A year ago, I unexpectedly joined a pilgrimage to Assisi. Though the focus was Francis, I discovered my stories about him didn’t form a complete picture. Reading Clare of Assisi by Ingrid Peterson, OSF, changed everything—for this trip wasn’t really about Francis alone, but about Francis and Clare. August 11 commemorates St. Clare, whose independent vocation deserves our attention today.
St. Clare’s Unstoppable Spirit
We often picture saints in stained glass—distant figures frozen in piety. But St. Clare’s true story is dynamic: a woman who rewrote her era’s rules for a women’s spirituality.
The Root: Contrary to popular belief, Clare was not merely Francis’s follower. Her spiritual fire was ignited within her own home. Her mother, Ortulana (meaning “little gardener”), cultivated prayer among the household women, forming a lay community where Scripture lived in daily relationships. Under this maternal guidance, Clare experienced an intimacy with Jesus. This foundation gave her the certitude for the stormy path ahead.
Crossing Over: At 18, Clare renounced her noble status, sold her dowry, and gave it to the poor. On Palm Sunday 1212, she made her break from society so dramatic it shocked those around her. By leaving behind her inheritance and social protection, she died to her noble identity—losing class, security, and the safeguards of her station for total dependence on God. For our context today, imagine earning enough commission to retire comfortably—then walking away to volunteer for $10,000/year or less, with no safety net and no guarantee you could return if you changed your mind. That sense of permanent loss? That’s Clare’s reality.
Two Paths, One Vision: While Francis preached outwardly, Clare remained at San Damiano, persisting quietly to ensure the Sisters could live without property—and thus, without security. She understood that this spiritual impulse needed protection through structure. For her contemporaries, property represented permanence: think of a 401(k), health coverage, home ownership, and job security combined. Without it, there was no safety net. When the Church tried imposing property requirements after the Fourth Lateran Council, Clare refused to compromise. She persisted for decades until Pope Gregory IX granted her the Privilege of Poverty in 1228—the right to own nothing. This privilege was later incorporated into her Form of Life (Community Rule), approved by Pope Innocent IV just two days before her death on August 11, 1253. Choosing poverty was not spiritual fantasy; it was surrendering every worldly guarantee for total trust in God alone.
Her leadership was equally revolutionary. In a hierarchical world, she lived as an equal, washing Sisters’ feet so they might “catch” the meaning of service rather than hear about it.
Why Clare Matters Today
Clare offers a blueprint for navigating systems defining us by status, wealth, or productivity. She reminds us that faith cannot be erased by institutions.
She invites us to:
Know what you truly believe. Clare learned this from her mother, who taught her to see the humanity of Christ.
Choose truth over security. When the Church demanded that she accept property, Clare insisted for the right to own nothing rather than compromise.
Let love flow where rank cannot. Clare washed her Sisters’ feet, not as a noblewoman performing humility, but as a mother and sister attending to their needs. Holiness was caught, not commanded.
During the Process of Canonization, witnesses asked to describe her holiness fell silent: “It’s beyond all telling.” Perhaps that silence speaks louder than any history book. Clare’s life leaves us with one searching question: How much can we depend on God’s providence instead of the security we build for ourselves? She chose the risk of total trust over the comfort of guarantees. May her example inspire us to make our own bold leaps of faith, leaving behind what the world says we need, trusting in God.
