Do you know me?
Of course you do, I am St. Clare of Assisi
and this is the continuation of my story.
On the night of Palm Sunday, March 20, 1212
I left my father's house, by St. Francis's advise and, accompanied by my
aunt Bianca and another companion, proceeded to the humble chapel where
St. Francis and his disciples met me with lights in their hands. I then
laid aside my rich dress and St. Francis cut off my hair, clothed me in
a rough tunic and thick veil, and in this
way, I vowed myself to the service of Jesus Christ.
I was placed provisionally by St. Francis with the
Benedictine nuns of San Paolo near Bastia. My father was furious
at my secret flight. On discovering where I was, did his utmost to dissuade
me from my proposals, and even tried to drag me home by force. I held my
own with a firmness beyond my years and my father was obliged to leave
me in peace. A few days later St.
Francis, in order to secure me the greater solitude I desired, transferred
me to Sant' Angelo in Panzo, another monastery of the Benedictine nuns.
Here, some sixteen days after my own flight, I was joined by my younger
sister Agnes, who I was instrumental in delivering from the persecution
of our infuriated relatives. Agnes and I remained with the nuns at Sant'
Angelo until we and other fugitives from the world who had followed us
were established by St. Francis in a rude dwelling adjoining the poor chapel
of San Damiano, situated outside the town which he had to a great extent
rebuilt with his own hands, and which he now obtained from the Benedictines
as a permanent abode for his spiritual daughters, Thus was founded the
first community of the Order of Poor Ladies, or of Poor Clares, as this
second order of St. Francis came to be called.
In the beginning we had no written rule to
follow beyond a very short "formula vitae" given to us by St Francis (which
may still be found among his works). Then in December 1219, during St.
Francis absence in the east, Cardinal Ugolino, protector of
the order, (who later became Pope Gregory IX) drew up a written rule
for the Clares that made us , for all practical
purposes, a congregation of Benedictines. When I realized this new
rule allowed the holding of property in common, I strongly and successfully
resisted the innovations of Ugolino. They were entirely opposed to
the intentions of St. Francis who had forbidden us (poor ladies) or his
friars any worldly goods even in common. Owning nothing, we were to depend
entirely upn what the Friars Minor could beg for us. This complete
renunciation of all property was regarded by
Ugolino as unpractical for cloistered women. In 1228, ( now Pope Gregory
IX) he came to Assisi for the canonization of St. Francis. While in Assisi
he visited me at San Damiano and pressed me to deviate from the practice
of poverty. I firmly refused. Gregory, thinking my refusal might be due
to fear of violating the vow of strict poverty I had taken, offered to
absolve me from it. "Holy Father, I crave for absolution from my sins",
I replied, "but I desire not to be absolved from the obligation of following
Jesus Christ".
(to be continued)
MANICOTTI DINNER
Sunday, November 4 at 3:30 p.m. - Advance ticket sales only (no
tickets will be sold at the door).
Adults $7.00 - Children 12 & under $4.00 - All proceeds will go
towards the parish debt reduction.
HOLIDAY TEA & SILENT AUCTION
Grace House Pregnancy Resource Center is hosting a Holiday Tea and Silent Auction on Saturday, November 3 from 1 - 4 p.m. The event will be held at First Baptist Church of DeLand at 725 N. Woodland Blvd. Tickets are $2.00. Childcare is available by reservation. You can help by donating items for the Silent Auction, hosting a table, attending the Tea, and inviting family and friends! Call Grace House at 822-9797 for more information.
THANK YOU
St. Clare Community, give yourselves a great big pat on the back! The "Pop-Your-Top" campaign yielded 20 gallons of metal tops for Shands Hospital. (Our previous donation was 19 gallons.)
Special thanks go to so many like Cathy Clem, who not only collects from her co-workers, but also has her family in New Jersey supply us with hundreds of tops. We filled at least 5 gallons from their donations alone!
Let's keep up the good work and make our next goal 25 gallons! Mr. and Mrs. Marcolese from St. Ann's in DeBary and the DeBary chapter of AARP deliver the donations on their many trips to Shands Hospital in Gainesville. The proceeds from the sale of the aluminum tops go to the children on dialysis.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank each and every one of you.
May God bless you all with good health.
