Saint Clare was a forward thinker. She was one of the first followers of Saint Francis and became his constant companion in the 1200s in Italy. She founded an order of nuns, dedicated to living in poverty, away from the world, and focusing on prayer and manual labor. She wrote their guidelines for living together, called the Rule of Saint Clare, which was the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. The order still thrives today, and there is a community in Cincinnati. Our hymn for the day was written in the 1600s. The first words are "A valiant woman, strong by grace, / Unites us all in praise this day."
