Prologue
Born into a rich family in Assisi in 1194, Clare grew up to be a beautiful young woman. In 1212, when she was 18, Clare heard Francis Bernardone, now known as Saint Francis, speak about the poverty of Jesus.

In secret, she left her father’s house on March 20, 1212, and went to a nearby chapel. There, Francis accepted her as the first member of a group of women vowed to live the poverty of Jesus. Clare became their abbess, or spiritual mother.

It is now September 1228. Francis died nearly two years ago. I am a pilgrim who has come to Clare’s convent of San Damiano, which sits outside Assisi. My name is Anita. I have walked here in sandals, and now Clare welcomes me by washing the dust from my feet.

Anita: Mother Clare, I am not worthy that you should wash my feet!

Clare: God made you, child. Jesus lives through you. So when I wash your feet, I honor God within you. Let us both be content with this.

Anita: Thank you, Mother. My name is Anita. Do you have some time to talk?

Clare: Of course. The prayer bell hasn’t sounded yet. Let us go out into the garden and chat for a while.

Anita: What a garden!

Clare: Yes, my child. We grow the food we eat. That is part of our poverty. Now! What do you want to talk about?

Anita: I heard in Assisi that the pope wants to change the way you live. Will you tell me about that?

Clare: Pope Gregory IX is coming tomorrow. He wants to make us live differently.

Anita: Did Francis give you and your sisters a rule to live by like the Rule of St. Benedict?

Clare: Francis gave us no rule. He gave us only a few guidelines, a form of life. I have tried to remain true to them. But, over the years the popes have tried to influence us to give up our vow of absolute poverty.

Anita: Did you?

Clare: I resisted! How could we give up the poverty that is part of the Franciscan way? That is Jesus’ way? We wanted to own nothing!

Anita: Have you continued to resist?

Clare: We have, until now. For nine years we’ve embraced total poverty, but now the pope is ready to put his foot down!

Anita: I guess I’m not understanding. Does he want you to give up your vow of poverty?

Clare: No. He wants us to practice an easier poverty.

Anita: Easier how?

Clare: We are to own property.

Anita: Don’t you now?

Clare: No! No! Francis taught us to live the poverty of Jesus. So we own nothing.

Anita: Isn’t that true of other orders of nuns, like the Benedictines?

Clare: Not exactly. The Benedictine nuns make a vow of personal poverty. No sister owns anything. However, they do not make a vow of institutional poverty.

Anita: What does that mean?

Clare: It means that the community itself can own large lands and properties and possibly become wealthy.

Anita: But if you own nothing, how do you live? I know you grow your own vegetables, but don’t you need money for buying some things?

Clare: The Franciscan monks beg for us. The people give us alms. Like Jesus, we depend on the generosity of those around us.

Anita: Pope Gregory wants to change this?

Clare: Yes. He’s fearful that people will not give and that the nuns will suffer from that.

Anita: You do not agree?

Clare: My nuns and I believe that God will provide.

Anita: What will you say to the pope when he comes tomorrow?

Clare: I have prayed over this. The nuns and I pray daily for the Church and all people. That is our work.

Anita: But it earns you no money.

Clare: We want to follow the Gospels. We want to live the poverty that Jesus taught us, the poverty that Francis lived. But Gregory is the pope! He wants us to follow the Rule of St. Benedict.

Anita: You really believe that God will provide?

Clare: I do. Jesus told us that God takes care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Surely then, God will take care of his poor nuns here at San Damiano.

Anita: Tell the pope that!

Clare: Just that? No more? He wants to absolve us from the vows of strict poverty that we took.

Anita: Can he absolve you from the obligation of following your heart? From the obligation of following Jesus?

Clare: No! He can’t!

Anita: Tell him that. Tell him that he may absolve you from your sins, but not from the vow you have made to live as Jesus did.

Clare: I will. Oh, Anita, how glad I am that you came today. You’ve given me new hope. You are God’s grace in my life today!

Anita: You know what I think you need to do, Mother Clare?

Clare: I’d be interested in finding out!

Anita: I think you need to write your own rule!

Clare: No woman has ever done that.

Anita: You’re no ordinary woman. You know your heart. You love the poverty of Jesus. You love to pray. You love to live in a community that raises its mind and heart to God at every moment of the day.

Clare: But to write a rule!

Anita: You can do it! Anyone who can live real poverty can do anything!

Clare: Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps I can convince the pope that we want to embrace poverty. Then I’ll work on a rule that will ensure our living in poverty for all time.

Anita: Go for it, Mother Clare!

Clare: I will. Now there’s the bell for chapel. If you’re here after the pope leaves tomorrow, I’ll tell you what he said. Thank you for coming today. Thank you for helping me to remember that we can cast our cares upon the Lord!

Epilogue
The next day, Clare met with Pope Gregory IX. Her deep love of poverty so impressed him that he wrote a unique papal message on September 17, 1228. In it, he gave her nuns the privilege of living in complete poverty.

Two days before her death, on August 11, 1253, Pope Innocent IV approved the rule Clare wrote. All Poor Clares, as they came to be known, were to live under her rule.

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