The "DG's"
Christian Initiation: Are you (or someone you know) searching
for a church to belong to, or would you just like to learn something about
the Catholic Church? Perhaps you were baptized Catholic but have never
received any other sacraments or been instructed in your faith. We have
just the process for you if you wish to pursue your search. Officially,
it is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, but is really
just a Journey of Faith, a process of responding to the call of the Lord
within
your heart. For further information, please speak to Anne Florence
in the parish office.
PRAYER FOR PEACE CONFERENCE
Pilgrims' Peace Center presents the 7th annual Prayer for Peace
Conference to be held Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3, at Mary, Queen
of the Universe Shrine in Orlando. Admission is $20 in advance, $25
at the door. One ticket is good for
both days.
Friday, November 2 - Events from 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Prayer and Praise - Prayer
of the Rosary - Apparition of Our Lady to Vicka - Father F. Joseph
Harte - Mass (at approx
6 p.m.) - Father Vincent Morton - Larry & Joetta Lewis (part 1) -
Eucharistic Adoration and
Healing Service
Saturday, November 3 - Events from 9 a.m. - 4
p.m.
Larry and Joetta Lewis (part
2) - Mass - Father Merrell Dickey -
Crowning of Our Lady -
Communita Cenacolo - Sandy
Tobin - Vicka Ivankovic - Prayer of the
Rosary - Apparition of Our
Lady to Vicka - Consecration
For information call Pilgrims Peace Center 727-442-9885.
I came into this world with nothing and I plan to take it with me when I leave!
A holiday tradition at St. Clare's is to remember those who are in need
at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our generous
community contributes food and money for us to prepare holiday
meals for members of our parish and our community.
With the downturn in the economy, we expect a greater number
of those in need at this time of year. If your family is
struggling and can use a little help this year, please call the parish
office to request a holiday food basket. If the good
Lord has blessed you with enough to share, please pick up a few extra
groceries at the store on your next trip. We try
to prepare the baskets with non-perishables, as well as, perishable
items. Non-perishable items can be brought in
anytime and the perishable items the weekend before Thanksgiving.
If you are able, please bring one of the items on
this list.
A-G
H-N
O-Z
turkeys
evaporated milk
bagged onions
canned Pumpkin
bagged apples
Gravy (Canned or mix)
sweet potatoes (canned or fresh)
Potatoes (canned ,instant or fresh)
pickles/olives
Stuffing
boxed pie crust
dinner rolls
apple cider or juice
cranberries (canned or fresh)
canned vegetables
Thank you.
November Stewardship Message
"Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful
to his gifts" (1Cor 4:1-2)
As we practice stewardship, we find that we grow spiritually and that
our faith is deepened. As we approach Thanksgiving Day, let us take a moment
to consider all the blessings we receive from God and how we in turn thank
God for these blessings.
Stewardship of our time and talent is not limited only to the church.
Many people give time to other groups in the community as well.
Parish Christmas Party November 30, 2001
6:30-9:30 P.M.
The annual Parish Christmas Dinner Party will be Friday, November 30
at Clare Hall. It is a gala affair with pot luck foods provided by the
diners, musical entertainment, craft table, visit from Santa and a secret
room for children to purchase gifts. Plan now to attend this event for
the entire parish. Bring your family for an evening of fun with family
and friends here at St. Clare.
Let's meet, greet, eat and enjoy an evening with fellow parishioners.
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the
mercy of God forever and ever.
PSALMS 52:8
We normally don't publish long personal submissions. The following
is so touching, we decided to make an exception
and share it with you. Ed A Love Story
Many of you are aware that my wife, Sally,
has Alzheimer's and is in My Country Home, a small care-center in Osteen.
However, only a few have seen her since she entered the facility on May
1, 1996. Lou Connolly, for one, has taken Communion to Sally weekly;
members of the Troubadours have entertained at the facility where Sally
is, and a year
ago Fr. Chris Hoffman led a handful from the church to help us celebrate
our 50th wedding anniversary. Fr. Chris also
returned this past July 18 to anoint her after a physician thought
Sally had pneumonia in her right lung. She is still going, and I'd like
to tell you more about her.
