Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR, the General Servant (Superior) of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, will be among the speakers at the New York State Eucharistic Congress, scheduled for  Oct. 20-22 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville.

Mother Clare is the author of the popular book Discerning Religious Life as well as the new children’s book series Little Convent in the Big City. She has been a member of the  Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal since 1998.

The title of her talk will be “The Incredible Gift of Eucharistic Adoration.”    

“The Eucharist is the center of our life, and it’s an honor to be able to speak about our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Blessed Sacrament,” Mother Clare told The Good Newsroom.     

She noted that her talk will focus on Eucharistic adoration being “a very central aspect of our prayer life at the CFR Sisters. And so I’m very honored and delighted to speak about the beauty and the power and the wonder and the mystery of Eucharistic adoration.”

The apostolic mission of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal is evangelization and hands-on work with the poor. The CFR Sisters currently have three convents in New York City, along with missions in Leeds, England; Drogheda, Ireland; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, as well as Sisters serving the Holy Father at the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Mother Clare became General Servant in 2018; she lives at Our Lady Queen of Angels Convent in East Harlem. She also helps to spearhead bringing religious sisters to young Catholic students in a program called The Little Convent. She is the author of the Avow small discussion group program.

Mother Clare was born in Germany and spent her childhood moving from base to base with her family, as her father was serving in the U.S. military. She attended Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, where she studied theology and history. Mother Clare has served as formation director for candidates and postulants, Community Vicar, and Vocation Directress.

The NYS Eucharistic Congress will be held over 40 hours beginning Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration will take place each night, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The event will conclude after 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday. Learn more about and register to attend the NYS Eucharistic Conference here.