St Clare of Assisi volume 1 (Paperback). This item is unavailable.St Clare of Assisi volume 1 (Paperback)

This revised second edition of the writings of St Clare (available in the UK now for the first time), skilfully translated from the original Latin and knowledgeably annotated by Sr Frances Teresa Downing osc, is a welcome addition to the small but growing corpus of writings on St Clare of Assisi. Volume 1 includes St Clare’s four letters to St Agnes of Prague, the Letter to Ermentrude of Bruges, the Blessing of St Clare, the Form of Life, and the Testament. Fully referenced throughout against biblical and Franciscan sources, the book is enhanced not only by the author’s extensive research but also by her lived experience of life as a Poor Clare.

Sr Frances Teresa Downing is a Poor Clare of the Arundel Community, currently living in a small foundation near Hastings, East Sussex. She first entered with the contemplative Third Order Regular Franciscans at Goodings, Berkshire, from where the community amalgamated with the Arundel Poor Clares in 1972. She began to study Clare in order to teach, when  asked to work in formation. This expanding process was accelerated by teaching at the Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury and in Italy with the Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs, run from the United States. Although a major departure from Poor Clare life, these were both wonderfully enriching experiences which have been a great gift to Sr Frances Teresa personally and have immeasurably informed her understanding of Clare.