For reasons both miraculous and mysterious, St. Clare is the official patroness of television. (It’s said that she could sometimes see mass being celebrated, in a vision, as if projected on her wall. The first wide-screen HDTV??) But she may be better known as the foundress of the Poor Clares, and as one of the most ardent and devoted followers of St. Francis of Assisi.

During a pilgrimage to Assisi a few years ago, my wife and I had the good fortune of visiting St. Clare’s tomb and seeing her incorrupt body. When I told a colleague at CBS that I was going to Assisi, she said, “Oh, you HAVE to see St. Clare! One of my favorite mummies! She’s adorable!”

Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. But to see where Clare lived and died, and some of the relics of her humble life, was fascinating.

Her name means “bright, brilliant,” and in this day and age we in who work in the television media need her brilliance more than ever. Let us pray for more light, and less heat — and a good deal more of her saintly humility!

As for myself, I’m also praying for the cause of Bishop Fulton Sheen — who, I think, could be the perfect modern saint for the modern media.