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BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. CLARE OF ASSISI PARISH
St. Clare of Assisi Parish was established on May 19, 1963 under the loving, spiritual leadership of Fr. John Dollard. It was originally called St. Clara and later changed to St. Clare of Assisi. As a small country parish, three hundred and twenty-nine families from Ballwin, Chesterfield and Ellisville worshiped as a community for the first time in the Passionist Convent Chapel on September 1, 1963. The church was built on the present site and dedicated by Joseph Cardinal Ritter, Archbishop of St. Louis, on August 11, 1965. Msgr. John Dollard remained as pastor until his death in January 1993. Rev. Richard Buchheit assumed the responsibilities in June 1993 and then passed the job to Fr. Richard Hanneke, in November 1994. Msgr. Kevin G. Callahan became pastor on January 25, 2005.
Our first educational building was completed with eight classrooms in 1965 and was used for Parish School of Religion. St. Clare of Assisi School opened in September 1979 for 73 students in grades kindergarten through third. After that, the parish added a grade to the school each year. The second building was erected in 1983. The first graduating class was in 1985. Today 456 children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade are educated in our parish school and 418 in our Parish School of Religion.
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BIOGRAPHY of SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI
Daughters of a count and countess. Her father died young. After hearing Saint Francis of Assisi preach in the streets, she confided to him her desire to live for God, the two became close friends. On Palm Sunday 1212 the bishop presented her with a palm, which she apparently took as a sign. Clare and her cousin Pacifica ran away from her mother's palace during the night. She eventually took the veil of religious profession from Francis at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi.
Founded the Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clares) at San Damiano, and led it for 40 years. Everywhere the Franciscans established themselves throughout Europe, there also went the Poor Clares, depending solely on alms, forced to have complete faith on God to provide through people; a lack of land-based revenues was a new idea at the time. Clare's mother and sisters later joined the order, and there are still thousands of members living lives of prayer in silence.
Clare loved music and well-composed sermons. She was humble, merciful, charming, optimistic, and chivalrous. She would get up late at night to tuck in her sisters who'd kicked off their covers. She daily meditated on the Passion. When she learned of the Franciscan martyrs in Morrocco in 1221, she tried to go there to give her own life for God, but was restrained. Once when her convent was about to be attacked, she displayed the Sacrament in a monstrace at the convent gates, and prayed before it; the attackers left.
Toward the end of her life, when the was too ill to attend Mass, an image of the service would display on the wall of her cell; thus her patronage of television. She was ever the close friend and spiritual student of Francis, who apparently led her soul into the light.
Born
16 July 1194 at Assisi, Italy
Died
11 August 1253 of natural causes
Canonized
26 September 1255 by Pope Alexander IV
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