Clare of Assisi

Clare, which means "light", was so named by her mother, Ortolana, because of a prophetic experience she had before the birth of her second child. While praying for a safe delivery at a nearby Church, Ortolana heard a voice which said, "...You will joyfully bring forth a light which will illumine the world." Indeed, this prophecy was to be recalled after Clare's death when her cause for canonization was being considered.

Born in Assisi in 1193, Clare was influenced by the piety of her mother, Ortolana. A religious child from  her youth, Clare was given to prayer and care for the poor. She often saved food from the table to distribute to the poor outside the doors of her home. Though raised among the nobility, she cared little for the  social life which surrounded her, for she had decided to dedicate her life to God.

Clare's father, Favorone, a wealthy noble, expected her to marry the son of another noble. However, she was determined to follow what she believed was a calling from God, a life focused on the gospel and prayer.

Clare and Francis

Francis, the son of the merchant Bernadone, attracted the attention of Clare because of his preaching and style of life. She probably heard him preach in the Cathedral of San Rufino which was next to her family's castle. Both Francis' words and his gospel way of life spoke to Clare in the depths of her heart. This is what she wanted to do with her life: to join the followers of Francis.

Francis himself had a premonition while he was rebuilding the small church of San Damiano: a voice  told him a group of holy women would live in that place. Thus, recognizing in Clare a kindred spirit, he "tutored" her in his way of life.

Clare became a light, not only for the Church of the 12th century. Her holiness, already recognized in her lifetime, was proclaimed throughout the Church just  two years after her death on August 12, 1253. During her canonization process many of her own sisters as well as residents of Assisi who had come to know  Clare, testified to her holiness. In the Bull of anonization, Pope Innocent IV declared:

O wondrous blessed clarity of Clare! In life she shone to a few; after death she shines on the whole world! On earth she was a clear light; Now in heaven she is a brilliant sun. O how great the vehemence of the brilliance of this clarity! On earth this light was indeed kept within cloistered walls, yet shed abroad its shining rays; It  was confined within a convent cell, yet spread itself through the wide world.