St. Clare of Assisi
A friend of Francis who founded the Poor Ladies and defended a Gospel life of prayer, sisterhood, and radical poverty.
Image: Walters Art Museum — Public domain. Source and rights
Feast: August 11
Patronage and associations: The Poor Clares, Television, People with eye disorders
Historical period: 12th–13th centuries (1193/94–1253)
The Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin, is celebrated on August 11.
Quick facts
- Home
- Assisi, Italy
- Vocation
- Religious founder and abbess
- Community
- Poor Ladies, later called Poor Clares
Who Was St. Clare of Assisi?
Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi. Inspired by Francis’s preaching, she left the expectations attached to wealth and social rank and committed herself to a life of prayer, poverty, and community.
At San Damiano, Clare led a growing community of sisters. She spent much of her life defending their vocation to possess no property collectively, a form of poverty church authorities sometimes considered too insecure. Shortly before her death, her Rule received papal approval.
Clare’s poverty was not contempt for creation or irresponsible neglect. It was a disciplined freedom meant to keep the community dependent on God, united in sisterhood, and available for prayer. Her life offers a serious question about what possessions do to the heart.
What St. Clare of Assisi Teaches Us Today
1. Freedom may require saying no
Clare resisted respectable expectations when they conflicted with her vocation.
2. Perseverance can be quiet
She defended her community’s charism patiently over many years.
3. Simplicity creates room for love
Voluntary limits can free attention for prayer, relationships, and service.
A Prayer Asking for St. Clare of Assisi’s Intercession
God of simplicity and joy, you called St. Clare to follow Christ in prayer, poverty, and sisterhood. Through her intercession, free me from possessions and expectations that control my heart. Bless the Poor Clares and all contemplative communities. St. Clare, pray for us. Amen.
Original prayer written by Catholic Explained.