Tying the Knot Poor Clare Style

The "wedding" of St. Clare

Since I'm a Senior this year, of course alot of girls around me are engaged (yep, even at Notre Dame!). Anyone who talks to me about the subject of weddings immediately draws out of me this fact: If I eventually get married, I will donate my wedding gown to the nearest Poor Clare Colletines monastery for their postulants to use at their investiture. Yes, that's right....when Poor Clare postulants profess their first vows, they wear wedding dresses before cutting their hair and changing into their habits. Why do they do this? Because it's what St. Clare did....on March 19th (my birthday!) 1212, she ran away to St. Francis at the Portiuncola at St. Mary of the Angels Church in Assisi decked out in wedding regalia. Since then, it's been a long standing tradition for Poor Clare Colletines to do the same...just short of having to run away from their Dads' houses! Mother Mary Francis of the PCC monastery in Roswell, New Mexico has some nice thoughts on the subject:

"A monastic investiture ceremony, when a young girl is formally engaged to a Lover who is the most beautiful of the sons of man, contains the essence of romance...Now it was Kathy's (the postulant) investiture day, and when the community gathered at the foot of the dormitory stairs that morning, it was no familiar black skirted figure whom Mother led down to us, but a Princess."

I believe the only other Order who does this is the Carmelites. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?

Anyway, in Right to be Merry, the comprehensive book on the life of the Poor Clares Colletines, Mother Mary Francis says that they welcome earthly brides' donation of their wedding gowns. Immediately after reading this, I vowed to myself that when I am married, I will be sure to do this!