Santa Chiara

Today is the Feast Day for St. Clare- a perfect excuse for much celebration in Assisi. It's amazing how the city has evolved to incorporate and revolve around the saints of Assisi. At the heart of the town is the church dedicated to St. Rufino- a bishop and martyr who is the patron saint of Assisi. And on either side of the town rest the two pillars that have helped rebuild both Assisi and the Church as a whole- Clare and Francis.



I had an opportunity this morning to pray morning prayer and attend Mass at St. Clare's which houses one of the cloistered communities founded by St. Clare. They are cloistered, so they pray and worship in a side chapel that is not visible to those who go to St. Clare's to pray and attend Mass. But their presence is definitely felt through their spirit of prayer and their absolutely beautiful singing. One of my favorite moments in the Mass was at the concluding rite when the celebrant paused from the rubrics to offer a sincere and heartfelt thanks on behalf of all Franciscans and all people of faith to the community of Poor Clares for their presence, prayers, and witness. It was really a special moment. And as he spoke the main bells of the church started to ring in celebration of the feast day. These bells must be massive because they echo throughout the whole town; and you could feel their power as it shook the chapel below.



A couple of weeks ago we were fortunate enough to meet an American Franciscan in Assisi who gave us a really great and behind the scenes tour of St. Francis' church. And one of the things that he emphasized was that the first and most important mission of the Franciscans is to build community wherever they are: community amongst themselves and Franciscan brothers and sisters, but also community in parishes, schools, communities, nations, etc. And it is clear that the initial charism of Francis and Clare is alive and well here in Assisi.



Tomorrow is the feast of St. Rufino- which should also be quite an experience.

Peace.