Pop Culture Church

St. Clare of Assisi

August 11 is a special day - not only is it the founding day of POP CULTURE CHURCH but it is the feast of St. Clare of Assisi. And she herself welcomes you to this humble website.

Who, I hear you ask, is St. Clare? St. Clare is the Patron Saint of Television and a bunch of other things. My favourite Saint. Let's take a bit of a history lesson and learn a little more about how she became the Patron saint of Television, and if I can convince the Pope, this website.

Clare was born in Assisi on 16 July, 1194 and died there 11 August, 1253. She was the eldest daughter of the Count of Sasso-Rosso, who had a large palace, a castle and a funny name. When she was eighteen years of age, a local lad, Francis, who used to be a street fighter and now was quite fond of animals and the Gospel became well known around the ghettos of Assisi. Clare secretly went to find Francis in the hope that he might help her to live more like Jesus. Francis agreed to help her.

On the night of Palm Sunday, 1212, she ran away from home and met Francis and his disciples. Francis lopped off her hair and dressed her in a rough tunic and Clare vowed to serve Jesus. Her father tried to drag her back to her old life but Clare protested and he left her alone.

A few days later Francis, trying to give Clare the solitude she wanted transferred her to another monastery. Her sister Agnes joined her a few weeks later. Clare and her sister remained with some nuns until Francis shifted her and the others to a shack he built for them on the outskirts of the town. It was called the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Order of poor Clares.

To start with Clare and the other girls had no written rules, apart from a few tid-bits Francis gave them before he disappeared in 1219. Church politics ensued and Cardninal Ugolino (who became Pope Gregory IX) made some rules for them. Clare protested and refused to follow them. After years of this sort of thing, Pope Gregory IX visited Clare and decided that he quite admired her ways and wrote it in a letter. Pope Innocent IV tried to pull it over her again but as she was dying he let it slide.

Clare’s younger sister Beatrix, mother Ortolana and Aunt Bianca followed her sister Agnes into the order, of which, in 1215, Clare was the manager of. Franchises of the Order of Clares were popping up all over Europe.

In 1234, a terrorist army planned to attack Assisi. Clare got off her sick bed, took the ciborium (the little jar the wafers go in at church) from the little chapel adjoining her room, and stood at the window where the army had placed a ladder. Apparently she raised up the ciborium and all the soldiers took off. A larger group of soldiers rocked up some time later so Clare and the other girls prayed that the town be saved. God sent a storm and the soldiers shot through again.

As she was dying she did some nice sewing and got lots of important visitors, including the Pope and her sister Agnes. She died in the early morning of August 11, 1253. There was a big funeral and much disagreement over where her body should be laid. Two years later she was canonised by Alexander IV.

In 1260, St. Clare's remains were transferred to a new church and buried deep under the alter. It was dug up in 1850 and her skeleton was all that was left, not surprisingly. The feast of St. Clare is celebrated throughout the Church on 12 August, or August 11, depending what you read.

Toward the end of her life, when she was too ill to attend Mass, she had a vision of the Mass appear on the wall of her room and because of this she is now the patron saint of Television (you can join the dots there). It is possible that this vision was a forerunner to a home cinema projection set-up similar to what is available today. She has also been made the patron saint of:

Television writers (no guarantee of quality programming, sadly),
Eyes (what you use to watch television),
Eye Disorders (what you get when you watch too much television),
Santa Clara Indian people (I don’t think they have television),
Embroiderers,
Goldsmiths,
Laundry workers,
Telephones and
Good weather (a distraction from watching television).

St. Clare & St. Francis recently made cameo appearances in the British Film "Millions".


	St. Clare of Assisi August 11 is a special day - not only is it the founding day of POP CULTURE CHURCH but it is the feast of St. Clare of Assisi. And she herself welcomes you to this humble website. Who, I hear you ask, is St. Clare? St. Clare is the Patron Saint of Television and a bunch of other things. My favourite Saint. Let's take a bit of a history lesson and learn a little more about how she became the Patron saint of Television, and if I can convince the Pope, this website. Clare was born in Assisi on 16 July, 1194 and died there 11 August, 1253. She was the eldest daughter of the Count of Sasso-Rosso, who had a large palace, a castle and a funny name. When she was eighteen years of age, a local lad, Francis, who used to be a street fighter and now was quite fond of animals and the Gospel became well known around the ghettos of Assisi. Clare secretly went to find Francis in the hope that he might help her to live more like Jesus. Francis agreed to help her. On the night of Palm Sunday, 1212, she ran away from home and met Francis and his disciples. Francis lopped off her hair and dressed her in a rough tunic and Clare vowed to serve Jesus. Her father tried to drag her back to her old life but Clare protested and he left her alone. A few days later Francis, trying to give Clare the solitude she wanted transferred her to another monastery. Her sister Agnes joined her a few weeks later. Clare and her sister remained with some nuns until Francis shifted her and the others to a shack he built for them on the outskirts of the town. It was called the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Order of poor Clares. To start with Clare and the other girls had no written rules, apart from a few tid-bits Francis gave them before he disappeared in 1219. Church politics ensued and Cardninal Ugolino (who became Pope Gregory IX) made some rules for them. Clare protested and refused to follow them. After years of this sort of thing, Pope Gregory IX visited Clare and decided that he quite admired her ways and wrote it in a letter. Pope Innocent IV tried to pull it over her again but as she was dying he let it slide. Clare’s younger sister Beatrix, mother Ortolana and Aunt Bianca followed her sister Agnes into the order, of which, in 1215, Clare was the manager of. Franchises of the Order of Clares were popping up all over Europe. In 1234, a terrorist army planned to attack Assisi. Clare got off her sick bed, took the ciborium (the little jar the wafers go in at church) from the little chapel adjoining her room, and stood at the window where the army had placed a ladder. Apparently she raised up the ciborium and all the soldiers took off. A larger group of soldiers rocked up some time later so Clare and the other girls prayed that the town be saved. God sent a storm and the soldiers shot through again. As she was dying she did some nice sewing and got lots of important visitors, including the Pope and her sister Agnes. She died in the early morning of August 11, 1253. There was a big funeral and much disagreement over where her body should be laid. Two years later she was canonised by Alexander IV. In 1260, St. Clare's remains were transferred to a new church and buried deep under the alter. It was dug up in 1850 and her skeleton was all that was left, not surprisingly. The feast of St. Clare is celebrated throughout the Church on 12 August, or August 11, depending what you read. Toward the end of her life, when she was too ill to attend Mass, she had a vision of the Mass appear on the wall of her room and because of this she is now the patron saint of Television (you can join the dots there). It is possible that this vision was a forerunner to a home cinema projection set-up similar to what is available today. She has also been made the patron saint of: Television writers (no guarantee of quality programming, sadly), Eyes (what you use to watch television), Eye Disorders (what you get when you watch too much television), Santa Clara Indian people (I don’t think they have television), Embroiderers, Goldsmiths, Laundry workers, Telephones and Good weather (a distraction from watching television). St. Clare & St. Francis recently made cameo appearances in the British Film "Millions".


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