Web Osc Women Intro

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THE CLARIAN WOMEN PROJECT

Introduction:

Eighth Centenary of the order of Saint Clare

2012 is the 800th anniversary of the Form of Life begun by Saint Clare of Assisi and her followersin 1212. What a rich heritage is contained in those 8 centuries of great women who havefollowed in the brilliant light of their foundress. Besides those who shared Clare's life in SaintDamian's there are hundreds of others who came after them whose names have been preservedin Franciscan martyrologies, histories and in various literary works in the archives of PoorClare monasteries.

This project on Poor Clare women, as well as all the bibliography in The Book Path to Clare andHer Order, began a few years before 1983. The desire to do research and writing on Saint Clare

and our Order was there, but I had no plans, no idea of precisely what I was going to do, and noscholastic skills to direct my efforts. I just wanted to know more about Clare and our Order,and I also hoped that whatever I was able to do might enable others to do more. During thistime I prayed and pondered.

A very dear friend gave me a book on Independent Scholarship, informing me - much to mydelight - that I could consider myself to be in that category. Having lived the enclosedcontemplative life of a Poor Clare, this work was done, as the work of other Clares around theworld tends to be, in free moments here and there, and with little or no scholastic training.

The first step seemed to be to get some idea of the work that was already available. In 1983 theLord made this possible for me in a wonderful way. But thats another story. I began by

looking through any books on Franciscan and medieval history I could find, especially oldbooks gathering dust on library shelves from lack of use. As I did so, I came across names andbits of information on members of our Order who had been considered noteworthy enough tohave been included in Franciscan chronicles, martyrologies and histories. It was likeuncovering a panorama of our Order marching through time. With each unfamiliar nameClares Order took on new flesh and a new spirit. Our existence was no longer marked by just atime span of 800 years; now these same years contained accounts of women who had lived ourlife, and carried our Clare flame through those centuries.This present collection of references about Poor Clares, or writings by them, numbers 876women, and there are still more to be gathered from the painstaking labors of those who wentbefore us. The women so far listed are there because they left a mark in the pages of history,

either for their holiness and dedication to a life of prayer, or for their writings. Some have thetitle of Saint, Blessed, Venerable, or Servant of God. Among these women are foundresses ofmonasteries throughout the world, great reformers, martyrs, stigmatics. There are members ofroyal families like Barbara of Bavaria, daughter of a Duke; Agnes of Bavaria, daughter of LouisIV; Agnes of Prague, daughter of Ottokar I; Agnes of Bohemia, daughter of Ottokar III; Annade la Cruz, a Countess; and Margaret of Lorraine, a Duchess, etc. etc.


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There are writers who dared to write on theological and spiritual matters at times when thatform of expression was forbidden to women, like Caritas Pirkheimer. There are many whowrote biographies, autobiographies, histories, and poetry: Catherine of Bologna, Battista daVarano, Battista de Montefeltro, Eufrasia Alfari of Perugia, Ana Maria de San Jose, Alexandra of

Sulmono, Illuminata Bembo, Agnes of Harcourt, Chiara Columba Angeli, Magdalen ofMartinengo, Isabella Farnese, Cecilia Coppoli, Bonaventure Brown, Giacoma Policina,Girolama of Messina, and the list goes on and on. There are unedited letters and manuscriptsstill lying in monastery archives. There are centuries old books that could be re-edited, ortranslated.

The legacy left by these women presents the possibility of a new opening onto the history of theClares. Some of the references reveal the influence the Clares had upon the people of their day.There is Luisa de la Asencion, known as the nun of Carrion, whose memory has never beenerased from the hearts of her people. How inspiring to both present and future members of ourOrder to see our charism as it moved through the past 800 years.

Many histories and writings of the sisters were lost as monasteries were plundered during thealmost continual warfare waged during the Middle Ages. Even in the late 19th centurycommunities were forced into exile amid political upheavals and religious records weredestroyed. Still, volumes of scriptural, theological, mystical, spiritual and poetical works by thesisters, as well as their historical and biographical accounts, have survived. Yet, thisinformation is largely unknown even among the members of the Order of St. Clare. The EighthCentenary is a fitting occasion on which to bring to greater light the fruit of Saint Clarescharism.