She was born Mary LaSalette Rego in New Bedford,
Mass., on October 9, 1944. Her parents, Roman Catholics, had immigrated
to the U.S.A. from the Azores Islands, part of Portugal. Her father
was a barber who was once featured in Ripley's "Believe It Or Not" newspaper
for completing a lathered-shave from start to straight-razor finish in
only
seconds. Her mother had her own dress-making shop, with a goodly
number of clients from New York City (they visited the
area in the summer). There is a sister, Dolores, four years younger.
LaSalette graduated from New Bedford High
School with above-average grades and then completed the curriculum of a
local business school. She was fluent in Portuguese and knew its
grammar, and she could converse in French. When we met, she was an
executive secretary. I've always thought that LaSalette was the prettiest
girl I'd ever seen. She did not smoke or
drink, and I've only heard her curse one time (when she said a person
who'd stolen from us was "a damned son of a bitch"). She has been
the nearest thing to a morally perfect person I've ever known.
A joint friend introduced us in late September,
1948. It was not exactly love at first sight, but neither of us ever
dated anyone else after that time. Following a suitable engagement
period, we married at St. John The Baptist Catholic Church in New Bedford
on Nov. 11, 1950. LaSalette became pregnant on our honeymoon and
became a stay-at-home mother in
August, 1951, when a son was born. A second son came along in
June, 1955. Along the way, we moved from New Bedford because of changes
in my employment, living in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1956
to 1959, then shifting to Columbus, Ohio.
My wife remained a homemaker until our sons
stopped coming home from school for lunch. Then, a good friend and neighbor
ran into a crisis. He was head of a graduate chemistry group at Ohio
State University, and his secretary suddenly quit. Knowing Sally's
working background, the professor asked if "she could fill in temporarily,
just until I find someone." That "temporary" job lasted more than 25 years.
It also led to a name changing decision: "LaSallette is too strange a name
in Ohio," my wife decided. "Many people can't spell it or remember
it, so I'm going to be called 'Sally'." Amen!
In the late 1970's, her mother, by then a
widow, came to live with us. She died of Alzheimer's in 1982. Something
(I forgot what) prompted Sally to see a psychologist in Columbus several
years after her mother's passing. She evidently had felt something
we never talked much about.
We had our house in Deltona built in 1989,
but were snowbirds until 1995. We joined St. Clare Community when
it started services at the Osteen Community Center. Sally gradually showed
signs of Alzheimer's. Then, one night, she thought someone was outside
and arose from our bed without my hearing her. She went into a closet
to look out a window, fell onto a
marble window sill, and was unconscious when I found her sometime later.
Flown to a hospital at Daytona Beach, she had only a slight concussion,
but the accident convinced me that she needed closer supervision and care
than I could give; deciding on the care center was the saddest decision
of my life.
Today Sally is 30-35 pounds under what was
once her normal weight; she is what her dad would have termed "a skinny
pickle." But she is still a very handsome lady, with no age
lines in her face and with very few gray hairs (the Hospice people are
amazed how dark her hair remains).
When Sally first went to My Country Home,
I visited her daily, taking her out in our car to restaurants, movies,
and other places. After a while, the facility's owner-operator said
we were running ourselves ragged, and she cut my visits to every other
day.
Later, the restriction became twice a week:.
Eventually, I requested and received a third meeting time: Tuesday
afternoons, but only to visit Sally in her room. In recent years,
I obtained a collapsible wheelchair to take her out
in. She gradually became less mobile, and we stopped restaurants
and movies, going instead to our home. There we'd
normally have lunch, then sit on a couch, holding hands, trading kisses,
watching TV and napping. That's how it was until this past July 8;
when Sally's paid care-giver decided that Sally was too frail to be taken
out. I've been visiting her in her room at My Country Home those
three days a week ever since. Sally can no longer walk more than
a stagger or two and cannot talk at all. Her brown eyes are expressionless,
and reactions of any kind are few. In late August, I made a short visit
to
New Bedford , my first in several years. On my return, I told
Sally every place I'd been, everyone I'd seen, and what I had eaten.
Finally, I ran out of comments and said: "You've been sitting there all
this time and probably didn't understand a thing I said." With no facial
emotion, Sally raised her hands and clapped them. I took that
to mean: "Hey, I understood some of it, anyway."
One never knows what she does or does not hear or
understand; it's very sad. One last item. Sally still
purses her lips when she wants to kiss me. Sometimes I think my back
will break from bending over, and I'm not complaining one bit.
I love her. That's all there is.
Bob Sayre