CAPUCHIN POOR CLARE NUN

Capuchin Poor Clare Nun –  Sister Pia Angelica of Jesus, Bread for the Journey, O.S.C. Cap.                                                                      “Capuchiness”                                                                                                                         Ordo Sanctae Clarae Capuccinarum                                                                 “I will allure the soul and lead her into solitude, and there, I will speak to her heart.”                     “Ego Vos Semper Custodiam”  –  “I will always protect you.”    –  Jesus to St. Clare                           “Among the flowers of the Church, there is no lack of roses or lilies.”  –  St. Bede

Foundress:  Venerable María Laurenza Longo  (Foundress of the Hospital of the Incurables)

Place:  Naples, Italy

Year:  1538 A.D.

Her Charism:  Under the Rule of St. Clare of Assisi and the norms of enclosure of St. Colette of Corbie, this nun’s mission is the contemplation, praise, worship, and adoration of God, manual work, self-denial, and penance.  The distinguishing characteristics of her Capuchin life are the austerity, simplicity, silence, Most High Poverty, and seclusion from the world.  Her contemplative life is natural from interior dialogue.  Here she listens to the voice of Jesus.  Her relationship with the Blessed Sacrament is a daily experience of her life giving God glory and adoration through a devout and intense life of prayer day and night.  She fasts, abstains from meat, sleeps on a straw mattress, and walks barefoot (except in extreme cold).  Consecrated to the Immaculate Virgin who is the Patron and Divine Shepherdess of the Order, she follows the example of Christ Who lived a hidden life in Nazareth with his Mother Mary.  She unites herself to the Crucified through love and forgetfulness of her own self-interests.  In her monastery (her spiritual fortress and a sanctuary to the Divine Presence and oasis for Our Lord), this nun lives “hidden “behind the grille” in an atmosphere of silence – forgotten –  yet she forgets no one, as her mission is to praise God in the name of all humanity.  In silence, she presents God with the misery of the world and asks that He send His grace and transforming light.  As a member of the most illustrious part of Jesus’ flock, she is a beacon of light – a “cooperative of God, and coadjutrice of Jesus Christ” in the sublime work of the sanctification and salvation of souls and the support and strength of the work and suffering members of the Mystical Body of Christ.  Prayer (a hidden apostolic fruitfulness) is her life, simplicity in fraternity is her joy, and charity is given free reign over all.  The Rule is designed to make every nun a saint.  The summit of this nun’s day is the Mass.  Here, at the Foot of the Cross in union with Mary, she offers herself with the Divine Virgin, collecting Jesus’ Precious Blood for the purification and sanctification of herself and all humanity.  By uniting herself to the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. she spreads her virginal fragrance throughout the world by her “little way of love.”                                                                                                                                         †  Jesus, Mary, I love you, save souls.” –  Ven. Sister Maria Consolata Betrone,  O.S.C. Cap.