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Our Founding Mother
Rev. Mother Mary Veronica
von Elmendorff |
Seven
centuries ago our founders, Saint Francis and Saint
Clare responded to the Gospel summons to leave all
things and follow Christ. The Gospel, ideal of poverty
and humility which they lived, enriched the Church and
became a guiding light for the men and women who joined
them. In 1877, five Poor Clares from the exiled
community of Düsseldorf, Germany, founded our community
in Cleveland, Ohio, the first permanent community of
Poor Clares in the United States. For them, as for us,
the ideals of St. Francis and St. Clare were very real.
They brought to our land the vision of Francis and
Clare, whose very name means "light". This lovely light
still shines, for in the heart of each young woman whom
the Lord calls to our community, He kindles the light of
Clare, just as He kindled it in the hearts of five
valiant nuns over a century ago. Young and old, we
cherish the memory of our founding Sisters.
Like a glowing votive lamp, the Poor Clares gave brilliance to the Church
of God. In the 15th century, however, the luster of the
Franciscan light had been dimmed by historic trauma in
Church and civic life. One of Clare's spiritual
daughters, Saint Colette of Corbie, France, was called
by God to fan the embers to a renewed blaze of warmth
and light again. Poor Clares following the primitive
observance restored by Saint Colette are often referred
to as Poor Clare Colettines.
Our monastery of the Blessed Sacrament was founded in 1877 from
Düsseldorf, Germany. Our community presently numbers 24
sisters; 21 are cloistered nuns and 3 are extern sisters
who care for the eternal service of the monastery. |
