"A Right To Be Merry" by Mother M. Francis, Poor Clare Colettine nun

This book, "A Right To Be Merry" is available at Ignatius Press: http://www.ignatius.com/Products/RTBM-E/a-right-to-be-merry.aspx.

For anyone who loves the Poor Clare Colettines, whether you have a vocation to them or not!, loves St. Clare, you must read this book!  It is written by Mother Mary Francis, PCC, formerly the Mother Abbess of the Roswell PCC community (http://www.poorclaresroswell.com/index.html).  She passed away a few years ago.

(Mother Mary Francis, PCC 1921-2006)

I love this book!  I have read this book only about 5 times!  I must buy a new one as my original one is falling apart, dog-eared, highlighted and underlined to death!  This book since it was first printed - in the 40's or 50's? forget now, has led to countless vocations to the Poor Clare Colettines.

This is the perfect book to give to young girls who are thinking of a vocation or not - it may MAKE them think of one!  It's also a great read for anyone to understand the Poor Clare Colettines better.  It explains the many "why's" people have of religious life and especially the enclosed monastic life, the vows, and Franciscan/PCC way of life: the bare feet, poverty, rising at midnight, their rule of life, the vows of obedience, poverty, chastity and enclosure, etc.  Often it's funny, serious and just a gem!

Mother Mary Francis has written several other books on poems, God, religious life, etc http://www.ignatius.com/Products/CategoryCenter.aspx?SearchTerm=mother+mary+francis).  She also wrote a sequel to this book about their founding the PCCs in Eindhoven in the Nederlands (http://web.inter.nl.net/users/clarissenklooster/), called "Forth and Abroad".  Here is a video on the Eindhoven PCCs:

(Below, Mother Mary Franics, left, with a nun on her Solemn Profession Day.  On Solemn Profession Days, a Poor Clare Colettine nun wears a crown of thorns to be one and show her total surrender, marriage and giving of herself to her Crucified Spouse.)