Question: What is greatest motivation for a good woman to run away and join a religious order? Answer: To get away from having to be married to a man for fifty years. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) did just that as a young woman in Umbria (now part of Italy) in 1212..
Facing the prospect of settling down with a spousal candidate chosen by her parents, Clare, a woman of independent spirit, a fecund mind and captivating physical beauty, had other ideas beyond keeping a man (practically a stranger) happy for the rest of her life.
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Rather than allowing herself to be coerced by reigning social mores, Clare began a life devoted to prayer, humility, self-abnegation and service to the poor. After spending time under the tutelage of the Franciscan Order, Clare and her sister Agnes moved to a church in San Damiano and founded an Order for women.
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In 1216, four years subsequent to fleeing from an arranged marriage, Clare became an 'Abbess' and proceeded to focus her women, known popularly as 'The Poor Ladies Of San Damiano', on the plight of the desperate, the sick and the hungry. When Vatican authorities tried to assert control on her Order, Clare resisted and began a longstanding standoff with Rome.
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After many years of fighting for the poor and against The Church hierarchy, Clare's Order was recognized as independent with the proclamation of a Papal Bull on 9 August 1253. Forty-eight hours later, Clare died at age 59. Although outmaneuvering The Church as a woman in a particularly patriarchal era was a singular achievement, Clare's success cannot be defined in terms securing an official Vatican document. Indeed, Clare achieved victory not only for herself but also for the world by refusing to submit to nonsensical social norms and leading a life of empathy and hope. In short, Martin Luther had a female forerunner.
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Two years later (1255), Clare was canonized as a saint by Pope Alexander IV. She, however, was not the only one deserving of the honor. Indeed, Clare would have wanted all 'The Poor Ladies Of San Damiano' to be equally recognized for their commitment to being - above all - beautiful human beings.
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(Picture: Clare of Assisi - click to enlarge)
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J Roquen