Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/29

 CLARE

CLAUDIANUS

(regular) of St. Augustine. From her very child- hood, St. Clare gave evidence of the exalted sanctity to which she was one day to attain, and which made her the recipient of so many signal fax'ours from God. Upon the death of her older sister in 129.5, Clare was chosen to succeed her in the office of abbess of the community at Sanla Croce; but it was only in obedi- ence to the command of the Bishop of Spoleto that she could be prevailed upon to accept this new dignity. Kind and indidgent towards others, she treated herself with the most unrelenting severity, multiplying her fasts, vigils, and other austerities to such an extent that at one time her life was even feared for. To these acts of penance she added the practice of the most profound humility and the most perfect charity, while the suffering of her Redeemer formed the continual subject of her meditation. Shortly after the death of St. Clare, inquiry into her virtues and the miracles wrought through her inter- cession was instituted, preparatory to her canoniza- tion. It was not, however, until several centuries later that she was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.

Wadding, Annates Minorum. VI, 140; XIV, 519, and passim; Acta SS.. August, III, 664-88; Leo. Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis (Taunton, 1886), III, 22-26.

Stephen M. Donovan.

Clare of Rimini, Ble.ssed (Chiar.\ Agol.\nti), of the order of Poor Clares, b'. at Rimini in 1282; d. there 10 Februarj', 1.346. Deprived at an early age of the support and guidance of her parents and of her pious husband, Clare soon fell a prey to the dangers to which her youth and beauty exposed her, and began to lead a life of sinful dissipation. As she was one day assisting at Mass in the church of the Friars Jlinor, she seemed to hear a mysterious voice that bade her say a Pater and an Ave at least once with fervour and attention. Clare obeyed the command, not knowing whence it came, and then began to reflect upon her life. Putting on the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis, she resolved to expiate her sins by a life of penance, and she soon became a model of every virtue, but more especially of charity towards the destitute and afflicted. When the Poor Clares were compelled to leave Regno on account of the prevailing wars, it was mainly through the charitable exertions of Clare that they were able to obtain a convent and means of sustenance at Rimini. Later, Clare herself entered the order of Poor Clares, along with several other pious women, and became superioress of the convent of Our Lady of the Angels at Rimini. She worked numerous miracles and towards the close of her life was favoured in an extraordinary manner with the gift of contemplation. Her body now reposes in the cathedral of Rimini. In 17S4 the cult of Blessed Clare was approved by Pius VI, who permitted her feast to be celebrated in the city and Diocese of Rimini on the tenth of February.

Waddino, Annates Minorum seu historia trium ordinum a a. Francisco institutorum (Rome, 17.31-36). Leo, Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis (Taun- ton, 1885), I, 235-238.

Stephen M. Donovan.

Clares, Poor (Ci^ris.sines). See Poor Clares.

Clark, B. T. See Aden, Vicariate Apostolic of.

Clark, William, English priest, date of birth un- known, executed at Winchester, 20 Nov., 160.3. He was educated at Douai College, which he entered 6 Au- gust, 1587. Passing to the English College at Rome in 1589, he was ordained priest and returned to Eng- land in April, 1592. Active in the disputes between the seculars and the Jesuits on the appointment of Blackwell as archpriest, he was one of the thirty- three priests who signed the appeal again.st Black- well dated from Wisbcach Castle, 17 November, 1000.

Consequently he was included in the attack which Father Persons marie against the characters of his op- jionents. When Clement VIII declared in favour of the appellant clergj' (5 October, 1602) and restored to them their faculties, an attempt was made, but in vain, to exclude Clark from participation in the privi- lege. At this time he was in the Clink prison. On Low Sunday he was discovered preparing to say Mass in the prison and was placed in still closer confine- ment. Shortly after this he became connected with the mysterious conspiracy known as the "Bye Plot". He was committed to the Gatehouse, Westminster, thence to the Tower, and finally to the Castle at Win- chester. Nothing was proved against him in relation to the plot save various practices in favour of Cath- olic interests; nevertheless he was condemned to death 15 November, and executed a fortnight later. He protested that his death w'as a kind of martjTdom. He is the author of "A Replie unto a certain Libell latelie set foorth by Fa. Parsons", etc. (1603, s. 1.). Butler, Memoirs (London, 1822), II, 81, 82; Foley. Records S. J. (London. 1877), I, 28, 29, 35; Douay Diaries (London. 1878), 216. 225, 298; Dodd, Church History (Bras- sels, 1737), II, 387; Idem, Church History (ed. Tierney, 1839), III, cxliv, clvii, clxxxi; IV, xxxv sqq. ; Gillow, Bibl. Diet. Eng. Cath. (London, 1885), I.

G. E. Hind. Classics. See Literature, Classical.

Claudia (KXauS/a), a Christian woman of Rome, whose greeting to Timothy St. Paul conveys with those of Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, "and all the breth- ren" (II Tim., iv, 21). Evidently, Claudia was quite prominent in the Roman community. The Linus mentioned in the text is identified by St. Irenaeus (Adv.h.-er., III,iii,3) with the successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Rome; and in the ".Apost. Const. ", VII, 46. he is called the son of Claudia, Mms o KXavSLas, which seems to imply that Claudia was at least as well known as Linus. It has been attempted to prove that she was the wife of Pudens, mentioned by St. Paul; and, further, to identify her with Claudia Rufina, the wife of Aulus Pudens who was the friend of Martial (Martial, Epigr., IV, 13; XI, 54). Ac- cording to this theory Claudia would be a lady of British birth, probably the daughter of King Cogidubnus. Unfortunately there is not sufficient evidence to make this identification more than pos- sibly true.

Acta SS.. May. IV, 254; Alford in Smith, Diet, of the Bible s. v.. and his reference s; Lightfoot, Apost. Fathers: Clem., I, 29, 76-79.

W. S. Reilly.

Claudianus Mamertus (the name Ecdicius is un- authorized) a Gallo- Roman theologian and the brother of St. Mamertus, Bi.shop of Vienne, d. about 473. Descended jirobably from one of the leading families of the country, Claudianus Mamertus relinquished his worldly goocls and embraced the monastic life. He assisted his brother in the discharge of his functions, and Sidonius Ajiollinaris describes him as directing the psalm-singing of the chanters, who were formed into groups and chanted alternate verses, whilst the bishop was at the altar celebrating the sacred myste- ries. " Psalmorum hie modulator ct phonascus ante altaria fratre gratulante instructas docuit sonare classes" (Epist., IV, xi, 6; V, 13-15). This passage is of importance in the history of liturgical chant. In the same epigram, which constitutes the epitaph of Claudianus Mamertus. Sidonius also informs us that this distinguished scholar composed alectionary, that is, a collection of readings from Sacred Scripture to be made on the occasion of certain celebrations during the year.

According to the same writer, Claudianus "pierced the sects with the power of eloquence", an allusion to a prose treati.se entitled "On the State of the Soul", or " On the Substance of the Soul ' '. Written between