A guide to the work that follows:

1. Sources used:References listed are from at least 25 sources. These include chronicles of the Franciscan Order,martyrologies, lives of saints, histories, or simply a reference found in a footnote.

2. Other sources not yet incorporated:Seraphische Illustrierte Ordens - Legende von den heiligen, Seligen Chronrdegen und Gattsdigen der

drei Orden des heiligen Paters Franziscus von Assisi auf jeden Tag des Jahres. P. WilhelmAuer, O.F.M.Cap. Milwaukee: M. H. Weltzius & Co., 1896. [Franciscan Institute]

Das Necrologium des Klosters Clarenthal bei Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden: Verlag von J.F. Bergmann,1901.

Waddings Annales, 34 vols.

Hueber, F. Menologium seu brevis et compendiora illuminatio...sanctorum, Beatorum.... Munich,1698.

3. Language translation:The names of persons, countries and cities remain in their respective languages for the mostpart. Translating them into English is another project.


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4. Name check:There might be some duplication of persons names because of differing forms of the samepersons name in some circumstances.

5. Historical insights:There were many women who lived in Clarisse Houses and yet were not Clares themselves.Among these are Constance, Queen of Aragon and the mother of St. Elizabeth of Portugal;Blanche, daughter of King Philip of France. Is there a different meaning in the designation ofClarisse, or, on the other hand, in the cloister of the Clarisses/ Clarissenkloster. They werenot professed members but rather boarders or retired Royalty.

Noble members professed in the Order were quite numerous, however. For example, thedaughter of Rudolph II, Emperor of Wein; the daughter of King Frederick of Sizilien andQueen Leonora; daughter of Albert II and Anna, daughter of Ferdinand I, to mention a few.

6. Omitted references:References that are privately circulated or for any reason considered difficult to access havebeen omitted from this collection.

7. Unknowns:There are countless unknowns in the present work, such as the definite branch of the Order towhich the member belonged, or exact countries of origin.

8. Contemporary Poor Clare writers:This collection includes merely a token of the many Poor Clares, in the 20th century to thepresent, who have published writings. That is another project in itself.

Sister Mary Francis Hone, O.S.C.Monastery of Saint Clare920 Centre StreetJamaica Plain, MA 02130

August 11, 2009Solemnity of Saint Clare of Assisi


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TABLE OF SOURCESThe following list provides an explanation of abbreviations used for frequently citedresources.

AFH....Archivum Franciscanum Historicum. Collegio S. Bonaventura, Colle S.Antonio, 00046Grottaferrata, Roma.

AIA....Archivo Ibero-Americano. Col. Card. Cisternos, O.F.M. Madrid, 1914 -1936; 1941-

BF.... Bibliographia Franciscana. Collectanea Franciscana. Sectio Bibliographia, Instituto Storicodei Fr. Minori Cappuccini, Roma. [This reference is included because it contains noticesof reviews of many books, and descriptions of their contents.]

BBF.... Bibliografia de Bibliografias Franciscanas

BLH.... Bibliografa de la literatura hispnica. 11 vols. ed. Jos Simn Das. Madrid 1960-1976.

Chiara d'Assisi.... early issues of Forma Sororum., a Review published by the Proto-Monasterio diSanta Chiara in Assisi.

CronEspan..... Cronicas Franciscanas de Espaa. Ed. Jacobo de Castro, O.F.M. Madrid: EditorialCisneros, 1977. [Note: There are hundreds of Clares in these volumes not yet recorded inthis lists.]

Devas.... Franciscan Essays. Dominic Devas, O.F.M. London:Herder, 1924.

Di Clary..... Lives of Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of Saint Francis. Leon di Clary.

Taunton: Franciscan Convent, 1885.

Escritoras .... Escritoras Clarisas Espaolas. An Anthology. Maria Victoria Trivio, O.S.C. Madrid:Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1992.

