St Colette's Email & Phone Number

📖 Summary

Saint Colette was a French abbess and the founder of the Colettine Poor Clares, a reform branch of the Franciscan order. Born in the town of Corbie in northern France in 1381, Colette was the daughter of a carpenter and his wife, who had been childless for nearly twenty years before her birth. She was a sickly child and her parents made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Nicholas in hopes of a cure, promising to dedicate their child to God if she was healed. Colette did recover, and at the age of 18, she entered the Beguine community at Corbie, which was affiliated with the Benedictines.

After 4 years with the Beguines, Colette sought admission to the Poor Clares, but she was initially refused because of her poor health. However, she persisted in her request, and was eventually admitted to the order in 1402. Colette was known for her strict observance of the Franciscan rule, and she was soon chosen to be the novice mistress, a position that allowed her to guide the formation of new sisters in the order. She was also noted for her deep prayer life and her visions of the suffering of Christ, which inspired her to seek a more rigorous observance of poverty and penance for her community.

In 1406, Colette underwent a series of mystical experiences in which she claimed to be instructed by Saint Francis himself to reform the Poor Clares and establish a stricter observance of the Franciscan rule. In 1410, she obtained permission from Pope Benedict XIII to found a new branch of the Poor Clares, which became known as the Colettine Poor Clares. Colette's new order was characterized by a return to the original ideals of Saint Francis, including strict poverty, manual labor, and a focus on prayer and penance. The Colettine Poor Clares also emphasized the importance of enclosure, or living a life of seclusion and separation from the world in order to focus on their spiritual lives.

Colette's reform efforts were not without opposition, and she faced resistance from both within and outside the Church. However, she persevered in her mission, traveling throughout France, Flanders, and Savoy to establish new communities and promote her reform. Colette's efforts were eventually recognized and approved by the Church, and she was able to establish numerous new convents of the Colettine Poor Clares throughout Europe. In addition to her work as a reformer, Colette was also known for her charity and her care for the poor and sick. She often visited the sick in hospitals and ministered to the poor with great compassion.

In 1447, Colette became the abbess of the convent in Ghent, Belgium, and she continued to lead the Colettine Poor Clares until her death in 1447. She was known for her humility, her devotion to the Eucharist, and her love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Colette was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius VII in 1807, and she is revered as the patron saint of women seeking to conceive, expectant mothers, and sick infants. She is also considered a patron saint of reformed Franciscan orders and of those seeking spiritual renewal.

Colette's legacy has continued to inspire generations of Catholics and Franciscans to live lives of poverty, humility, and prayer. Her commitment to the reform of religious life and her dedication to the service of the poor and sick have made her a beloved figure in the history of the Church. Today, the Colettine Poor Clares continue to live out the ideals of their foundress, seeking to follow Christ in lives of simplicity, prayer, and service. Saint Colette's example remains a powerful reminder of the transformative power of faith and the call to live lives of radical discipleship in the service of God and others.