A quiet, contemplative tradition in Frayser comes to an end
Friend of the monastery Kathleen Laakso (center) bids one of the many tearful goodbyes in the nuns' last days at the monastery. Sister Claudia (left) lived at the monastery for over 50 years, along with Sister Mary Marguerite (right). (Karen Pulfer Focht/Special to The Daily Memphian)
The Poor Clare nuns held the last public Feast of St. Clare mass on Aug, 11, 2019, at the Monastery of St. Clare in Memphis. Just before Thanksgiving, the last of the nuns left the building that has housed their order since 1932 in the Frayser neighborhood. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Special to The Daily Memphian)
The Monastery of St. Clare in Memphis was blessed with over 100 relics, believed to be actual physical remains of a saint or a piece of their personal belongings. Visiting sisters handled the carefully-ordered relics with care, matching the relic with the official authentication papers from Rome. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Special to The Daily Memphian)
A moving van showed up to the Poor Clares monastery in mid-November 2019 to move some of the items including tabernacles, crosses, statues and pews that were going to other churches in the region. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Three of the last people living in the Memphis monastery – Sister Claudia (from left), Father David Knight and Sister Mary Marguerite – had one final mass together shortly before the nuns pulled away once and for all. The three have lived in the monastery most of their adult lives. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Special to The Daily Memphian)
A child hugs Sister Mary Marguerite following the last public mass for the Feast of St. Clare on Aug, 11 2019, at the Monastery of St. Clare in Memphis. The nuns have since left the building that housed their order since 1932 in the Frayser neighborhood. The monastery closed at the end of 2019. (Karen Pulfer Focht/Special to The Daily Memphian)
As Christmas approached and 2019 came to a close, the last Catholic contemplative monastery in Tennessee quietly closed.
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Catholic Diocese of MemphisKaren Pulfer Focht
Karen Pulfer Focht is a freelance photojournalist. She has won numerous awards in her career, many for in-depth projects about children and families in Memphis. Her work is regularly published in newspapers and magazines around the world.
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