841 13TH AVE NORTH
CLINTON, IOWA 52732-5162
563-242-7903 FAX 563-242-8024
BELL TOWER - CANTICLE ART - CANTICLE DIRECTIONS
In 1993, the Clinton Franciscans decided it was time to think about a new home. Their 1955 convent was too spacious for the comfort of the retired sisters who then occupied it. In addition, the convent was attached to Mount St. Clare College (now Ashford University), which needed more rooms for resident students. A new residence was built at the heart of the Mount St. Clare property that is also home to The Alverno Health Care Center. The former MSC Convent became Regis Hall - a student residence hall named for Mother Regis Cleary, a past president of the congregation. Regis Hall is now also home to the MSC Speech and Hearing Center.
| Ground was broken for the new
residence in October, 1995.
The name, "The Canticle," was chosen by the congregation in March, 1996. |
Click to Enlarge |
The Canticle was first occupied
on April 1, 1997.
The building was dedicated on August 2, 1997. |
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CANTICLE OF CREATION Be praised Good Lord for Brother Sun who brings us each new day. Be praised for Sister Moon: white beauty bright and fair, with wandering stars she moves through the night. Be praised my Lord for Brother Wind, for air and clouds and the skies of every season. Be praised for Sister Water: humble, helpful, precious, pure; she cleanses us in rivers and renews us in rain. Be praised my Lord for Brother fire: he purifies and enlightens us. Be praised my Lord for Mother Earth: abundant source, all life sustaining; she feeds us bread and fruit and gives us flowers. Be praised my Lord for the gift of life; for changing dusk and dawn; for touch and scent and song. Be praised my Lord for those who pardon one another for love of thee, and endure sickness and tribulation. Blessed are they who shall endure it in peace, for they shall be crowned by Thee. Be praised Good Lord for sister Death who welcomes us in loving embrace. Be praised my Lord for all your creation serving you joyfully. Francis of Assisi, 1225 A.D. |
The "Canticle of Creation" is a song of praise written by Francis of Assisi as he approached death midst illness and disability. As the Franciscan poet Murray Bodo has written, as Francis' turning to God unfolded and he was gripped by the fact of the Incarnation, nature became holy for him. He was enthralled by God's presence in the created order. Francis calls out to all of creation as brother and sister, revealing the core of the Franciscan worldview: that God is the source of all being; that the Creator God is the Parent; that all creatures therefore are brother and sister to one another; that everything deserves love and respect. Francis saw God in everything and so do we. We look upon the earth with humility and with an open and grateful heart, aware of the divine goodness in all things. The Canticle is about the transformation that is taking place in each of us.
Click to Enlarge The Memorial Walk at The Canticle begins at the reflection pond and the shrine to Mary Mother of God, poised between the prairie and the orchard |
HISTORY - ASSOCIATE PARTNERSHIP - THE TAU - THE CANTICLE
