St. Clare of Assisi: Contemplative, Miracle Worker, Lover of the Eucharist
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare of Assisi, the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and co-founder of the Poor Clares. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgo, she was captivated by his words and became deeply determined to live the gospel in a radical way. On the evening of Palm Sunday, at the age of 18, she secretly left her paternal home with her cousin Pacifica, never to return. In the dead of night lit only by torches, Clare met Francis and his friars at the ‘Portiuncola’. There, in the little chapel of ‘Mary of the Angels’, Francis cut her long blond hair and Clare laid aside her fine clothes, clothing herself in a simple dress of sackcloth and a thick veil. She vowed from that moment on to give herself totally to God, her eternal spouse. Clare...