Eighth Centenary of the Order of Saint Clare 2012 Is the 800Th Anniversary
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THE CLARIAN WOMEN PROJECT Introduction: Eighth Centenary of the order of Saint Clare 2012 is the 800th anniversary of the Form of Life begun by Saint Clare of Assisi and her followers in 1212. What a rich heritage is contained in those 8 centuries of great women who have followed in the brilliant light of their foundress. Besides those who shared Clare's life in Saint Damian's there are hundreds of others who came after them whose names have been preserved in Franciscan martyrologies, histories and in various literary works in the archives of Poor Clare monasteries. This project on Poor Clare women, as well as all the bibliography in The Book Path to Clare and Her Order, began a few years before 1983. The desire to do research and writing on Saint Clare and our Order was there, but I had no plans, no idea of precisely what I was going to do, and no scholastic skills to direct my efforts. I just wanted to know more about Clare and our Order, and I also hoped that whatever I was able to do might enable others to do more. During this time I prayed and pondered. A very dear friend gave me a book on Independent Scholarship, informing me - much to my delight - that I could consider myself to be in that category. Having lived the enclosed contemplative life of a Poor Clare, this work was done, as the work of other Clares around the world tends to be, in free moments here and there, and with little or no scholastic training. The first step seemed to be to get some idea of the work that was already available. In 1983 the Lord made this possible for me in a wonderful way. But that’s another story. I began by looking through any books on Franciscan and medieval history I could find, especially old books gathering dust on library shelves from lack of use. As I did so, I came across names and bits of information on members of our Order who had been considered noteworthy enough to have been included in Franciscan chronicles, martyrologies and histories. It was like uncovering a panorama of our Order marching through time. With each unfamiliar name Clare’s Order took on new flesh and a new spirit. Our existence was no longer marked by just a time span of 800 years; now these same years contained accounts of women who had lived our life, and carried our Clare flame through those centuries. This present collection of references about Poor Clares, or writings by them, numbers 876 women, and there are still more to be gathered from the painstaking labors of those who went before us. The women so far listed are there because they left a mark in the pages of history, either for their holiness and dedication to a life of prayer, or for their writings. Some have the title of Saint, Blessed, Venerable, or Servant of God. Among these women are foundresses of monasteries throughout the world, great reformers, martyrs, stigmatics. There are members of royal families like Barbara of Bavaria, daughter of a Duke; Agnes of Bavaria, daughter of Louis IV; Agnes of Prague, daughter of Ottokar I; Agnes of Bohemia, daughter of Ottokar III; Anna de la Cruz, a Countess; and Margaret of Lorraine, a Duchess, etc. etc. 1 There are writers who dared to write on theological and spiritual matters at times when that form of expression was forbidden to women, like Caritas Pirkheimer. There are many who wrote biographies, autobiographies, histories, and poetry: Catherine of Bologna, Battista da Varano, Battista de Montefeltro, Eufrasia Alfari of Perugia, Ana Maria de San Jose, Alexandra of Sulmono, Illuminata Bembo, Agnes of Harcourt, Chiara Columba Angeli, Magdalen of Martinengo, Isabella Farnese, Cecilia Coppoli, Bonaventure Brown, Giacoma Policina, Girolama of Messina, and the list goes on and on. There are unedited letters and manuscripts still lying in monastery archives. There are centuries old books that could be re-edited, or translated. The legacy left by these women presents the possibility of a new opening onto the history of the Clares. Some of the references reveal the influence the Clares had upon the people of their day. There is Luisa de la Asencion, known as the nun of Carrion, whose memory has never been erased from the hearts of her people. How inspiring to both present and future members of our Order to see our charism as it moved through the past 800 years. Many histories and writings of the sisters were lost as monasteries were plundered during the almost continual warfare waged during the Middle Ages. Even in the late 19th century communities were forced into exile amid political upheavals and religious records were destroyed. Still, volumes of scriptural, theological, mystical, spiritual and poetical works by the sisters, as well as their historical and biographical accounts, have survived. Yet, this information is largely unknown even among the members of the Order of St. Clare. The Eighth Centenary is a fitting occasion on which to bring to greater light the fruit of Saint Clare’s charism. A guide to the work that follows: 1. Sources used: References listed are from at least 25 sources. These include chronicles of the Franciscan Order, martyrologies, lives of saints, histories, or simply a reference found in a footnote. 