Your Faith Journey with EWTN
As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
c. 1197 – November 16, 1253
Patron Saint of Order of St. Clare, pre-novices
St. Agnes of Assisi was only 15 years old when she decided to follow her older sister, St. Clare, into religious life. She was profoundly influenced by her older sister’s radical devotion to Christ and the Franciscan movement that inspired her.
Born into a noble family in the 12th century, St. Agnes rejected her birthright and chose a life of poverty. As daughters of a noble family, St. Agnes and St. Clare were expected to marry and enhance the family’s wealth and social status. Their father was enraged at losing both to the religious life. He attempted to bring St. Agnes back by force, sending armed relatives to retrieve her.
Knowing that the attackers might kill her for her disobedience, St. Agnes remained steadfast in her decision. By a miraculous intervention, her body became so heavy that her captors were unable to move her. Her uncle tried to strike her with his sword, but his arm became paralyzed. Recognizing St. Agnes’ divine protection, her attackers left, and St. Agnes was able to remain with Clare, dedicating her life to prayer and service.
St. Francis welcomed her into her new life by changing her birth name, Caterina, to Agnes, which is derived from the Latin word for “lamb.” True to her name, St. Agnes lived her life in quiet contemplation and obedient service to God.
As one of the earliest members of the new order of Poor Ladies, later known as the Poor Clares, St. Agnes welcomed the Franciscan ideals of humility, simplicity, and poverty and quickly grew in holiness and leadership. She helped found new monasteries and, for many years, served as Abbess of the community in Florence. In that role, she guided her sisters with wisdom and gentleness, remaining close to Clare and devoted to the Franciscan vision of living the Gospel values.
St. Agnes remained an Abbess for the rest of her life, establishing new houses of the Poor Clare order in the cities of Verona, Padua, Venice, and Mantua. Her love for her sister caused her to feel immense sorrow over being separated from her.
When St. Clare fell sick, St. Agnes cared for her sister during her last days. St. Agnes followed her sister to Glory a few months later. She was canonized in 1753 by Pope Benedict XIV.
The two sisters helped give lasting structure to the Poor Clares, whose contemplative witness continues to enrich the Church today.
St. Agnes was influenced by the pious example of St. Francis of Assisi and her sister, St. Clare, who decided to establish a Franciscan order for women. Their concern for the poor and love for God above all things inspired St. Agnes to renounce her noble birthright at age 15 and embrace a life of poverty and prayer.
A few years after she became a Poor Clare, St. Agnes was chosen to lead a group of Benedictine nuns near Florence who asked to become Poor Clares. Although she was still young. St. Agnes brought virtue, wisdom, and humility to her leadership, and the community flourished harmoniously. St. Agnes remained an Abbess for the rest of her life, establishing new houses of the Poor Clare order in the cities of Verona, Padua, Venice, and Mantua.
Angry at losing two daughters to religious life, St. Agnes’s father sent his brother and eleven other relatives to the monastery to bring St. Agnes home to marry and enhance the family’s wealth, status, and social connections.
When St. Agnus refused to leave, they began to beat her and drag her out of the monastery as she kicked and resisted. Suddenly, by divine intervention, her body became so heavy that the men were unable to move her. Her uncle tried to strike her with a sword, but his arm was temporarily paralyzed. Realizing that something divine protected her, they allowed her to remain with St. Clare and live a life of devotion to Christ.
The people in their community respected both St. Francis and St. Clare. Their piety and spiritual vision gave recognition to the Poor Clare order. St. Clare was the first woman to follow St. Francis and the first to write a religious rule for women that the Pope approved. Her experience offered a more authentic and humble form of consecrated life for women seeking religious life.
In founding her order, St. Clare followed the Franciscan rule of poverty. The Poor Clare order did not own property, either individually or as a community, and they relied on alms for their survival. This dedication to poverty reflected the Gospel values and was unique among women’s religious orders at the time.
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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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