Saint Clare of Assisi

Chiara Offreduccio was born in Assisi in 1194 into a noble family. Moved by the preaching of Francis of Assisi, on the night of Palm Sunday 1212 she secretly left her home and went to the little church of the Portiuncula, where Francis cut her hair and received her into a life of poverty. Despite her family's opposition she held firm, and her sister Agnes and later her mother joined her.

Clare and her sisters settled at San Damiano, where she lived for over forty years in prayer, silence, work and joyful poverty. Her own Rule, the first written by a woman for women, was approved by Pope Innocent IV just two days before her death. Tradition tells that she drove off invading soldiers by holding up the Blessed Sacrament. She died on August 11, 1253, and was canonized in 1255.

Poor Clare monasteries around the world celebrate her solemnly. Because tradition says that, too sick to attend one Christmas, she saw and heard Mass on the wall of her room, Pope Pius XII named her patroness of television in 1958.

In Spain and parts of Latin America, a traditional custom is to bring eggs to the Poor Clare sisters to ask Saint Clare for good weather, especially before a wedding.