2. Other sources not yet incorporated: Seraphische Illustrierte Ordens - Legende von den heiligen, Seligen Chronürdegen und Gattsdigen der drei Orden des heiligen Paters Franziscus von Assisi auf jeden Tag des Jahres. P. Wilhelm Auer, O.F.M.Cap. Milwaukee: M. H. Weltzius & Co., 1896. [Franciscan Institute] Das Necrologium des Klosters Clarenthal bei Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden: Verlag von J.F. Bergmann, 1901. Wadding’s Annales, 34 vols. Hueber, F. Menologium seu brevis et compendiora illuminatio...sanctorum, Beatorum.... Munich, 1698. 3. Language translation: The names of persons, countries and cities remain in their respective languages for the most part. Translating them into English is another project. 4. Name check: There might be some duplication of persons names because of differing forms of the same person’s name in some circumstances. 5. Historical insights: There were many women who lived in Clarisse Houses and yet were not Clares themselves. Among these are Constance, Queen of Aragon and the mother of St. Elizabeth of Portugal; Blanche, daughter of King Philip of France. Is there a different meaning in the designation of “Clarisse”, or, on the other hand, “in the cloister of the Clarisses/ Clarissenkloster.” They were not professed members but rather boarders or retired Royalty. Noble members professed in the Order were quite numerous, however. For example, the daughter of Rudolph II, Emperor of Wein; the daughter of King Frederick of Sizilien and Queen Leonora; daughter of Albert II and Anna, daughter of Ferdinand I, to mention a few. 6. Omitted references: References that are privately circulated or for any reason considered difficult to access have been omitted from this collection. 7. Unknowns: There are countless unknowns in the present work, such as the definite branch of the Order to which the member belonged, or exact countries of origin. 8. Contemporary Poor Clare writers: This collection includes merely a token of the many Poor Clares, in the 20th century to the present, who have published writings. That is another project in itself. Sister Mary Francis Hone, O.S.C. Monastery of Saint Clare 920 Centre Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 August 11, 2009 Solemnity of Saint Clare of Assisi 3 TABLE OF SOURCES The following list provides an explanation of abbreviations used for frequently cited resources. AFH....Archivum Franciscanum Historicum. Collegio S. Bonaventura, Colle S.Antonio, 00046 Grottaferrata, Roma. AIA....Archivo Ibero-Americano. Col. Card. Cisternos, O.F.M. Madrid, 1914 -1936; 1941- BF.... Bibliographia Franciscana. Collectanea Franciscana. Sectio Bibliographia, Instituto Storico dei Fr. Minori Cappuccini, Roma. [This reference is included because it contains notices of reviews of many books, and descriptions of their contents.] BBF.... Bibliografia de Bibliografias Franciscanas BLH.... Bibliografía de la literatura hispánica. 11 vols. ed. José Simón Días. Madrid 1960-1976. Chiara d'Assisi.... early issues of Forma Sororum., a Review published by the Proto-Monasterio di Santa Chiara in Assisi. CronEspan..... Cronicas Franciscanas de España. Ed. Jacobo de Castro, O.F.M. Madrid: Editorial Cisneros, 1977. [Note: There are hundreds of Clares in these volumes not yet recorded in this lists.] Devas.... Franciscan Essays. Dominic Devas, O.F.M. London:Herder, 1924. Di Clary..... Lives of Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of Saint Francis. Leon di Clary. Taunton: Franciscan Convent, 1885. Escritoras .... Escritoras Clarisas Españolas. An Anthology. Maria Victoria Triviño, O.S.C. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1992. Fiege.... Marianus Fiege, O.S.F.Cap. The Princess of Poverty. Evansville: Poor Clare Nuns, 1900. The Newman Press, 1991. FS.... Forma Sororum, Revista delle Clarisse d'Italia, Monastero S. Lucia,Viale Vanni, 6, 06062 Cittá della Pieve (Perugia) Italia. Habig....Franciscan Book of Saints, Marian Habig, O.F.M. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1959; revised edition 1979. Hist. Abrégée....Histoire Abrégée de L'Orders Sainte Claire d'Assise. 2 vols. Edition des Monastéres des Clarisses Colettines a Lyon et a Tournai. Lyon: Desclee de Bower, 1906. Iriarte....Franciscan History: The Three Orders of St. Francis of Assisi. Damien Iriarte, O.F.M.. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1982. J.a S.Antonio....Bibliotheca Universa Franciscana, sive Alumnorum Trium Ordinum S.P.N. Francisci, 3 vols., 1732. Lainati....Chiara Augusta Lainati, O.S.C., ed. Temi Spirituali dagli Scritti del Secondo Ordine Francescano. Assisi: Maria Degli Angeli, 1970. Marianus....Libro delle Degnitá et Excellentie del Ordine della Seraphicae Madre delle povere donne Sancta Chiara da Assisi.