Monastère Sainte Claire – Notre-Dame de l’Unité
Welcome to the Monastery of St. Clare of Our Lady of Unity in Yarzé, Lebanon. We are a cloistered community of Roman Catholic nuns operating under the Franciscan tradition. For over 60 years, our monastery has stood as a sanctuary of silence and adoration. We serve as a vital oasis of prayer in the heart of the Church of Lebanon. Our community is under the vigilance of His Grace Paul Abdel Sater, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Beirut.
Our Story: A Journey of Re-foundation
In 2021, our monastery faced potential closure due to a severely reduced number of sisters. Responding to a providential call from the San Damiano Federation in France, the Poor Clare Sisters of Mbarara, Uganda, generously offered their “Yes” to save the mission. On April 22, 2022, five sisters arrived from Uganda to join the six remaining sisters in Yarzé. This historic re-foundation united eleven sisters from five different countries into a single, vibrant community.
Life in Fraternity and Faith
Today, we are a beautifully diverse, international fraternity. Our community has included sisters from Lebanon, France, South Korea, the Philippines, and Uganda. To overcome initial language barriers, our sisters learned French as our communal language and Lebanese-Arabic to connect with our neighbors.
We live out our Franciscan calling in deep solidarity with the local church. We are active participants in Lebanon’s united Franciscan Family, which regularly gathers at our monastery to celebrate major feasts.
Standing with the People of Lebanon
Our monastery is deeply intertwined with the history, hospitality, and resilience of the Lebanese people. We have weathered times of profound trial, from economic crises to the realities of nearby bombings. Through every hardship, the unwavering generosity of local families, neighbors, and church leaders has sustained us. We hold the hopes, struggles, and peace of this beloved country in our daily prayers.
An Urgent Appeal: Support Our Presence
To safeguard our indispensable mission of a praying presence in the Middle East, we need your prayers and discernment. Following the recent passing of our beloved elders and unexpected health departures, our community has dropped to 7 members. Rome’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life requires our monastery to maintain at least 9 members to remain open. We warmly invite Poor Clare volunteers from other international monasteries to join us in keeping the light of St. Clare burning brightly in Lebanon.
