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St. Clare: A Short Biography
St. Clare is a much-loved figure in Catholic sainthood, although less known than St. Francis of Assisi. These two figures were critical to the renewal of the Church in their time, and their work has implications far down the ages, to our present time.
St. A Short Biography looks at the founder of the Order of the Poor Ladies (now the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to as the Poor Clares), a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition. It considers the woman who heard and chose to follow Francis rather than marrying a young and wealthy man as her parents wanted, who moved to the church of San Damiano and then drew other women to a place known for its radically austere lifestyle. Most of all, the book reflects her theology of joyous poverty in imitation of Christ, and her willingness to follow the call of Christ.
This is an introductory portrait of St. Clare beyond the common perceptions, with the spirit of Franciscan practice implicit throughout the work. St. A Short Biography highlights the relevance of this pivotal saint to our lives here and now.
St. A Short Biography looks at the founder of the Order of the Poor Ladies (now the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to as the Poor Clares), a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition. It considers the woman who heard and chose to follow Francis rather than marrying a young and wealthy man as her parents wanted, who moved to the church of San Damiano and then drew other women to a place known for its radically austere lifestyle. Most of all, the book reflects her theology of joyous poverty in imitation of Christ, and her willingness to follow the call of Christ.
This is an introductory portrait of St. Clare beyond the common perceptions, with the spirit of Franciscan practice implicit throughout the work. St. A Short Biography highlights the relevance of this pivotal saint to our lives here and now.
56 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2013
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April 26, 2016
The life of St. Clare is ever more admirable when we consider the context of her times and the weight pressed upon her as a female member of the wealthy Offreduccio family, stepping out of her station and relinquishing her duties to leave it all to join the burgeoning Franciscans. It was a radical move at a time when political marriages and touchy perceptions of honor were the order of the day.
Monaldo, patriarch of the Offreduccio family was not going to allow the feminine crown jewel of his family (already promised to be wed) to steal away and his family name blemished, by her mad renunciation of a life of privilege and duty in order to follow "that mad dog Francis" and his poor Franciscans. Those moments of tension when Clare escapes her family castle in the middle of the night, gets ordered by St. Francis, and faces Monaldo's wild posse of knights coming to storm the monastery in search of her are riveting and tense.
Joan Mueller does a great job narrating the key moments of St. Clare's life, and conveying the tension. The only reason why I assigned a 3-star "I liked it" as opposed to a "really liked it" is to establish a grading between possible renditions of a biopic in short format based on my own appreciations. Enjoy this short sketch as an introduction that hopefully encourages you to search for a more wholesome narrative.
Monaldo, patriarch of the Offreduccio family was not going to allow the feminine crown jewel of his family (already promised to be wed) to steal away and his family name blemished, by her mad renunciation of a life of privilege and duty in order to follow "that mad dog Francis" and his poor Franciscans. Those moments of tension when Clare escapes her family castle in the middle of the night, gets ordered by St. Francis, and faces Monaldo's wild posse of knights coming to storm the monastery in search of her are riveting and tense.
Joan Mueller does a great job narrating the key moments of St. Clare's life, and conveying the tension. The only reason why I assigned a 3-star "I liked it" as opposed to a "really liked it" is to establish a grading between possible renditions of a biopic in short format based on my own appreciations. Enjoy this short sketch as an introduction that hopefully encourages you to search for a more wholesome narrative.
Displaying 1 of 1 review