Book Review of St. Clare of Assisi: Light from the Cloister
The
Life of Saint Clare from the Perspective of a Third Order Secular Franciscan
Bret Thoman, OFS
By Gregg Garrison, OFS, Minister
TITLE
& CITATION: Thoman,
Bret, OFS. St. Clare of Assisi: Light
from the Cloister. Charlotte, North Carolina: TAN Books, 2017. 239 pages.
Available in Hardcover ($24.95) and Kindle ($9.98).
AUTHOR: Bret Thoman, OFS, author, Forward by Rosella
Chiara Mancinelli, and Afterward by Murray Bodo, OFM.
Thoman did not write a traditional biography. He states in his
Author’s Note: “What follows is not a work of academia, objective biography, or
straight history. Instead, I have sought something else: an historical
narrative.” Thoman concludes, “I have set out to explore what was at the heart
of this little know medieval saint. Thus, this is a portrait of a woman that is
highly subjective and deeply personal” from the vantage point of a Third Order
Secular Franciscan.
An unexpected resource and dimension to this book is the inclusion of
the text of the Legend of St. Clare.
It is the first and seminal work on Saint Clare believed to be authored by
Franciscan Friar Thomas of Celano, soon after Saint Claire’s death in 1253.
Excerpts from Legend of St. Clare are
thematically arranged, following the chapters in which authors Thoman and
Thomas of Celano discuss specific times and events in Saint Claire’s life.
St.
Clare of Assisi: Light from the Cloister is
an excellent companion to Thoman's first book Saint Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty & the Man Who Transformed
the Church published in 2016. Thoman draws upon his profound knowledge
of original sources, his familiarity with the places where these two Saints
lived and changed the world. He gleans the historical facts of Saint Clare's
life and animates them with his Franciscan spirituality and intimate knowledge
of the Assisi countryside.
BIOGRPAHY
ON THE AUTHOR: Bret
Thoman, OFS, is Secular Franciscan, professing in 2003. He has an MA in Italian
from Middlebury College, a BA. from the University of Georgia in foreign
languages, and a certificate in Franciscan Studies. He has authored and
published three books and translated twelve books from Italian to English. His
main work is organizing pilgrimages for St. Francis Pilgrimages, the company he
founded in 2004. He currently lives in Loreto, Italy, with his wife, Katia, and
two children.
BIOGRPAHY
ON THE REVIEWER: Gregg
S. Garrison, OFS, is a Secular Franciscan, professing January 26, 2013. He was
born in Chicago on July 27, 1956. His family’s English, Scandinavian and Dutch
ancestors immigrated into Colonial America in 1607, 1620 and 1660 founding
Jamestowne, Plymouth Colony and New Amsterdam. Over 100 years later, their
descendants served as patriots for American Independence in the Revolutionary
War.
Gregg was raised in Chicago and atended college in Texas earning his BA,
MA and graduated from SMU School of Law in 1988. He was baptized and married in
the Catholic Church on August 29, 1987, and moved to California with his wife,
Rosanna, where they raised their three children.
In 2009, the Garrison Family
completed their tour of the 21 California Missions and Vatican City, and Gregg
joined the St. Louis the King Fraternity on Saint Serra’s Feast Day, August 26,
2010. He worked on The Cause for canonization
of Junipero Serra, OFM and has served as his Fraternity’s Historian, Formation
and Peace and Integrity and Care for Creation Director, and was elected
Fraternity Minister on May 5, 2018. Saint Serra was canonized on 23 SEP 2015 by
Pope Francis.
Gregg is a Lector (2012), a Eucharistic Minister (1995), attended
the School of Pastoral Leadership (1998 - 2000) and Franciscan School of
Theology (2013), served on Saint Barbara Parish Pastoral Council (2014 – 2017)
and is a member of the Buenaventura Mission Parish (founded in 1782) Saint
Barbara Mission Parish (founded in 1786).
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