Clare of Assisi

Saint Clare of Assisi was born in Assisi, Italy, on July 16, 1194, into a noble family formed in faith by her devout mother, Ortolana. As a young woman she heard Saint Francis preach and, longing to live the Gospel without compromise, she left her home on Palm Sunday in 1212 to place herself under his guidance. Renouncing wealth and marriage, she embraced Christ as her only Bride, even when her family tried to force her return. Soon her sister Agnes joined her, and other women followed. At San Damiano, beside the little church Francis had repaired, Clare became the heart of a new community known as the Poor Ladies. Enclosed in prayer, silence, and manual labor, they chose radical poverty to mirror the humility of Jesus. Clare reluctantly accepted leadership as abbess, serving her sisters with gentleness and example rather than command. After Francis’ death, she defended their vocation of strict poverty and wrote a Rule of Life—the first known monastic rule written by a woman—securing the Church’s recognition of her charism. She is venerated as the foundress of the Poor Clares and patroness of places including Assisi. Her feast day is August 11.