Marking the feast day of St Clare of Assisi, Bishop Fintan Gavin celebrated Mass at the Poor Clare Monastery, College Road, Cork.
Cork people, along with people from near and far, are especially indebted to a community of religious women for their prayer and witness, according to Bishop Fintan Gavin.
Celebrating Mass at the Poor Clare Monastery, College Road, Cork, Bishop Fintan described the monastery as a “powerhouse of prayer for our city and for our diocese”.
The monastery chapel was overflowing as people came to celebate the life of the thirteenth century Italian woman whose rule the Sisters follow.
Clare was inspired by the preaching of St. Francis of Assisi to leave her home against the wishes of ther family and found a community of contemplative women.
“Clare teaches us how to remain faithful to our personal vocation even in the face of opposition and challenges. While choosing to forge her own path, Clare faced numerous challenges,” Bishop Fintan said.
Her example is still relevant for our own times, he said.
“In a world that treats religion and God with scepticism, it is so easy for us to yield to the pressure. Instead, we must like Clare courageously defend our faith?”
“Independent, passionate and determined, Clare was a woman well ahead of her time, and she continues to serve as a wonderful role model today. As we reflect on her steadfastness and her radical poverty may Clare’s story resonate with our own lives, and therefore challenge us to see that perhaps steadfastness and radical poverty of spirit are within reach of each of us as we strive to follow Christ in our time.
(Photos by Joby Nambadan)
Marking the feast day of St Clare of Assisi, Bishop Fintan Gavin celebrated Mass at the Poor Clare Monastery, College Road, Cork.
Part of the congregation at Mass at the Poor Clare Monastery.
