Monday, August 4, 2008

The St. Claire Conversation

Just like in any chick-flick movie, Rosella, Caan and I, drove to Tagaytay last Saturday afternoon to have a quick escape and to attend Leslie's intimate wedding on the following morning. The underlying mood was excitement for the bride and anxiety for the gloomy weather.

As I was driving, gloomy but rainless still, we managed to commend and discuss Leslie's constant donation of eggs to Sta. Clara (St. Claire). Not really a believer of those, I took the skeptic role. "We gave eggs to Saint Claire when we were still in UST, right Caan?" Rosella uttered. Caan confirmed and I thought I followed a correct train of thought. Since UST's area is famed to imitate little Venice after just a quick downpour of rain, I thought they were offering eggs to be able to spare them from flooding. But they corrected me that they offered eggs to pass this certain subject of theirs. I thought you were supposed to pray 9 straight nights to Saint Jude for that? Well, they did, but they needed a full force of divine intervention at that time, and Saint Claire prefers egg donations.

"Well, there's no harm if you pray to all saints actually. But in terms of weather it's really St. Claire's expertise." Rosella brilliantly explained.

"Isn't she the saint for fertility? Dancing in Obando?" I asked.

"Yeah she is also. I think she also has a chapel in Katipunan. " she mentioned.

"Good to know, but what do they do with the eggs? I bet they either resell it or use it to feed people." I pondered.

"Well they cook it, I guess." Caan exclaimed.

"They would never run out of eggs again, granted that they use it immediately. We have omelet for breakfast, all different kinds of torta for lunch and dinner, and we have leche flan and egg nog for dessert. How's that?" I beamed.

Then the rain poured heavily. I guess, St. Claire heard us.

I guess we should've given a hen and maybe shut our mouths.

Information about St. Claire:

Saint Clare of Assisi, born Chiara Offreduccio (July 16, 1194August 11, 1253) was an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition. Following her death, the order she founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares.

St. Claire has been considered as the patron saint of good weather because her name in Spanish meant the brightening of the skies after a season of storms, which later became the basis why the residents of Obando, Bulacan believed in offering eggs at the base of the altar of St. Claire to pray for good weather. Eggs are offered to St. Claire because her name also meant claro (albumen) in Spanish.




Pix Source:
http://press.creighton.edu/031805/images/031805/statue-.jpg

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