The Call of Saint Clare

The life of Saint Clare of Assisi is a love story. This story, as Henri Daniel-Rops writes in the opening lines of this volume, “though as touching as a romantic novel, is the story of a love fulfilled in God alone.” On Palm Sunday, in the year 1212, seventeen-year-old Clare Offreduccio approached the altar of Blessed Virgin Mary in the poor chapel of Porziuncula. “What do you seek?” asked Francis of Assisi. “The mercy of the Lord and yours,” Clare answered, and thus forsook the riches of this world for a life of poverty lived in humble service to God. With her spiritual father, Saint Francis, Clare followed the divine imperative to rebuild, stone by stone, Christ’s crumbling Church. By her example of holy living, Saint Clare not only brought glory to her heavenly Father, but also raised a standard of sanctity that has endured down the ages as a guide to her spiritual daughters, the Poor Clares.

Gathering the evidence from her life, letters, prayers, and testament, Daniel-Rops unveils the splendor of Saint Clare, a woman of steadfast fidelity and remarkable courage, a devoted spiritual mother, and a staunch friend and wise counselor. First published in English in 1963, The Call of Saint Clare is a fitting tribute to one of the great, albeit quiet, saints of the Church.