Siena dedicates St. Clare statue

The new statue of St. Clare of Assisi stands in an archway next to the Bells of Remembrance in the Grotto at Siena College. (Photo provided)

LOUDONVILLE — To honor a saint who worked tirelessly to heal the sick, and to acknowledge the role Siena plays in preparing students for careers in the healing professions, Siena College has dedicated a new statue of St. Clare of Assisi.

The statue stands in an archway next to the Bells of Remembrance in the Grotto. It was dedicated and blessed Sept. 26 during a reception with the Board of Trustees.

Created for the college by Hudson Valley-based artist Chris Alles, who specializes in figurative and sacred art, the statue shows St. Clare treating a sister of her order. Sister. Margaret Carney, a 2009 Siena honorary degree recipient and world-renowned expert on St. Clare, suggested the image of healer to reflect the saint’s life. 

The statue is a partner piece to the sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi that stands in front of Patricia Gioia Hall. While St. Francis is in an open space and shown walking, with a hand outstretched, St. Clare was placed in the protected archway to show that her life was a cloistered one. 

“Clare’s friend Francis saw the whole world as his cloister and traveled the world as he knew it,” said Father Mark Reamer, OFM, D.Min., vice president for mission. “Unlike Francis, Clare stands here in the covered arch suggesting her life was not on the road. Clare chose to live a cloistered life, where she made a home for the life of God’s spirit, never moving more than a few miles from her hometown of Assisi.”

Father Reamer noted that Siena’s respected academic programs in nursing, pre-med, the health sciences and social work carry on St. Clare’s mission of healing.

“Clare had many healing gifts and she invites students and Siena community members to join her in prayer and experience the healing she was known for and so readily shared with her sisters and all who came to her,” he said.

Siena President Chuck Seifert, Ph.D., noted the beloved Grotto is marking its 10th anniversary this October as part of campus.

“What a perfect time to bring Clare to the Grotto,” he said. “The ceremonies held here reflect what Siena is all about, so it is fitting for Clare to be here so that we can be truly in her ­presence.”