Studying St. Clare: Doors Opened and Closed

The Franciscan School of Theology hosts a variety of lectures from world-class theologians across the globe in this unique series.

We often focus on events that tell of Clare’s interactions with Francis during his life. What happens after his death? In his biography of St. Francis, Thomas of Celano describes the hour when the body of Francis was brought to San Damiano in these words: “Once he was taken away, the door, that never again will suffer such pain, was closed on them.” (The Life of St. Francis, Second Book, Chapter X)

This lecture will focus on what happened in the years following the death of Francis. How did St. Clare negotiate the changing circumstances of her relationship with church authority, the brothers, and developments within her sisterhood? How did the various “doors” of life, of possibility, open or close during these crucial years in which she was a singular leader within the circle of early followers.

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