| Clare of Assisi (August 11th) was born into a wealthy family in 1193 and grew into a young woman noted for her beauty. At the age of eighteen she attended a series of Lenten sermons preached by Francis of Assisi, and she experienced a sudden conversion. Following Francis' example, she renounced all of her possessions and became a nun.
She begged Francis to become a member of his Order and he accepted he, placing her temporarily in a nearby convent. At this her family and friends intervened to take her home, but Clare was adamant that she would be the bride of Christ alone. She prevailed, and Francis then provided her a small house that he had restored.
By 1215, several other women had joined her and the house became the center of a convent for a new Order called the "Poor Ladies of St. Damian" (now called the Poor Clares). Francis made her Mother Superior, and for the next forty years, Clare governed her convent without ever leaving it. The community followed a Rule of life that Francis drew up for them. Later, Clare became the first woman to write of Rule of life for nuns.
Her Order's practices were very austere, marked by absolute poverty. They slept on the ground, wore no shoes or sandals, never ate meat, and remained silent unless spoken to or in order to perform a work of charity. Their daily duties included caring for the poor and neglected, begging for alms, and performing their chores. Clare was also the servant to her nuns. Her life remained simple, but she became internationally famous for her sanctity. On two occasions, armies besieging Assisi withdrew when they saw Clare praying at the city wall. She died in 1253, and was canonized a saint only two years later.
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