Panzo, until she was finally sent to San Damiano where she founded the first community of the Order of Poor Ladies (later the Poor Clares.) She led this order for forty years. Everywhere the Franciscans established themselves throughout Europe; there also went the Poor Clares, depending solely on the providence of God to subsist. This was a new idea at the time. In the beginning, most of the young girls who joined her in this life of radical poverty were from the noble families of Assisi and the surrounding area. At first they had no written rule to follow except for a very short 'formula vitae.' Over the years prelates tried to draw up a rule for the order largely based on the Rule of St. Benedict, however, Clare would reject these attempts in favor of the 'privilege of poverty,’ wishing to own nothing in the world and depending entirely on the providence of God and the generosity of the people for their livelihood.
Clare became a living example of the poverty, humility and the mortification expounded by St. Francis. She had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to increase her love for Christ crucified, she learned by heart the Office of the Passion composed
Francis place her temporarily with the Benedictine nuns of San Palos near Bastia, then to San Angelo in Panzo, until she was finally sent to San Damiano where she founded the first community of the Order of Poor Ladies (later the Poor Clares.) She led this order for forty years. Everywhere the Franciscans established themselves throughout Europe; there also went the Poor Clares, depending solely on the providence of God to subsist. This was a new idea at the time. In the beginning, most of the young girls who joined her in this life of radical poverty were from the noble families of Assisi and the surrounding area. At first they had no written rule to follow except for a very short 'formula vitae.' Over the years prelates tried to draw up a rule for the order largely based on the Rule of St. Benedict, however, Clare would reject these attempts in favor of the 'privilege of poverty,’ wishing to own nothing in the world and depending entirely on the providence of God and the generosity of the people for their livelihood.
Clare became a living example of the poverty, humility and the mortification expounded by St. Francis. She had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to increase her love for Christ crucified, she learned by heart the Office of the Passion composed