The first twenty years of handsome young Francis's life were the happy, luxurious and carefree. However in a war with the neighboring Perugains, he was captured and spent a year in Prison. While confined to his bed with fever for several months upon his return, he came to realise the emptiness of the life he had been leading. Abandoning his former wasteful ways, he redoubled his charities among the poor,

the lepers and tried to find God's will in solitary pray, penance and meditation. His ambitious father, who had entertained great hopes for a brilliant career for his son, became thoroughly worked up over this new mode of life and ended by publicly disinheriting him.

Francis gladly surrendered all his worldly possessions and lived thenceforth like a hermit, the poorest of the poor. He was about 27, ardently in love with poverty, when he applied to himself the words in the gospel by which Christ sent out his disciples to spread the kingdom of God.

He then began to preach penance, brotherly love and peace in the neighboring towns and this with such sincere enthusiasm and arties sympathy, that the people's scoffing changed into astonishment. Many men of prominence gave away all their belongings to the poor and began to join Francis. Staying in little huts of mud in Portiuncula they started out in of their preaching missions to enkindle the love of God in all the countries of Western Europe. To gain their livelihood they performed all manner of manual labour, and when this was not available begged their food.

The number of those who joined Francis grew with such amazing speed that 1219 there were already 5000 friars. The ever cheerful and unassertive Francis was able to effect many reconciliation on his journeys through Italy. Countless sinners were won over by his loving and winning personality.

For those who lived in the world, Francis founded the third order in 121. Three years later he received the stigmata and in 1226 at the age of 44, succumbed to dropsy on Oct. 4, 1226. He was canonized two years after his death and is probably the world's best known and most beloved saint.

St. Francis

Once in 1224 Assisi was attacked by sarasans she took the courage to face them with the weapon of Bl. Sacrament. That is why you see the picture of St, Clare holding a ciborium in memory of the incident.

Her prayer life was an inspiration and source of power for the people of Assisi, and surrounding areas. Many experienced the fruit of her prayer and recognized God in her Clare's personality is unique. The strong and sweet feminity of clare was evident even in her earliest years at home. She was generous towards the poor, while she herself lived as a poor penitent of Christ in the world. The maternal feminity of clare appeared also in her spirit of service, with which she carried out the humble and hidden acts in imitation of Jesus Christ.

St. Clare is the greatest women saint of Franciscans. She passed away peacefully to her reward at the age of 60 in August 11, 1253. Her funeral was attended by Pope and his entire court and two years later she was solemnly canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. Her body remains intact even today in Assisi. Centuries have passed but clare is still alive.

Clare repeats to us, "It is enough to love with courage even to the point of heroism, as you put the whole gospel into the whole of your life." This is how the saintly Clare appears in the history, a force, a wonderful figure of women.

Even in the 21st Century young women come forward in great number to join her congregation. Franciscan Clarist Congregation has 7000 member from India itself. It is the glittering example of her sanctity and the influence of her life style in this present world.

St. Clare.

St. Alphonsa was born on 19th of August 1910, the fourth child of Joseph and Mary Muttathupadadh at Kudamaloor in Kerala and was called Annakutty. On the death of her mother, soon after here birth, her aunt took the infant into her care.This foster mother was a strict disciplinarian.

Even from her infancy she was trained in the path of suffering. Up to the age of four she was affiliated by various ailments. Even as a child she showed great compassion to the poor and the needy. Sr. Alphona's primary education was at Arpookara and Muttuchira.

She was a girl of extraordinary cham and beauty. In addition to Physical cham, she was adorned with virtues like modesty piety, love and kindness. Proposals for her marriage were made as she reached the age of thirteen. But Annakutty was adament in her decision to dedicate herself totally to the Lord and faced all the obstacles on her path heroically and became a nun in Fransciscan Clarist Congregation (F.C.C.) on 19th August 1930.

St. Alphonsa was appointed as a teacher in the primary school at Vakakkad for one year. There she won the hearts of her students and colleagues. St. Alphonsa was constantly affilicted by various ailments throughout her religious life. Once, while she was suffering from a serious illness, she was cured miraculously by the power of prayer. She suffered from Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, Typhoid, and Malaria etc., all of them causing great pain. In short the laze decade of her life was a period of intense suffering, both physical and mental. Her deep faith in the Lord had encouraged her to take up the sufferings of others on herself. St. Alphonsa was perfectly aware of the redemptive value of suffering. She understood fully well aware of the basic Christian principle - salvation through suffering and resurrection through death. Infact she loved suffering and did not waste any chance to suffer. It was her experience of the loving presence of the Lord and her communion with him that made even the bitterest sufferings the most acceptable and sweet.

The pure soul of St. Alphonsa flew to her celestial abode on 28th July 1946. Then she was only 36 years old. She was beatified on 8th February, 1986 at Kottayam, Kerala during the Pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to India. She will be declared a Saint on 12 October, 2008 by His Holiness Pope Benedict 16th at Rome. The entire Catholic Church, especially the Church in Kerala very specially the Franciscan Clarist Congregation is eagerly waiting for that happy moment. Then she will be the first Saint from Kerala.