St. Clare of Assisi: Light From the Cloister

by Bret Thoman, Rosella Chiara Mancinelli (Foreword)

Just as with his stirring narrative of the life of St. Francis, St. Francis of Passion, Poverty & the Man Who Transformed the Church, author Bret Thoman draws upon his profound knowledge of original sources, his familiarity with the places where these two great founders lived and breathed and changed the world, and his own Franciscan spirituality, to bring to life, like never before, the story of St. Clare of Assisi. Join Thoman as he skillfully weaves the known facts of Clare’s life with imaginative passages that bring the reader into the profoundly spiritual world of the “Light from the Cloister.” Hailing from an aristocratic or “Major” family, Clare continually—in imitation of Our Lord and Francis—sought to make herself lesser or minor. In the process, in another of God’s “divine paradoxes,” she became a giant, not only of her Age, but of all time. Tenaciously attached to poverty, she became rich as only the saints are; docile and obedient, she stood up to her aristocratic family and, later, princes of the Church in following the path upon which God had set her; frail and vulnerable, she caused Saracen invaders to turn tail and run . . . merely by prostrating herself before the Blessed Sacrament; and though not learned in either theology or canon law, she became the first woman to write a Rule for a new religious community. St. Clare truly was a “light from the cloister” not only for her era but for all time. Meet her as never before in these pages and, in what is sure to be a profoundly spiritual reading experience, let her light shine upon you.

Genres: Catholic

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 25, 2017

About the author

Bret Thoman has a master’s degree in Italian from Middlebury College, a BA from the University of Georgia, and a certificate in Franciscan Studies. He is an FAA-licensed pilot and flew professionally for six years logging over 3,500 hours of flight time. After leaving flying, Bret started organizing and accompanying tours to Italy for St. Francis Pilgrimages, the company he founded in 2004.

Bret has written numerous articles, eight books and translated a dozen more from Italian to English.

He spends his free time reading, watching films, sailing in the Adriatic Sea, hiking anywhere off-road, and wiping noses

Bret lives in Loreto, Italy with his wife and three children.

He can be contacted at: bret.thoman@gmail.com

Reviews

[Joseph]

Informative. Not sure how much I enjoyed the historical non-fiction approach, but it did serve to bring forth several things about the life of Chiara Offreduccio or who I know as the beloved St. Clare. 'Chiaria' being the Italian for 'clear' or 'to brighten', where we get the word 'clarify' from, which we take to mean, "to make clear, elucidate, or enlighten." Such a fitting Christening from her pious mother to a beautiful child of God.

I love that she was the first woman to write a rule that was accepted papally, the request being granted to her on her deathbed.

She and St. Francis, were great examples of how to give up everything and follow Christ both being born in Italy's upper class, they embraced poverty and gave up their worldly riches, doing exactly what the "rich young ruler" of the Gospels could not do. Clearly the opposite of materialism, with a deep trust in God's continued provision and sustainance.

Such an important lesson, especially for folks of our modern culture, with their eyes so obscured and occluded by the gleam and allure of labubu (does that serve as both the plural and singular?), Stanley cups and extremely baggy mom jeans, to see the struggle of the poor. (I'm no different, mind you, I've certainly struggled with materialism.)Fashions change, but the Word of God is eternal.

To what end did these two beloved saints suffer all this spiritual and physical poverty? What did they receive? Nothing less than perfect joy in The Beatific Vision.

Jesus tells us in St. Luke: "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (14:27)"

My prayer is that I would take up my cross daily as Jesus instructed and follow St. Clare's example, letting go of the excesses of this life.

St. Francis pray for us!

Abess, St. Clare, founder of the Poor Clares, pray for us!

[Jenn M]

It is hard to find a simple and faithful retelling of the life of St. Clare of Assisi. Most often what you find is the story of St. Francis with bits and pieces of Clare’s story woven in between. This book, however, truly portrays the life of Clare in such a way that you can get to know her, her life, and her story. As is said in the introduction, the book truly is an encounter with many.

My greatest critique would be the repetitiveness of the description and explanation. Otherwise, a very enjoyable book and well worth the read.

[Jeff Johnson]

This is such a great and imaginative biography of St. Clare. Thoman artfully tells her story in a modern and accessible language, carefully noting what is based in historical source material and what he’s added to fill in narrative gaps and humanize the characters. If you don’t know the story of St. Clare, or you want to more fully enter into her life’s journey, this is an excellent place to start.

[Elizabeth Bauer]

A wonderful and moving read. It was enjoyable and an unexpected “page turner”!

[Jeanne Bucnis]

More real

Bret Thoman is a Secular Franciscan. He merges the available historical information with the Legend into a pleasant story. Clare should become more alive to any reader.

[chloé]

Everyone needs to read this.

[Brian]

I'm glad my Franciscan fraternity decided on this book to read this year.

[Janet Silvester]

I am now reading a book about Lady Diana and after that will read another Saints story.

[Mike]

It just didn’t grab me. I didn’t really enjoy the historical novelization even though it sometimes made it easier to read. That’s just my opinion, a lot of people seem to like this book. Oh well!

[Bill reilly]

Having read two biographies about St. Francis of Assisi, I was intrigued by his spiritual companion on earth, Clare. Francis was from a moderately wealthy family and renounced all to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Clare was living in a castle filled with servants and was expected to marry within her noble class and become a Lady of the Manor. After hearing Francis speak, the girl had other ideas. At eighteen, she escaped from her father's grasp and entered a Benedictine monastery. Dad arrived with armed soldiers but met with a stubborn and determined daughter who revealed a freshly shaved head. The bride to be was no longer the beautiful, long haired, blue eyed apple of her father's eye. The rest is history, as, following in Francis' footsteps, she established a holy order, the Poor Clares, who exist to this day after almost seven hundred years. This is an inspirational and excellent read

[Lisa Hezmalhalch]

It’s a great little book on Saint Clare that reads like a historical narrative.