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Audio Course: St. Francis of Assisi: A New Way of Being Christian
Blog Author: Br. William Short
Greetings from Assisi! I am just returning from a meeting with 50 representatives of our Poor Clare Sisters from around the world, commemorating the 800th anniversary of the beginnings of the Franciscan Family. This pilgrimage to the place of our origins took us to St. Mary of the Angels of the Portiuncula, a place of conversion for both Francis and Clare, and to San Damiano, where Francis worked on repairs, and where Clare spent most of her life.
We venerated the memories of our founders at their tombs, at the Basilica of St. Clare and that of St. Francis. And we took the long, winding mountain road to the peak of La Verna to pray in the Chapel of the Stigmata, remembering the ecstatic encounter of Francis with the Crucified. The weather was cold, foggy and rainy, yet each place brought a certain warmth.
To spend nearly two weeks with a community of my Sisters dedicated to a life of contemplation was a new experience for me, and a good one. The way they sought moments of silence in the midst of important meetings, or found a small corner in which to sit and look at the beautiful countryside — these small gestures reminded me of the strength of the vision of St. Clare among her daughters across the centuries.From Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, France, Poland, the US and many other countries, the spiritual heirs of Clare of Assisi are an amazing phenomenon! Yes, they are women of prayer, yet they are also great fun — we celebrated “Carnevale” together in grand style, with a Brazilian Sister playing a kind of samba on the guitar, and funny Italian pastries that seemed to be fried dough sprinkled with a lot of powdered sugar.
They are also quite practical: one of my jobs was trying to track down the proper sulfur compound to protect wine-grapes Sisters are growing in Africa (I suppose this is because I have dabbled in California wine-making, but I am certainly not a chemistry student!) The rich blend of scholarly conferences, pilgrimages to important Franciscan sites, and prayerful moments in liturgy together gave me an even deeper love for my twenty-thousand Poor Clare Sisters around the world.