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Saint Clare — The Courage to Choose

Saints and Blesseds · 4:42 · Free

Young Clare leaves the security of a wealthy family to choose a life of prayer, simplicity and service. Her decision meets opposition, yet from it a community of women gradually grows, united by faith and care for one another.

In early thirteenth-century Assisi, Clare’s family is already planning her future. Encounters with Francis help her understand her own calling more clearly, but the decision must be hers. One night, she leaves her family home and begins a journey that will require courage long after that first departure. The story follows the beginnings of the community at San Damiano, daily work and care for sick sisters, the friendship preserved in letters to Agnes of Prague, and Clare’s persistence in seeking the Church’s approval for her chosen way of life. Freedom becomes a responsibility: to live what she has chosen and remain attentive to those who share her life. The scenes and conversations are an artistic reconstruction based on known events in Clare’s life; the dialogues are not verbatim historical records.

Read the film transcript

That night, Clare leaves the house where she grew up. Behind her lie the safety of home and her family's plans. Ahead is a path whose answers she does not yet know. Are you ready? Yes. Let's go. In early thirteenth-century Assisi, Clare grows up in a wealthy noble family. Her future is already being planned. A good marriage should secure her place and a peaceful life. But she thinks ever more seriously about a different calling. Why would you turn down a life where you'd want for nothing? I want to give my life to God. I've thought long about this. What will you do? What will you live on? I'll work. I'll help others. I know it won't be easy. But I won't accept a life I haven't chosen. In the same city, Francis has already given up his wealth. Clare is drawn to his way of life. Talking with him, she recognizes her own desire: to follow Christ in simplicity, poverty and service. Her decision grows stronger, along with her awareness of its cost. What if my family won't understand? Be honest with them. This decision takes patience, too. I don't want to leave just because you live this way. Then think carefully about what you seek. I can't decide for you. Palm Sunday arrives. In church, Clare receives a branch from the bishop. That night, she leaves home with her friend. Francis and the brothers await her in a little church outside the city. There, her choice takes visible form: she puts on simple clothes, and Francis cuts her hair. She still has to find a safe place for her new beginning. Her family tries to bring her back. In the days that follow, Clare takes refuge in religious communities before settling at San Damiano. The pressure continues, but she holds firmly to her decision. We've come for you. You can still come home. I know you're worried. But I've decided to stay. Her sister Agnes joins her, followed by other women. At San Damiano, a community takes shape that will become known as the Poor Clares. Their days are filled with prayer, work and care for one another. Although she leads the community, Clare herself cares for sisters who are ill. You've already done so much. Rest a little. Let me bring you water first. Her courageous choice did not solve everything. She had to live that choice each day, accept hardship and stay close to those who shared her life. Clare insists that the community own no property, relying on work and the help of others. Sometimes I worry about tomorrow. Today, we'll do what we can. First, take bread to our sick sister. Then we'll see together what else we need. Life within the convent walls does not cut her ties with others. Clare writes to Agnes of Prague, a king's daughter who also chooses a religious life of poverty. This is not Clare's own sister Agnes. Four letters survive: words of support, friendship and faith between women united by the same calling. Shall we wait until tomorrow? You're tired. One more line. She may need to know she's not alone. Clare spends more than forty years at San Damiano. Sisters come and go, young faces grow old, and care for the community endures. She writes a rule of life for her sisters and asks the Church to confirm their chosen path. Gravely ill near the end of her life, she lives to see papal approval of the rule just two days before her death. The confirmation has come, Mother Clare. The rule is approved. Thank God. Care for one another. Clare dies at San Damiano. Two years later, the Church declares her a saint. She leaves behind a community and a way of life that many women will continue. Her story began by leaving one house. It continued through perseverance, work and care for others. The courage of her choice was revealed in everything that followed.

Sources and rights

Benedict XVI, general audience of 15 September 2010: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100915.html ; letter for the Clarian Year, 1 April 2012: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20120401_anno-clariano.html ; Vatican City State, Saint Clare of Assisi: https://www.vaticanstate.va/en/component/content/article/august-11-saint-clare-of-assisi.html?Itemid=216&catid=51 . Scenes and conversations are an artistic reconstruction, not verbatim historical records. Sources and limits of the reconstruction are retained with the project.

An original INRI artistic reconstruction based on historical and Church sources. Dialogues are dramatised. Original Croatian visual identities, non-speaking scenes and score are preserved; speaking scenes are animated for the English dialogue. English voices through ElevenLabs eleven_v4, captions and a six-second endcard are included. Sources, original assets, PCM, music, subtitles and owner acceptance of the complete English version are retained in the production archive.

Text version: 3 · Collection: saint-clare-en-v2

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