of St. Clare Summer 2019

May almighty God bless you. May God look upon you with mercy and give you peace. Blessing of St. Clare

“Welcome Home, Other highlights included San Damiano, the Basilica of St. Francis and the Basilica of St. Clare. welcome home to .” The cross upon which they gazed, the floor on

When I heard Sister Joanne utter these simple which their bare feet trod, the precise spot upon words to our small group of pilgrims it was like a which Clare died, now trampled by my sneakered dream come true. It was more than a happy feet and unworthy heart. San Damiano, the tiny moment; it was an over the moon profound monastery of our Mother Clare, a place of miracles, moment. As my feet touched the healing, joy and suffering. I pray that I earth in Assisi tears welled in my eyes never lose awareness and gratitude for and an overwhelming feeling of this precious and undeserved moment. “Oneness” entered my consciousness Our group was privileged to and my soul. celebrate Mass at the tomb of St. As the days unfolded, we visited Francis. At first it seemed to me an Chiesa Nuova, the church of irony that both Francis and Clare who Francis and his family, and then the longed to live a life of poverty are church of St. Rufino where both buried and remembered in such Francis and Clare were baptized. We magnificent splendor. Perhaps the renewed our own Baptismal promises challenge for us is to see what using this same font as our Father underlied their longing, that is to give Francis and Mother Clare. Once again, glory to God. the deep feeling of Oneness with all The extended time I spent in Assisi the Baptized and with all who both desire the after our group left provided me the opportunity to sacrament and those who are persecuted because spend long periods of silence and contemplation in of it, overwhelmed my heart. the same sacred places. During these times each In similar fashion we visited the holy places of of you and your families were present with me as I our Franciscan/Poor Clare tradition. The held you in prayer. Before leaving I revisited each , the tiny chapel restored by Francis is church to arrange to have Mass said for you our housed within the much larger and more ornate friends, our faith community, our Poor Clare Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. The worldwide community and our families. Orders of the Minor and the Poor Ladies had Oh, and by the way, the hospitality at Casa their beginnings here. The overwhelming grace of Papa Giovanni was Christianity in motion. And the oneness with worldwide and food and wine, what can I say? Bellissima! throughout history was and is awesome. Sr. Kathy

Monastery of St. Clare, 37 McCauley Road, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 864-834-8015 www.poorclaresc.com A Message From Perhaps the greatest privilege is the call to service itself. Serving by listening, sharing the Our fruits of one’s prayer as well as encouraging you Sr. Carolyn Forgette, osc to share in our ministry, lending a helping hand, pitching in with the dishes, doing the recycling, none of these belong exclusively to the role of

abbess, however, leading in these ways, as well as many others, with a servant heart is definitely part of the picture. So, dear friends, it is as servant that I invite you to celebrate the upcoming feast of our Mother St. Clare with us. It is as servant that I

entrust us to your prayers and you to ours. It is Dear Each of You, as servant that I thank you once again for the As you probably have picked up by now privilege of having you as part of this family. this newsletter is all about vocation and what Your sister and servant, that means. I’ve started out with “Dear Each of You” intentionally as each one of us has a very specific vocation. I’d like to share with you a little of what it means to be called to be Abbess, that is to have that vocation within my larger Thank You, vocation. St. Clare’s idea of the role of the For your generous response to our abbess was different from much of the thought Spring Appeal of her time. She saw the abbess as leader among her sisters by example of service. I read We were able to somewhere recently that a good leader is one replace our oven, get a compressor for our who is enough in front of the group to be seen, cooler and still have but close enough to be walking in the midst of it. funds for a new water I think Clare would like that. heater.

As abbess I have several privileges. For Below, Sr. Bernadette example, I’m connected with you our friends and baking bread in our new oven. faith community perhaps not as “your abbess”, but close. All the sisters feel that connection with you as you do with all of us, but the abbess is there for you right out front, begging for your help and entrusting my sisters to your generous loving hearts. The abbess also has a bit of an inside track to get to know each sister in a unique way. Believe me that is a grace and a privilege.

Monastery of St. Clare, 37 McCauley Road, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 864-834-8015 www.poorclaresc.com Page 3 God is the sewer. Through and in Him, we Sewing become a community. He led each us of here;

he unites us to Himself and to each other with In preparation for entering the novitiate, bonds of love. In response, we pledge to follow I’ve been learning how to sew. More accurately, Him, together. I have been re-learning this skill. As a child, I

took sewing lessons, and when I was in middle The day that I become a novice is school, “Home Ec,” with its sewing component, formally known as my reception day, that is, the was still a required part of the curriculum. I day that the community officially receives me as learned the basic skills, completed the required a member. There are outward signs of this projects with high marks, and then promptly reception: I start wearing the habit and gain the forgot everything I’d learned. Back then, I had title“ Sister.” More importantly, I become part no interest in the skill. of the cloth, or, more aptly, the quilt that is this

