POOR CLARE SISTERS By Sam Mills, Mallory Graham, Kayla Cepo, Shannon Thomas 16 March 2012

 A Poor Clare Sister is a poor nun.  She lives in one monastery for her whole life.  She takes solemn vows that can only be ministered by Rome. CHARACTERISTICS

FOUNDER  The roots of the order reach back to 1212 when St. Clare of Assisi embraced the gospel ideal of poverty from St. Francis and became the first of his poor ladies.  In 1877, Mother Mary Veronica brought the Poor Clare Sisters to America.

MISSION OF ORDER  They bring to the church gifts of prayer, simplicity, community, and joy.  The statement of mission: “Our mission as Poor Clares is to be a visible sign of sisterhood through the contemplative experience of living in a filial relationship with the Father in communion with Jesus in the Holy Spirit. By inviting people into this new and original relationship we become a provocative testimony through which the Church is enlightened and salvation brought to the world” (“The Order of Saint Clare”).

LIFESTYLE/VOWS/RULES OF THE ORDER  Daily gathering of weekly meeting in community continually bring the sisters into a gospel experience.  They take a vow of poverty and all money that is received belongs to the community.  They seek to make prayer their whole way living and make God part of their whole life.  By the rule of St. Clare, the sisters observe life as Jesus Christ and live vows of obedience, chastity, poverty, and enclosure.

POOR CLARES TODAY  There are over 20,000 sisters in 70 countries members in a group  They give to the poor and act as God’s people.  They spend a great deal of time in the chapel, gardening, cooking, cleaning, publishing books, managing a full time radio station, working on ceramics, stain glass painting, and taking care of their pets.

PROCESS TO JOIN  This beautiful process begins with just a simple letter, call, or conversation.  You must write a specific letter requesting entrance into the community. In this application, tell them about yourself, your faith, and what brought you to this decision.  You must live the community for one year and go through a time of novitiate which is all about learning to become a Poor Clare Sister  After that period, you finally decide if you truly want to become a Poor Clare Sister.  You must be between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five.

 Founded between  The Poor Clare Sisters range from a variety of ages and incessantly spend all their time doing God’s work with a happy and loving lifestyle. INTERESTING FACTS, SAINTS, LEADERS

WORKS CITED  “Surrounding the World with Prayer." Poor Clare Sisters. Sister Patricia Proctor, Web. 16 Mar  "Poor Clares of Chicago -- Home Page." Poor Clares of Chicago. Web. 18 Mar  " The Order of Saint Clare." Our Lives Web. 18 Mar  “Poor Clare Monastery." Web. 18 Mar  "Called to Joy! Poor Clare Sisters - Prayer for the Church of God." Called to Joy! Vocation Site of the Poor Clare Sisters in Spokane, Washington. Web. 18 Mar  "Sisters of St. Clare; Companions in Prayer." Sisters of St. Clare; Companions in Prayer. Web. 18 Mar