St. Clare of Assisi

Clare of Assisi is also known as St. Clara. Her father a count, wanted his daughter to marry a wealthy nobleman, but Clare wanted to be a religious. She confided her desires to St. Francis of Assisi. On Palm Sunday, 1212, at age eighteen, Clare ran away from home to Francis who gave her the veil and placed her temporarily with some Benedictine sisters, until he found a house for her convent. Her sister Agnes joined her in religious life; their family was furious and ordered male relatives to use force to bring the two home, but a miracle occurred and the women were allowed to pursue their vocations. As abbess of her community Clare courageously upheld Francis’ ideals of holy poverty, obtaining the right from the pope for the Poor Clares to hold no common property. She is pictured holding a monstrance, because when enemies tried to invade Assisi, she deterred them with her prayers, while showing them the Sacred Host in a monstrance. She is a patron of the eyes, and of television, because she was given a vision of the Mass while too ill to attend in person. She died August 11, 1253 and was canonized in 1255. Her feast is now August 11.