Franciscan .POOR CLARE Nuns Devoted to the life of Prayer, Contemplation, and Union with God   Founded in 1212 by St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi, the Poor Clares are the branch of the worldwide Franciscan Order which is given to a life of prayer and contemplative union with God. History Our monastery in Brenham, Texas (USA) was founded by a group of Poor Clares who fled Cuba in 1960 to escape the communist persecution. Aided by the Poor Clares in New Orleans, they made a foundation in Corpus Christi, Texas then, their property being bought by the U.S. Navy, were relocated to Brenham in 1985. Life of Prayer As cloistered contemplatives we are dedicated to a life of prayer, which takes on many dimensions. Our role within the Church, the mystical body of Christ, is to be "pray-ers", those who pray the "Oficio Divino", the Divine Office of the Church. These prayers are a set cycle of hymns, psalms, scripture readings, intercessions, readings from the Fathers of the Church or lives of the saints, responsories and other prayers that follow the liturgical year through the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time. There are seven distinct "hours" or sets of prayers (matins, lauds, tierce, sext, none, vespers, and compline) spread throughout the day for which the Sisters gather in the chapel to pray. Mass is said each day by our resident chaplain, a Franciscan priest who also presides over a weekly Holy Hour, hears our confessions, and administers the sacraments. Daily adoration is a priority with each sister taking a half-hour turn before the Blessed Sacrament, which is exposed each morning from after Mass until noon. Each of the sisters also has her own times of personal prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading each day. Our prayers extend throughout the day as we strive to work always in an atmosphere and spirit of prayer. We are here not only for ourselves but for the world and so encourage people to write in with their prayer requests that we may hold them in our hearts before the Lord.