A sketch of St. Clare of the Cross, OSA by the blogger
I would like to share with you the life of the Patroness of Pasay City and those people afflicted with heart ailments and who are losing hope. Our Patroness is St. Clare of the Cross of Montefalco, she is an Augustinian nun who lived a remarkably holy life. Who is St. Clare of the Cross? Here in the Philippines, she is often mistaken to be St. Clare of Assisi, the foundress of the Poor Clares and the friend of St. Francis of Assisi. Even here in our parish, many offer eggs for good weather and I saw one small chapel in the vicinity of the Parish who has the image of St. Clare of Assisi. She is not popular here in the Philippines because there are only two parishes who venerates her as Patroness, ours here in Pasay and another one in Caniogan, Pasig City. She is the first Augustinian nun to be canonized by the Church but St.Rita of Cascia is the most popular Augustinian nun. Now, let us explore and contemplate on the life of St. Clare of Montefalco, OSA.
The Time when St. Clare of Montefalco was born
Twelve years before the birth of St. Clare (1268), Italy was in a time of war, a time when there was discrimination of the elite to the poor at many chaotic events in society. When Clare was born, peace begins to return to Italy. St. Clare was born in Montefalco in the Province of Umbria, Italy on the year 1268 to Damiano and Iacopa. She had an older Sister Giovanna (also known as Joan), Teodorrucia (who died in infancy) and Francesco.
A sign before the town proper of Montefalco
The town of Montefalco, Italy
The Childhood of St. Clare
When Clare was still a child, she loves to pray. Often she would pray from three to four hours in a very far place from their house or in a silent part inside their home. Clare desired to enter the hermitage of her sister Giovanna, but she was only six years old at that time when she told it to her elder sister, but Giovanna said that in due time she can enter the hermitage when she is older.
One day, when Clare was praying she saw the Blessed Mother and the Child Jesus who was about her age inside her room, she ran towards the Child Lord to embrace Him but the Child Lord ran towards His Mother and hid under the mantle of the Blessed Mother. From that day on, Clare began to pray harder so that she may become very close to the Lord and embrace Him. Clare consecrated her life totally to God on that day.
The vision of St. Clare with the Mother and Child
Clare enters the hermitage of her sister Giovanna
When Clare was six years old, she told her sister Giovanna that she would like to be admitted to her hermitage but Giovanna rejected her desire because she was very young. Clare told Giovanna that she would be very obedient to her and help around in her hermitage with the fellow sisters. Clare prayed unceasingly to God and asked Him that Giovanna would allow her to enter the hermitage. Giovanna promised Clare that she would admit her in due time.
A hermitage is a house where young women lives when they chose not to marry. Some daughters may even request to their father to build her the hermitage where she can pray and live a simple life. In the case of Giovanna, Damiano, their father built her a hermitage near their house. By that time, Giovanna's hermitage doesn't have a Rule to follow (i.e. Rule of St. Augustine or St. Benedict).
The devil tried to deceive Clare in her young age to prevent her from joining Giovanna's hermitage. Sometimes the devil would disguise himself as Giovanna or any sister in the hermitage and discourage Clare to enter the hermitage, but Clare prayed unceasingly and the devil did not won because of Clare's faith. The devil tried to deceive Clare again by disguising as an old woman who told Clare that she would be like her younger sister Teodoruccia who died from childbirth but Clare fought the devil by saying the Name of the Lord and by making the sign of the cross.
When Clare passed the devil's deceit, she finally was admitted to the hermitage but only as an "observer" because she was too young. Divine Providence came to Clare when Thomas Angeli, then Bishop of Spoleto gave his blessing to Giovanna and to the other nuns to establish the hermitage. When the Bishop saw the little Clare, he asked her about her faith and desire to become a nun. Clare answered with wisdom and the Bishop also saw the humility of the little Clare and asked the Holy Spirit for guidance and finally told Giovanna to accept Clare as part of the community of nuns, thus ending her "observer" period. After that event, Giovanna was elected Mother Abbess (Superior) of the hermitage.
St. Clare (left) and her sister Giovanna (right)
Reference:
1. "The Life of St. Clare of Montefalco"by Rev. Fr. Joseph Locke, OSA
2. Photos courtesy of http://www.augmalta.org/english/iconography/saints.htm
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