On Wednesday August 14th, a group of Residents and volunteers made a pilgrimage to The Poor Clare Monastery in Palos Park. The Poor Clares are a cloistered Congregation of Religious Sisters that began in the early 1200’s, when St. Clare of Assisi embraced the spiritual and physical poverty taught by Saint Francis and became the first of his Poor Ladies. The Poor Clares have been in the Chicago Archdiocese for over 100 years. They left for a short time in the 1990’s when their Chicago monastery closed. In 1999, Cardinal George asked them to return, donating land in Palos Park for a new monastery. He dedicated their new monastery in 2003.
Our visit began in their magnificent chapel. With sunshine pouring in, we felt as if we could see God’s Grace filling up the room while we prayed the rosary. Filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, Mother Mary Teresita, PCC greeted us. Mother was very friendly and before long, we were sharing family stories and learning all about The Poor Clare’s way of life. We learned that these cloistered nuns pray seven times per day. They are committed to helping souls get to heaven through prayer. Mother Mary Teresita
told us that she was drawn to The Poor Clares because of their dedication to contemplative prayer. She explained, “There’s only one way to truly touch the soul of every human being, and that is through prayer.”
We also spoke with Mother about the connection between The Poor Clares and The Little Sisters of the Poor. We were excited to learn that our Home and The Poor Clare Monastery would often
help each other by sharing surplus donations. How beautiful it is to see God’s children working together to help all in need! After our visit with Mother, we walked around the grounds of the Monastery (a former part of a Forest Preserve) and admired all the beautiful flowers and the many statues. It was such a wonderful visit. We hope we can go back to visit soon!
The Poor Clare Monastery