Saint Clare of Assisi (vegetarian): Devoted Italian Visionary and Co-Founder of the Poor Clares, Part 2 of 2

As a young adult, Saint Clare went to San Damiano, where she stayed for 40 years, serving as the abbess. She was reunited with her mother and younger sister Beatrice during her time there. Saint Clare of Assisi founded the Order of Poor Ladies, later named Poor Clares, which had strict vows of silence, poverty, and fasting. She exclaimed, “They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly poor?” Eventually, Pope Innocent IV approved her definitive rule, just two days before her passing.

When Saint Francis doubted his mission, Saint Clare provided him with much aid and encouragement to continue. She built a little hut for him in an olive grove close to San Damiano when he became ill and developed blindness. It was during this time that Saint Francis composed the “Canticle of the Sun.” Saint Clare saw Saint Francis as a spiritual father figure and took care of him during his final illness.

Saint Clare of Assisi passed away on August 11, 1253, in Assisi, Italy, at the age of 59. She was canonized two years later by Pope Alexander IV. Today, the order has over 20,000 sisters worldwide representing more than 70 countries. She was designated as the patron saint of television by Pope Pius XII in 1958. In Greek, “television” means “vision from afar.” She is also the patron saint of laundry, eye disease, and goldsmiths.

Many painters during the Renaissance were inspired to portray Saint Clare of Assisi in their artwork. In 2008, the television film “Clare and Francis,” directed by Fabrizio Costa and starring Italian actors Mary Petruolo and Ettore Bassi, was released under the sponsorship of the Franciscan Order. In October 2020, the music album “Light for the World,” featuring the voices of the Poor Clare Sisters of Arundel in the United Kingdom, reached the number one position in both the UK Classical Artist Album Chart and the Classical Specialist Album Chart. The production features writings from Saint Clare and Saint Francis set to music.