Poor Clare community. Each stage of religious As adults, we sometimes find ourselves life will unite me more closely with God and re-learning lessons from childhood. We find with my sisters. God’s stitches are certainly ourselves in situations, with needs and desires, straighter and stronger than any of my own, and that we didn’t, or couldn’t, anticipate when we for that I am grateful. I can stitch a simple habit; were young. Humility is inherent to aging. He has “made and fashioned me” (Ps 119:73)

and all of us, and so I praise Him: “Wonderful Humility is also a sibling of poverty. For are your works; / That I know very well” (Ps me, learning to sew my own habits is part of my 139:14). poverty as a Poor Clare. I don’t expect to be a Sr. Susanna, osc great seamstress; I don’t have to be. In her rule, which she called The Form of Life, St. Clare urged her sisters, “Out of love of the most holy and beloved Child wrapped in poor little swaddling clothes and placed in a manger and of His most holy Mother, I admonish, beg, and encourage my sisters always to wear poor garments” (2:24). This is why Clares wear simple habits and why the cut and color of one sister’s habit may differ slightly from another’s. We use inexpensive or donated fabric and frequently “recycle” habits among ourselves; most sisters have at least one habit that they’ve inherited from another.

Our habits may not look exactly alike; our seams may not be perfect. Nevertheless, by embracing the Holy Poverty that Clare espoused and clothing ourselves in poor garments, we commit ourselves to living the Gospel in community with our sisters. In this sense, On Sunday, June 23 at Morning Prayer we sewing is about more than stitching one piece of received and welcomed our new novice, fabric to another; it’s also a process of spiritual Sr. Susanna of the Body of Christ formation, of growth in a shared life in Christ.

Monastery of St. Clare, 37 McCauley Road, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 864-834-8015 www.poorclaresc.com Page 4 Sr. Marie E. Beha, osc 8/9/1926 – 3/20/2019

We must express the deepest thanks to our glorious God, our vocation is a great gift. St. Clare

When we think of vocation, we often think of the single, married, priesthood and religious life. But our loving God calls us to different roles throughout our life. As Franciscans we celebrate God’s overflowing love and gifts. As a Poor Clare our call and vocation have many facets and unfold over a lifetime. We recognize this unfolding in the life of our Sister Marie who was embraced fully into God’s love on March 20th.

Sr. Marie left her family at age 17 to join the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate in Joliet, Illinois, where her gifts for teaching were soon recognized. Her education prepared her to teach English and to high school students. She was such an effective teacher, she was asked to study for a doctorate in philosophy which led to her teaching at the College of St. Francis. While Marie loved her students and her ministry, she still could hear God’s call to something more. At the time of Vatican II, she saw a need for information on renewal in religious life and responded by writing two books and many articles. Her publications led to requests for workshops across the country, including a visit to the Poor Clares in Greenville. In the quiet chapel, she heard God calling her again — to a be a Poor Clare. Marie responded whole heartedly.

Sister Marie loved serving our community in the simple manual work of cleaning, sewing, gardening, helping in the kitchen; she loved to be with her sisters whether it was at work or at prayer. She listened to God’s call as she continued her writing on community and contemplative living. She taught sisters in formation, served as formation director and became abbess. She treasured her alone times with the Lord. In her later years, she would make her way to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in her motorized wheelchair whenever she had a few spare minutes.

Marie taught not only in the classroom but also by her daily example — fully living our Gospel Way of Life. This was especially evident as she began the dying process. She slowly had to let go of everything, but she did this with peace and joy. Again, she heard the Lord’s call and surrendered. She is now with the community of Saints and the One whom she loved so well.

Sr. Marie as Teacher and Mentor What does St. Clare mean when she says, “I want you to be sister to each other:” It is a question that I asked Sr. Marie when I first entered the Poor Clares. I had been a Sister of St. Mary for 34 years. Sr. Marie said make a list of how you treat your identical twin sister— Sr. Rose Ann. We are very, very close. So I did. Sr. Marie said, “Now treat all your sisters that way!” Sr. Bernadette Marie on her reception day with Sr. Marie

Monastery of St. Clare, 37 McCauley Road, Travelers Rest, SC 29690 864-834-8015 www.poorclaresc.com Page 5

Poor Clare Chronicles

February— Sr. Kathy received a blessing before leaving for her Pilgrimage and retreat in Assisi. Our Friars offer a scholarship each year to our Federation.

Sr. Sharon will be going on pilgrimage in September. Know you will be in her prayers.

May—An answer to our prayers! As we are growing in number, our longtime April—Fr. Mick Joyce, OFM Cap. friend and benefactors, Dr. Matthew & joined us for the Easter Triduum Kristen Cannon offered us their used Toyota Camry. We are so grateful.

May—Sr. Maryann made a stole for Fr. Patrick Tuttle’s, OFM 25th Jubilee. May—Bishop Guglielmone and Barney come for a visit. Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare Non Profit 37 McCauley Road US Postage Travelers Rest, SC 29690 PAID Travelers Rest, SC Permit 102 Return Service Requested

We must express the deepest thanks to our glorious God, our vocation is a great gift. -St. Clare

Upcoming Events

Transitus of St. Clare Transitus of St. Francis

Saturday Evening Thursday Evening August 10, 2019 October 3, 2019 Adoration-4:30 PM Adoration-4:30 PM

Eucharistic Celebration Eucharistic Celebration of St. Clare Solemnity of St. Francis

Sunday Morning Friday Morning August 11, 2019 October 4, 2019 9:00 AM 9:00 AM