St. Colette
(1381-1447)
Colette did not seek the limelight, but in doing God’s will
she certainly attracted a lot of attention.
Colette was born in Corbie, France. At 21 she began to
follow the Third Order Rule and became an anchoress, a woman walled into a room
whose only opening was a window into a church.
After four years of prayer and penance in this cell, she
left it. With the approval and encouragement of the pope, she joined the Poor
Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St. Clare in the 17 monasteries
she established. Her sisters were known for their poverty—they rejected any
fixed income—and for their perpetual fast. Colette’s reform movement spread to
other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807.
Comment:
Colette began her reform during the time of the Great Western Schism
(1378-1417) when three men claimed to be pope and thus divided Western
Christianity. The 15th century in general was a very difficult one for the
Western Church. Abuses long neglected cost the Church dearly in the following
century; the prayers of Colette and her followers may have lessened the
Church’s troubles in the 16th century. In any case, Colette’s reform indicated
the entire Church’s need to follow Christ more closely.
Quote:
In her spiritual testament, Colette told her sisters: "We must faithfully
keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always
without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to
leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the
Son by his holy passion, and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and
love, fill us with their consolation. Amen."
source:http://www.americancatholic.org/
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