From left to right, Sr Anthony Mary, Sr Francis, Sr Clare, Sr Miriam and Sr Faustina in the kitchen. In his recent book, “Let us Dream”, Pope Francis encourages us to allow this very challenging time of pandemic to be a period of growth and discernment in our lives, a time for us as followers of Jesus, to look anew at our busy lives and to see if we need to make changes. He writes about his own experience of a very serious respiratory illness as a young man in Argentina: he describes it as a personal “Covid” time and how it became for him a time of reflection. (Already a diocesan seminarian, at this time he discerned a calling to become a religious with the Jesuits.)
St. Francis of Assisi too had his “Covid” times, during which suffering matured him and led him to give his life to God. He inspired our foundress St. Clare, in 1212, to follow his Gospel dream.
Pope Francis says to us, and especially to young people, for whom he has a special love and interest: “Most of all we need prayer, to hear the prompts of the Spirit… We need too a healthy capacity for silent reflection, knowing we are loved by God, called to be a people in service and solidarity.”
The life of a Poor Clare Sister is a life of prayer and compassion and service in the Church. We pray for the whole world and especially for those who are suffering, whether that is due to the pandemic or due to poverty, war, illness or any other cause. As enclosed contemplatives, prayer is central to our lives and here, in the Cork Poor Clare Monastery, we are privileged to have daily Eucharistic Adoration. Living in community we try to fulfil the Lord’s command to: “Love one another” and we strive to do this too by our life of prayer, day and night.
If you are interested and think God may be calling you to the life of a Poor Clare Sister, take some time to dream about it! And feel free to contact us by post: Poor Clares, College Road, Cork or by email: vocationspoorclarescork@gmail.com
God bless you
