In the year 1212 the young and beautiful Chiara Offreduccio di Favarone slipped quietly out of her wealthy parental home, leaving behind her loved ones, all her safety and security, her comfort and wealth, in order to embrace a life of poverty, chastity and obedience and give herself for the rest of her life to her Bridegroom Jesus Christ.
She had been „infected“ by the ideals of Saint Francis of Assisi.
And so her horrified family were faced with a fait accompli. She had her hair cut off, to show that she had irrevocably chosen this life of radical imitation of Christ. In those days it was not unusual for a young woman to enter a convent, but for a young woman from a noble family it would have had to be a life reflecting her social status. To choose a life of utter poverty was something novel and shocking.
Yet very soon other young women joined her, and she herself would later be renowned throughout the world as Saint Clare of Assisi, the foundress of the Poor Clare nuns.
The outstanding feature of the Poor Clares is that it is not only the individual sisters who renounce all personal possessions, but that the community itself should be poor and possess nothing.
Today, sisters from all over the world continue to follow the ideal of Saint Clare. As they do here too in Indonesia. This nation of thousands of islands is also the most populous Muslim nation in the world, with a population of 272 million souls. Christians account for just 10% of the population and Catholics just 3%. But there are many reasons for hope and joy – for this nation of Southeast Asia rejoices in an abundance of religious vocations.
The convent of the Poor Clares in Gununsitoli on the island of Weetebula is likewise blessed with numerous vocations. So it was that in 2017 they were able to set up a new foundation, with 10 sisters in Sibolga. ACN helped for this project, thanks to the support of our benefactors.
The sisters live a strict life of prayer and penance, entrusting the needs of the whole world to God and striving to support themselves by the work of their hands. Sister Maria Coleta Simamora tells us: „We live from day to day in great simplicity, but full of joy.“
In order to support themselves, they make candles and liturgical garments, and produce hosts for the Eucharist. But they only have very simple equipment at their disposal, which makes their labour difficult and painstaking. So they have asked our help to provide a better equipment for their candlemaking and liturgical garment making – in particular professional sewing machines and better moulds for the candlemaking and other equipment of the kind. We have promised them 16,350 Euros.
