A big dive into God, embracing a hidden vocation – Episode 26

Join Poor Clare Sister Beth Lynn as she explores God’s work in her life and in the world. A gifted weaver of stories old and new, Sister Beth celebrates the uniqueness of each person and the wonder of being a contemplative in communion with the whole Franciscan family.

 

From Sister Beth’s interview: “Each Franciscan is each Franciscan. No two alike. And each one has a wonderful story. I'm thrilled to be able to share mine because I believe it's an inclusive story of God's love for all God's people.”

 

“Each [Poor Clare] monastery, because each person is so unique, each monastery is unique…The tradition is every monastery is very unique because each person is unique, you know. And it's so Franciscan.”

 

“Clare was somebody that ran away. She was a radical member of our great Order over the centuries. I mean, she just said phooey on this style of marriage and took off. She wasn't going to be Benedictine. She was going to follow Francis. You know, we take it kind of as a folk story, but it's really a story of changing culture and changing people's views of women and what they're about and what they can do on their own.”

 

“This [the Poor Clares] simplicity of life. They were living it to the full, they were faithful to the Franciscan Friars and the friars to them. So you can see how important the Franciscan Friars and Seculars are to the Clares. It's one family.”

 

For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: [e-mail].

 

References:

 

Mission Santa Cruz (Holy Cross): https://holycrosssantacruz.com/mission-santa-cruz/ .

 

Saint Elizabeth’s in Oakland, CA: the High School of Beth’s time is recognized here: https://cristoreydelasalle.org/st-elizabeth-legacy/.

 

Secular Franciscan Order, USA: https://secularfranciscansusa.org/ .

 

Poor Clare Sisters: International site: http://poorclare.org/. Sister Beth previously belonged to:

• Poor Clares of Santa Barbara: https://poorclaressantabarbara.org/poor-clares-of-santa-barbara/ and
• Zambia Poor Clares: Videos of Sisters singing Alleluia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WmNZpUYWUA and the Gloria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D40eFVXpEDk . Beth is currently a member of the:
• Rochester (formerly Minneapolis) Poor Clares: https://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/64-years-poor-clares-leave-monastery-legacy-prayer-friendship/.

Overview of Poor Clares: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Clares.

What is an Abbess? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbess.

 

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose: https://www.msjdominicans.org/ .

 

Vatican II: a five-minute video about the Council by Franciscan friar Casey Cole:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVq1hnxAqg. To hear other podcast guests references as well as to see show note links (click on ‘Read More’), type ‘Vatican’ into the search bar of this website, and several options will come up to explore.

 

Saint Bonaventure University: sponsored by the Franciscan friars of the Holy Name Province: https://www.sbu.edu/; Franciscan Institute: https://www.sbu.edu/academics/academic-resources/franciscan-institute .

 

Brother Ed Coughlin, of happy memory: https://www.sbu.edu/news/news-items/2019/07/30/University-friar-communities-mourn-death-of-Siena-President-Br-Ed-Coughlin.

 

Mission San Jose in Fremont, CA: https://missionsanjose.org/.

 

Rule of Saint Clare: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-form-of-life-of-saint-clare/282-ca-ed-1-page-106. Within the Form of Life of Saint Clare, Beth quoted Chapter 6:1-4:

“After the Most High Heavenly Father saw fit by His grace to enlighten my heart to do penance according to the example and teaching of our most blessed father Saint Francis, shortly after his own conversion, I, together with my sisters, willingly promised him obedience. When the Blessed Father saw we had no fear of poverty, hard work, trial, shame, or contempt of the world, but, instead, we held them as great delights, moved by piety he wrote a form of life for us. Because by divine inspiration you have made yourselves daughters and handmaids of the most High, most Exalted King, the heavenly Father, and have taken the Holy Spirit as your spouse, choosing to live according to the perfection of the holy Gospel, I resolve and promise for myself and for my brothers always to have the same loving care and special solicitude for you as for them.” [as well as cf. 6:10-14] “As I together with my sisters have ever been solicitous to save God the holy poverty, which we have promised the Lord God, and blessed Francis, so too all the abbesses who succeed me in office, they will themselves, all of that. No ownership or intermediary that holds things for them to live only for this much land as necessity requires.”

See also the Testament of Saint Clare 24-29, 33: https://www.franciscantradition.org/clare-of-assisi-early-documents/the-testament-clare-of-assisi/237-ca-ed-1-page-61.