Fiege.... Marianus Fiege, O.S.F.Cap. The Princess of Poverty. Evansville: Poor Clare Nuns, 1900.The Newman Press, 1991.

FS.... Forma Sororum, Revista delle Clarisse d'Italia, Monastero S. Lucia,Viale Vanni, 6, 06062Citt della Pieve (Perugia) Italia.

Habig....Franciscan Book of Saints, Marian Habig, O.F.M. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1959;revised edition 1979.

Hist. Abrge....Histoire Abrge de L'Orders Sainte Claire d'Assise. 2 vols. Edition des Monastresdes Clarisses Colettines a Lyon et a Tournai. Lyon: Desclee de Bower, 1906.

Iriarte....Franciscan History: The Three Orders of St. Francis of Assisi. Damien Iriarte, O.F.M..Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1982.


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J.a S.Antonio....Bibliotheca Universa Franciscana, sive Alumnorum Trium Ordinum S.P.N. Francisci, 3vols., 1732.

Lainati....Chiara Augusta Lainati, O.S.C., ed. Temi Spirituali dagli Scritti del Secondo Ordine

Francescano. Assisi: Maria Degli Angeli, 1970.

Marianus....Libro delle Degnit et Excellentie del Ordine della Seraphicae Madre delle povere donneSancta Chiara da Assisi. Marianus da Firenze. Introduzione, note e indici del P. GiovanniBoccali, O.F.M. Edizione "Studi Francescani" Firenze: S. Maria degli Angeli, 1986.

Men....Hueber, F.Menologium seu brevis et compendiora illuminatio...sanctorum, Beatorum....Munich, 1698.

MartFran....Martyrologium Franciscanum. Compiled by P. Ignatio Beschin and P. JulianoPalazzolo, O.F.M. Vicetiae: Tipografia Commerciale Editrice, 1939.

Misc.Fran....Miscellanea Francescana.

P. Antonio...Giardino Serafico. Pietro Antonio di Venezia, 1710. [Italian translation of HortusSeraphici.

PM....Pro Monialibus. A periodical for Franciscan Contemplative nuns by the Franciscan Curia.

SerMart....Ausserer, Peter Paul, O.S.F. Seraphisches Martyrologium. Salzburg 1889.

SOG....Servant of God

Other sources:

Seraphische Illustrierte Ordens - Legende von den heiligen, Seligen Chronrdegen und Gattsdigen derdrei Orden des heiligen Paters Franziscus von Assisi auf jeden Tag des Jahres. P. WilhelmAuer, O.F.M. Cap. Milwaukee: M. H. Weltzius & Co., 1896. [The Franciscan Institute]

Das Necrologium des Klosters Clarenthal bei Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden: Verlag von J.F. Bergmann,1901.

Waddings Annales. 33 vols.

Hueber, F. Menologium seu brevis et compendiora illuminatio...sanctorum, Beatorum.... Munich,1698.


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BRANCHES OF THE ORDER OF SAINT CLARE

Pope Urban IV promulgated a Rule written by his predecessor, Alexander IV, in which headjusted the strict poverty in Clare's Rule thus allowing the sisters to have the financial security

the Holy See considered necessary for enclosed nuns. This came to be called the "Rule of UrbanIV" and was considered by the Church, and by the great majority of Poor Clares, as the rulefollowed by the Order of St. Clare.

In 1946 many communities experienced the movement of the spirit to return to the First Rule ofSt. Clare. Because of this transition and other changes in the choice of observances downthrough the centuries, members of either the First Rule of Saint Clare, the Rule of Urban IV, orthe Colettine Reform will have no specific designation. Other branches specifically known willbe indicated by one of the abbreviations listed here.

O.S.C.... Order of St. Clare. The title given to the Order by Pope Urban IV, to those followingthe Rule he promulgated, known as the Urbanist Rule of St. Clare. Today the titleapplies equally to those who returned to the original Form of Life written by Saint Clareof Assisi, known as the First Rule of Saint Clare. Formerly, they were known as TheOrder of Saint Clare of the Strict Observance because they were under the jurisdiction ofthe Friars of the Strict Observance, or, Observant branch of the Order of Friars Minor.

