> Colette was the daughter of a carpenter named DeBoilet at Corby Abbey in Picardy, France. She was born on January 13, christened Nicolette, and called Colette. Orphaned at seventeen, she distributed her inheritance to the poor. She became a Franciscan tertiary, and lived at Corby as a solitary. She soon became well known for her holiness and spiritual wisdom, but left her cell in 1406 in response to a dream directing her to reform the Poor Clares. She received the Poor Clares habit from Peter de Luna, whom the French recognized as Pope under the name of Benedict XIII, with orders to reform the Order and appointing her Superior of all convents she reformed. Continue reading: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=268 > *[Catholic Online](https://www.catholic.org/) is a Project of [Your Catholic Voice Foundation](https://ycvf.org/), a Not-for-Profit Corporation granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. [All donations](https://ycvf.org/products/donate) are tax-deductible.*