St. Clare of Assisi: Life, Poor Clares, Feast Day and Prayer
Quick answer
St. Clare of Assisi (1194–1253) left a wealthy family at eighteen to follow St. Francis and founded the Order of Poor Ladies, now the Poor Clares. She was the first woman to write a religious rule that received papal approval. Her feast is August 11, and she is the patron of television.
Key takeaways
- Clare left home on the night of Palm Sunday in 1212, and Francis received her into religious life.
- She lived at San Damiano for more than forty years.
- Pope Innocent IV approved her rule on August 9, 1253, two days before she died.
- Pope Pius XII named her patron of television in 1958.
She was young, wealthy and expected to marry well. She slipped out of her family’s house at night instead, and changed the course of religious life for women.
Leaving Home
Clare was born in Assisi in 1194 to a noble family. When she was a young woman, she heard St. Francis preach and was deeply moved. On the night of Palm Sunday, 1212, she left home in secret and went to the little church of the Porziuncola. There Francis cut her hair and she put on a rough habit. Her family tried to bring her back by force, but she held firm.
Her sister Agnes soon joined her, and later so did their mother, Ortolana.
San Damiano
Clare settled at San Damiano, the very chapel that Francis had repaired, and she stayed there for more than forty years. Other women came to live with her. They prayed, worked, and depended on what was given to them.
Clare insisted on real poverty. She sought and obtained from the Pope the “Privilege of Poverty,” so that her community could not be forced to own property.
As abbess, she called herself the servant of her sisters. She nursed the sick and washed their feet. She also gave spiritual counsel to many, and her letters to St. Agnes of Prague remain treasures of Christian writing.
Protecting Assisi
In 1240, soldiers fighting for the emperor reached the walls of San Damiano. Clare, who was gravely ill, asked that the Blessed Sacrament be brought out. She prayed before it for the protection of her sisters, and the attackers withdrew. For this reason, she is often shown holding a monstrance.
Her Rule and Her Death
Clare spent years working on a rule of life for her community. She was the first woman in the history of the Church to write a religious rule that received papal approval. Pope Innocent IV confirmed it on August 9, 1253. Two days later, on August 11, she died at the age of 59. Pope Alexander IV canonized her in 1255.
A Prayer to St. Clare (Original Prayer)
St. Clare, light of Assisi, you gave up everything for Christ. Free me from what I do not need. Teach me to trust in God’s care and to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who guided her vocation, or learn about another great woman of prayer, St. Scholastica.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast day of St. Clare?
August 11, the day she died in 1253.
Why is St. Clare the patron of television?
Near the end of her life she was too ill to go to Christmas Mass, and it is said that she saw and heard it on the wall of her room. Pope Pius XII named her patron of television in 1958.
What is the Privilege of Poverty?
It was a papal permission allowing Clare's community to live without owning property, depending entirely on God and on what people gave.
Sources
- Vatican News, St. Clare of Assisi, Virgin, Foundress of the Poor Ladies
- Britannica, St. Clare of Assisi
- St. Clare of Assisi, Letters to St. Agnes of Prague
