Origins of the Convent

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="094015a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Poor Clares of Woodchester</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Poor Clares of Woodchester"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="We Offer Prayers">We Offer Prayers</A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Join Us">Join Us</A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Convent Life">Convent Life</A>   |   <B>Origins of the Convent</B>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions">Questions</A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Quiet Place">The Quiet Place</A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Origins of the Convent</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="753" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#DDDDDD > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 956 WIDTH="12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="956" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="12" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="512"><div> <B>St. Clare</B></div> <div> Feastday: August 11</div> <div> Patron of sore eyes</div> <bR> <div> Clare was a beautiful Italian noblewoman who became the Foundress of an order of nuns now called "Poor Clares." When she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach, her heart burned with a great desire to imitate Francis and to live a poor humble life for Jesus. So one evening, she ran away from home, and in a little chapel outside Assisi, gave herself to God. St. Francis cut off her hair and gave her a rough brown habit to wear, tied with a plain cord around her waist. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. Soon her sister, St. Agnes joined her, as well as other young women who wanted to be brides of Jesus, and live without any money. St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time.</div> <bR> <div> Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. Soon her sister, St. Agnes joined her, as well as other young women who wanted to be brides of Jesus, and live in poverty. They lived at the church of San Damiano under the guidance of St Francis.  St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time.</div> <bR> <div> Clare begged Pope Innocent III to grant them the special privilege that they should never have to possess or accept property from anyone, but should be allowed to live simply, without revenues, working for their living and relying on the gifts that people gave them. To safeguard this Privilege of Poverty for all Poor Clares, Clare wrote her 'Rule of St Clare', being the first woman to write a rule, and it received papal approval two days before her death in 1253.</div> <bR> <div> Our Origins came in 1619, when seventeenth century persecution in England forbad religious life for British citizens. In 1619 two English women went to Brussels and received the Franciscan Habit in the church of the Franciscan Friars.  At great danger, other English women joined them where they established a small community. Attacks of the plague forced them first to Nieuport and then to Bruges. Despite hardship the nuns,all from England, flourished in Bruges until the revolutionary wars on the continent forced them to risk returning to England in 1794. After a dramatic escape from Belgium, they settled in Winchester until 1808, then moved to Taunton.  From here sixteen volunteers started the Woodchester community.</div> <bR> <div> Constant hardship ensured that the nuns had always earned their living from various sources. Currently the Woodchester community is developing a retreat and conference centre. The chief work of the nuns however, has never been interrupted - that of singing or chanting the Divine Office.</div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="082c8d70.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="215" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="081c6f30.jpg" border=0 width="198" height="243" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="084c6280.jpg" border=0 width="198" height="296" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="12" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="512"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="512" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="213"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="213" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>