Clara, Or Clare a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, was born at Assisi, Italy, 1193, of a noble family. She abandoned her home in 1212, and was received by Francis of Assisi, who cut off her hair, and replaced her fine clothing by a piece of sackcloth tied about her with a cord. Her parents strenuously resisted this step; but, under the guidance of Francis, she disobeyed them, and devoted herself to monastic life. She practiced unheard of austerities, mournful to read of as described by Butler (cited below). Clara was the founder of the Clarisses, or nuns of St. Clara (q. v). See Butler, Lives of Saints, August 12; Lewis, Bible, Missal, and Breviary, 1, 110.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More