*** *** *** “They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor?” – St. Clare of Assisi

— St. Clare (1194-1253) was 18 when she first heard St. Francis preach during a service; he would become her close friend and spiritual guide. Under his direction, Clare founded the Order of Poor Ladies and in 1216, became the abbess. Clare continued to promote their simple and austere way of life, refusing to allow many in the Church to ‘temper’ the rigorous commitment to poverty. A decade after her death, the order was renamed the Order of Saint Clare; today known as the Poor Clares. Tradition holds that when an army of soldiers came to attack, St. Clare held high the Blessed Sacrament, warding off the invading soldiers.