Studying the Life of Saint Clare of Assisi
About the book
This workbook has been successful with high school graduates and Ph.Ds. It works for anyone who wants to do a guided study of the life of St. Clare of Assisi using primary sources. Those benefiting from this unique approach include Franciscans of all kinds, especially those in formation programs, students of medieval or female spirituality, historians of religious life, women and men working in Franciscan ministries, former pilgrims who have visited Assisi and anyone wanting to learn how different people in the history of the church responded to its changing circumstances. Studying the Life of St. Clare helps readers understand the Franciscan intuition in ways that move beyond St. Francis of Assisi.
Reviews
Recommended specifically for libraries supporting Franciscan studies, as well as for all academic libraries supporting studies in medieval history. The chapters on women religious and the political currents that influenced so much of Italian history make this inexpensive study guide to Franciscan history well worth the investment
Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this book is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, church, seminary, and academic library collections.
Endorsements
Having been taught by Franciscan Sisters, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of Franciscan lore. This book disabused me of that notion. Granted, this is a very specialized work but done in a most engaging manner. As the subtitle suggests, it is a study text, important for Franciscan priests, Brothers and Sisters, as well as for Third Order members or simply for those interested in gaining deeper knowledge of a valiant woman and the origins of her Order.
William Hugo and Joanne Schatzlein deploy their deep familiarity with medieval history and scholarship to transform simplistic narratives about Clare of Assisi into exciting explorations of her complex life. In a series of crisp and sophisticated discussions, they set forth the context of every key text written by Clare or about her. Rather than spoon-feeding readers, the authors provide them with an array of critical interpretive tools that encourage them to directly engage the texts and reach their own conclusions. This workbook is a unique and vital contribution to studies of Clare of Assisi.
This workbook is going to do much good in promoting a sound knowledge of Clare of Assisi. It has been thoroughly researched and is well informed about all the thorny areas, knotty issues and points of debate. I strongly recommend it, not only because it meets a need but because it meets that need so well. Anyone in formation who worked their way through this text would end up thoroughly well-informed and able to follow and contribute to the scholarly debates about Clare and her place in the early Franciscan movement. Sincere thanks are due to the authors
After centuries of historical neglect, Clare of Assisi has awakened a new interest. In the past decades many studies in several languages have been published, but most of them within the purview of specialists. This work incorporates those scholarly studies to serve a broader audience, those individuals or groups who wish to study in depth the life and writings of the saint of Assisi. It will serve them well.
William Hugo and Joanne Schatzlein’s Workbook is a helpful and important resource for non-specialists who wish to study Clare of Assisi’s life and writings. The development of Clare and the Poor Sisters’ relationship to Francis of Assisi, the Lesser Brothers, Agnes of Prague, Cardinal Hugo/Gregory IX and subsequent Popes is presented with clarity and objectivity while reflecting the significant historical, textual, and interpretative studies that have appeared in the last twenty-five years. This is an important contribution to Franciscan and Clarian studies that will help users to discover and appreciate the ‘backstory’ of Clare’s life-long struggle to receive papal approval for her Form of Life and the enduring contribution of the women who followed her example
