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| St. Clare |
Our Founder |
Our Community |
| St. Clare was the first and most famous of St. Francis' followers. She came from circumstances similar to St. Francis; however, she lived many years longer than Francis. St. Clare established a Franciscan religious order for women and authored the first rule written by a woman which was approved by Pope Innocent IV. At the time that Clare committed her life to Christ, there were no other Franciscan women. She therefore was placed in a Benedictine monastery. In that environment, her order, called a 2nd Order of Franciscans, became a contemplative order.
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| Our founding mother, The Abbess Gloria-Mary Goller was life professed as a Tertiary Sister in the Society of St. Francis in 1982, after many years as an associate of another order. Three life professed sisters coming from other orders, both Anglican and Roman, transferred to the Little Sisters of St. Clare.
Following approximately two years’ study and formation, we acquired six professed sisters required by canon law of the Episcopal Church. The Little Sisters of St. Clare is an active member of the National Association of Episcopal Christian Communities (NAECC).
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The Little Sisters of St. Clare was formally recognized in 2002 by The Diocese of Olympia and the House of Bishops, the Standing Commission on Religious Communities the Episcopal Church, United States of America (ECUSA). Our Episcopal Visitor is The Rt. Reverent Sanford Z.K. Hampton, retired, The Diocese of Olympia.
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Our ministry is prayer, molded by our Franciscan roots, and demonstrated in an attitude of respect and love for all creation.
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