St. Clare of Assisi

Just as with his stirring narrative of the life of St. Francis, St. Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty & the Man Who Transformed the Church, author Bret Thoman draws upon his profound knowledge of original sources, his familiarity with the places where these two great founders lived and breathed and changed the world, and his own Franciscan spirituality, to bring to life, like never before, the story of St. Clare of Assisi.

Join Thoman as he skillfully weaves the known facts of Clare's life with imaginative passages that bring the reader into the profoundly spiritual world of the “Light from the Cloister.” Hailing from an aristocratic or “Major” family, Clare continually—in imitation of Our Lord and Francis—sought to make herself lesser or minor. In the process, in another of God's “divine paradoxes,” she became a giant, not only of her Age, but of all time.

Tenaciously attached to poverty, she became rich as only the saints are; docile and obedient, she stood up to her aristocratic family and, later, princes of the Church in following the path upon which God had set her; frail and vulnerable, she caused Saracen invaders to turn tail and run . . . merely by prostrating herself before the Blessed Sacrament; and though not learned in either theology or canon law, she became the first woman to write a Rule for a new religious community.

St. Clare truly was a “light from the cloister” not only for her era but for all time. Meet her as never before in these pages and, in what is sure to be a profoundly spiritual reading experience, let her light shine upon you.

Bret Thoman, O.F.S., has been a member of the Secular Franciscan Order (Third Order of St. Francis) since 2003. He has an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College, a B.A. from the University of Georgia in foreign languages, and a certificate in Franciscan Studies. Bret has written and published three books and translated twelve books from Italian to English.

While working as an interpreter for CNN, he translated the papal conclave and announced the election of Pope Francis live. But his main activity is organizing pilgrimages for St. Francis Pilgrimages, the company he founded in 2004. He is also an FAA-licensed pilot and has logged more than 3,500 hours of flight time.

Bret is partial to Latin, Gregorian chant, and incense, and he spends his free time reading classics, hiking, or biking anywhere not on asphalt. He currently lives in Loreto, Italy, with his wife and two children.