St. Clare of Assisi was one of the first people to follow St. Francis of Assisi. She founded the Poor Clares Order. She embraced a rule of poverty, austerity, and seclusion.
Once, an invading army threatened the cloister. St. Clare went to a window and held up a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. All of the sisters prayed. The soldiers were overcome with fear at the sight and left.
In art, she is often shown holding a lamp. This is because her name means “clarity” and she is shining a light of clarity. She is also sometimes shown with lilies which symbolize purity.
St. Clare of Assisi’s feast day is August 11
Patron Saint of …
St. Clare of Assisi is the patron saint of eye disorders, television, bicycle messengers, and laundry.
Daily Mass Readings for the Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
The readings may be taken from below, the readings for the day, the Common of Virgins, or the Common of Holy Men and Women.
- First Reading – Philippians 3:8-14: “It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.”
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 16: “You are my inheritance, O Lord.”
- Gospel – Matthew 19:27-29: “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.”
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We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed through transformation. This means we are to become vessels of God’s compassionate love for others.