Early in the life of the Taming the Wolf project I received a number of messages from Sisters active in Franciscan communities asking, “Where is Clare?” Great question. My focus was on our mentor Francis but a study of Francis cannot ignore the contributions of Clare.
Another Clare, named after Clare of Assisi, was waiting in the wings, ready to bring a woman’s perspective to the project. I was reticent to announce her presence until we were up and running but now I take pleasure in introducing Clare Fowler to the Taming the Wolf community. She has agreed to contribute blog posts addressing conflict resolution topics from time to time.
More than her name recommends Clare for this task. She was a classmate of mine at the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine Law School and is now on staff at that prestigious institution.
I first met Clare during a Mediation Clinic in which I immediately became jealous of her uncanny ability to successfully settle cases. Clare would head to court and return having settled four or five or six cases while I was struggling to close one. My initial reaction was passionate curiosity: “What was she doing?”
Now we have the opportunity to learn from this skilled mediator who, by the way, is also completing a PhD in Public Policy while raising two adorable kids. Greatness seems to go with the name.
Greg: Clare, describe briefly your current role.
Clare: Hello, Greg, and thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about Sister Clare and dispute resolution. Currently, I work with students who are studying dispute resolution and help them to get connected in the dispute resolution field.
Greg: What about the dispute resolution field most intrigues or fascinates you at this time?
Clare: I am fascinated watching the pendulum swing. In the 1970s small community dispute resolution centers began to form to address community disputes. Then alternative dispute resolution caught on in the legal field and 2000 brought an explosion of highly formalized options: settlement conferences, arbitrations, multi-party binding mediations, and so on. In the last couple of years I have watched the pendulum of dispute resolution swing back to its roots with more focus on smaller, community-based mediation centers. I love this because it is connecting dispute resolution up with the people who really need it. Large businesses need larger, formal options for resolving disputes. Everyday people, you and me, we need options that are flexible and informal, options that allow us to sit down and talk to each other respectfully and find out what really happened. Currently there are over 500 dispute resolution centers that are only focused on resolving disputes that have affected communities, neighbors, families, and churches.
Greg: How did you come to be named Clare?
Clare: My mother tells me that just before I was born she realized she had no idea what my name should be. If I was a boy, she thought she would name me Rasmusse: “a good, family, Danish name.” Thank goodness I wasn’t a boy! She went to the movies and saw Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the movie that portrayed Saint Francis and Sister Clare. She said she spent the whole movie thinking I hope I have a girl and I want her to be just like that. We joke now about how God must have taken her seriously because I look more like the actress Clare in the movie than I do my own mother!
Greg: I understand you worked alongside Franciscan Sisters? What was that about?
Clare: I lived for a dozen years in Spokane, Washington, which has a Poor Clare society. The Poor Clares are a group of nuns that adhere to Franciscan beliefs. Around the holidays every year I taught classes for them on liturgical dance, and then we performed a Christmas dance for the community. I also was able to help them with their annual Poor Clare High Tea. This was a blast! The Poor Clares and members of the community sewed costumes and outfits that they modeled during their fundraiser/fashion show. There were many trendy blouses and dresses that we admired while we ate our teacakes and cookies. The absolute best, an outfit I will never forget was the vestments one of the sisters designed for the local priest. He closed the show, waltzing down the aisle in a hot pink robe with purple polka dots. He stood there proudly at the end of the catwalk while many of his flock watched him, stunned into silence for a minute, then the crowd burst into admiration and camera flashes. Those Poor Clares know how to throw a party!
Greg: Welcome to the Taming the Wolf project and thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge, skill, and time with us.
