The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration (PCPA) are a branch of the Poor Clares, a cloistered, contemplative order of nuns in the Franciscan tradition. Founded in France in 1854 by Marie Claire Bouillevaux, the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration are cloistered nuns dedicated to the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.[1]
The order was established in 1854 in Paris, France by Mother Marie de Ste. Claire Bouillevaux and Pere Bonaventure Heurlaut for the express purpose of Eucharistic worship in a spirit of thanksgiving. In 1856, they relocated to Troyes. Eventually, the Order founded 36 autonomous monasteries: in France, Poland, Austria, Germany, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, and the United States.[2]
In the United States, the first foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1921 from Vienna.[1] As more nuns arrived Bishop Schrembs looked for a larger space than their residence on Euclid Avenue and purchased the former St. Paul Episcopal Church. He also built the nuns a monastery. The Church of the Conversion of St. Paul was dedicated in October 1931. From 1949 to 2008 it served as a parish church, but has since reverted to its previous status as a shrine. The shrine is managed by the Capuchin Friars. The nuns, who remain cloistered, attend Mass in an enclosure at the front of the church.[3]
In 1946 the Cleveland house established Sancta Clara Monastery in Canton, Ohio.[4] Cleveland also established a monastery for perpetual adoration in Washington D.C. in 1954. In 2017, the Washington monastery closed and the two remaining nuns returned to Cleveland.
From the Canton house, Our Lady of the Angels MonasteryinIrondale, Alabama was established in July 1961. It later moved to Hanceville. Our Lady of Solitude MonasteryinTonopah, Arizona, near Phoenix developed from Our Lady of the Angels. It is located within the Diocese of Phoenix and operates independently of the diocese, with the approval of the local bishop.[5][6]
Recent years have seen the consolidation of their monasteries in the United States.[7] St. Joseph Monastery was established in Portsmouth, Ohio around 2007. In 2010 it relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina at the invitation of Bishop Peter Joseph Jugis. In 2016, St. Joseph's merged with Our Lady of the Angels in Hanceville.[8]