P.C.C.... Poor Clare Colettines. Poor Clares who live the Rule of St. Clare of 1253 according tothe particular charism of St. Colette of Corbie who initiated a reform of the Order inFrance in the 15th. century. They became known as Colettines because they wereunder the jurisdiction of the Colettine Friars who had been reformed by St. Colette andserved as their chaplains.

O.S.C. Cap.... Poor Clare Capuchin. Mother Maria Laurenza Luongo led a reform of the Orderin the 16th. century. At first they used the Constitutions of St. Colette supplementedwith statutes from the Capuchin Friars' Constitutions. In 1927 particular Constitutionswere drawn up for Capuchin Clares. The history of this observance may be foundamong the reference material on Maria Lorenzo Luongo. They are called Capuchin PoorClares because they are under the jurisdiction of the Capuchin Friars.

Da Mareto, Felice O.F.M.Cap. Le Capuccino nel Mondo (1538-1969). [History of theCapuchin Nuns.]

Saint Clare's Plan for Gospel Living. The Rule and Constitutions of the Capuchin Poor Clares.

Published by Ronald Giannone, O.F.M.Cap., 506 N. Church St., Wilmington,Delaware, 19801. [April 1989.]Iriarte, 459.

O.S.C. Divine Providence.... Poor Clares of the Divine Providence. Poor Clares in Barcelona,led by Mother Teresa del Sagrado Cuore, were requested by the bishop to teachcatechism to poor girls. They were officially recognized as Poor Clares in 1878. Thehistory of this observance may be found in reference material on Teresa del SagradoCuore.


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P.C.P.A.... Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, or Sacramentine Poor Clares, or, Poor Clares ofthe Most Blessed Sacrament. Founded in 1854 in Troyes, France, by BonaventureHeurlaut, O.F.M.Cap. and Mother Marie Claire Bouillevaux. At first they were Third

Order Regular Cloistered Nuns called Franciscan Nuns of the Most Blessed Sacrament.In 1912 they were incorporated into the Order of St. Clare taking the Urbanist Rule.Their particular charism centers upon adoration of the Eucharist.

Barboza, Robert, O.F.M.Cap. Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, Their Origin, History, andTheir Growth in India. A paper presented at The Franciscan Institute, St.Bonaventure University, NY.

O.Conc.... Poor Clares of the Immaculate Conception, known as Conceptionists. An Orderfounded by Beatrice of Silva. They assumed the Rule of St. Clare for about 12 years, andthen they wrote their own. They are Franciscan enclosed nuns traditionally referred to as

Conceptionist Poor Clares.

Vaughn, John, O.F.M. En Maria Immaculada una Admirable Comunion. Encyclical Letter onthe occasion of the Fifth Centenary of the Foundation of the order of the ImmaculateConception (Spanish, English, French and Italian.) Special Edition. Rome: GeneralCuria of the Order of Friars Minor, 1988.

O.S.C....Congregation of the Sisters of St. Clare. Originally Cloistered nuns of Ireland forcedout of their monasteries during Reformation. In the 20th century they were given theoption to return to cloister. Some did, but most continued as an Active Congregation buthave an Abbess General. They care for orphans and elderly primarily taking special careto maintain a spirit of prayer.

Poor Clares of Reparation and Adoration, are members of theEpiscopal Church.

Religious Communities in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Church in Canada.Compiled by Poor Clares of Reparation and Adoration. New York: Holy Cross press,1945.

Alcantrine Poor Clares, or Discalced Nuns of St. Peter of Alcantara (1676), were under thejurisdiction of the Alcantrine Friars. This branch was incorporated into other branches

of the order.

See: Iriarte, 461.

Cordelier Poor Clares, once in France, like other branches that existed through the centuries,were gradually merged into other branches of the Order.

Recollect Poor Clares, were those under the jurisdiction of the Recollect Friars of France.

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