“Blessed be You, O God, for having created me.”
Chiara Offreduccio was born in Assisi on July 16, 1194, as the eldest daughter of Favarone, Count of Sasso-Rosso, and his wife Ortolana. He was a wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family, who owned a large palace on the slope of Mount Subasio. Her mother belonged to a noble family and was very devout, taking pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land.
She was taught the ways of Catholicism by her mother, became very religious, and devoted to prayer. When she was 12, she was arranged for marriage but protested.
As a teen, she heard Saint Francis preach, and inspired by his words, she asked him to help her to live after the manner of the Gospel. Soon, with the consent of the bishop, she left her family, accompanied by her aunt and a friend, and met with Francis. In the chapel her hair was cut, and she exchanged her rich gown for a plain robe and veil, symbolizing she was no longer bound by the laws of man or society but to God.
She was enticed by her family to return but when she resisted, they used force. As she clung to the church altar, she removed her veil, showing her cropped hair. Her family then relented and left her in peace.
Her younger sister Catarina, unexpectedly joined her 16 days later, taking the name of Agnes. Again, the family tried with force but was unsuccessful.
They lived a simple life of poverty, austerity, and seclusion according to a Rule which Saint Francis gave them as a Second Order for the Poor Ladies of San Damiano. It emerged as the most important house in the Order and for a short period, Saint Francis directed it himself.
At the age of 22, Clare reluctantly accepted the role of abbess. She was shy and did not like giving orders, saving the most tedious tasks for herself as she longed to care for everyone. She considered silence as a means of avoiding the many sins of the tongue and keeping the mind fixed on God.
During the Crusades, they were attacked by Saracen armies, and she defended the convent by displaying the Blessed Sacrament at the gates. She prayed before the consecrated Host and the attackers fled.
After Francis’ death, she struggled to keep the strict poverty rule of the Order with the local clergy and the succession of popes, but Pope Gregory IX finally allowed it after a personal visit. She then submitted for review her own Rule. After a long period of poor health, she died on August 11, 1253, at the age of 59, and her Rule was approved the day after.
The process for her canonization began immediately, and 2 years later, she was declared a saint.
Just 10 years after Clare’s death, the order became known as the Order of Saint Clare, or the “Poor Clares”.
Her sister became an early abbess, established additional communities, and became a saint herself. After Clare’s father passed away, her mother entered the convent as well.
She is the patron saint of bicycle messengers, eye diseases, fertility, goldsmiths, laundry, needleworkers, and television and Santa Clara, California.
Her feast day is August 11.
For God’s Glory.


San Damiano Monastery –

