---
product_id: 302246026
title: "Light of Assisi: The Story of Saint Clare"
brand: "margaret carney osf"
price: "119.91 DT"
currency: TND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/302246026-light-of-assisi-the-story-of-saint-clare
store_origin: TN
region: Tunisia
---

# Light of Assisi: The Story of Saint Clare

**Brand:** margaret carney osf
**Price:** 119.91 DT
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- **What is this?** Light of Assisi: The Story of Saint Clare by margaret carney osf
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Light of Assisi: The Story of Saint Clare

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Charismatic Clare and Cloistered Clare
  

*by T***S on Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021*

Sister Margaret Carney has delivered a brief but informative introduction to the life of St. Clare of Assisi which may hopefully inspire further reading and imitation of one of medieval Christianity’s most remarkable saints, one who has unfortunately been obscured over the years by the persona of St. Francis of Assisi and the movement which attracted Clare to form a common life of Gospel poverty for women. As the author notes in her forward, Clare “has long suffered the inevitable overshadowing of the enormous stature of Francis among Christian saints and religious geniuses.” It is only since Clare’s 800th centenary in 1993 that English language readers have had the benefit of new biographies buttressed by the explosion in medieval studies in the past half century.Clare’s personal life of austerity, fasting, and Christic devotion would have assured her a place in the Church’s calendar of saints, but her association with Francis of Assisi and her role in establishing the feminine identity of Franciscan life is a grace unto itself. The author is careful to respect Clare’s “powerful charism of her own—a gift bestowed by the Spirit of the Lord and given to her in a fullness and forcefulness that was hers alone.” The uniqueness of Clare’s strength and vision is particularly visible during the last years of Francis’s life and certainly after his death, when the male order of friars was reshaped from its rustic lifestyle into the conventual order of St. Bonaventure, and Clare’s network of dedicated women was confronted by Rome to conform to the mores and legislation of preexisting women’s orders and traditions.It is true that Clare’s conversion grace was mediated through the preaching and example of Francis, and certainly the vision for her lifestyle came from the early friars, so it is impossible to tell her story without explaining Francis. The author addresses Francis’ own conversion and ministry in the right amount, explaining the distinctive theological traits of early Franciscan identity. By the thirteenth century much of the Church was worn out from war, poverty, and a paucity of sound preaching.  The stage was set, then, for a new wave of enthusiasm—and here modern medievalists have made great strides in identifying the mystics who aroused pockets of fervent renewal in visible communities of devotion, penance, and good works. The birth of the Franciscan charism or vision must be seen in this light, with Francis’ insight that poverty was not a curse but a sharing in the very life of Christ.Clare created something of a dilemma for the friars and the Church. The author does not write from an overtly feminist position, but it is clear from the text that Clare’s charism was Franciscan, a call to preach the love of Christ by public good works, service, and example. While she and her sisters lived a structured austerity, Clare did not feel herself called to the existing structures of the day. Once settled in the church grounds of San Damiano, the sisters established a site of retreat, feeding, and health care. The friars, including Francis, found solace in this public space. And yet the concept of a sorority of women doing good works outside the walls of a sequestered cloister and living an austerity rarely seen at that time created concerns among Church authorities and even doubts for Francis, who attempted to convince Clare to tone down her rigors—despite his own unrestrained habits of piety and penance.The author discusses at some length the lengthy negotiations between Clare and several popes that extended after Francis’s death. In fairness, Rome’s concerns were not totally unreasonable. Clare was entirely orthodox in her faith—her devotion to the Eucharist was extraordinary. But other independent groups had wandered into heresy. As the male order of friars became more clerical and conventional, some of the old guard of friars felt that Francis’ early founder’s vision was being compromised, and an extreme conservative flank developed under the title of “the Spiritualists” who ultimately found themselves excommunicated from the Church for their insistence that no pope had the right to legislate on matters of Christ’s poverty. Their intriguing story is told in David Burr’s “The Spiritual Franciscans” [2003].It speaks to the sanctity and vitality of both Francis and Clare that popes and cardinals administered their authority over both orders with considerable respect and without the need for excessive pressure and sanctions. The law, however, was compelling enough. In 1218 the Poor Sisters’ cardinal protector, Hugolino, imposed a detailed rule down to the description of the habit. The author describes this constitution with provisions for silence, iron grills, beams across doors, etc. [One wonders if the intention was to keep strangers out or to keep sisters in.] This was a far cry from San Damiano life. Clare is described as making the best of it, but “Hugolino was unable to fully endorse the radical nature of their desire to live the Gospel in literal and comprehensive fashion.”The later years of Clare’s life saw the establishment of many new monasteries of women attracted to the initial vision of Clare, and the saint herself encouraged the next generation to revere the original charism of the founder. One of the comforts of her later life was to care for the sick Francis, now bearing the mark of the Stigmata or wounds of the crucified Christ. Clare’s post-Francis era extended over twenty-seven years; the book details Clare’s mature spirituality and the memory of her pastoral and written works which survived her own death.There is irony in the fact that today the formal Order of Saint Clare is a strictly cloistered community of sisters. Meanwhile, many new apostolic communities of sisters have developed in recent centuries and live in the world under the inspiration of Franciscan ideals. Hopefully, the author’s straightforward presentation of Franciscanism’s first lady will recapture Clare’s energy and become a strong reinforcement in establishing the rightful place of women in the ministry of the Church.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Blessed Read
  

*by J***D on Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2023*

Spirituality personified.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Good insights into St. Clare
  

*by G***R on Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2021*

Finally, I feel I have more knowledge about St. Clare the person and not just St. Clare the saint. I appreciate the way this book steers clear of hagiography. I gained a good understanding of St. Clare's life and times and why she is such a revered saint. (One of my favorites.)

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*Last updated: 2026-01-25*