Saint Francis of Assisi:

Feast day : 04 October

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most venerated Saints of the Catholic Church. He was an Italian Catholic friar, mystic and preacher who lived during the period 1181-1226 and is most remembered for his close imitation of Christ. He was blessed with extraordinary mystical gifts of levitation, bilocation, stigmata and the gift of miracles. In the year 1224, whilst praying on the mountain of Verna during a 40 day fast, he received the stigmata, the marks of Christ’s five wounds upon his own body. He is the founder of the men’s Order of Franciscan Friars Minor, the women’s religious Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. He is the patron saint of Italy, the Franciscan Order, environment, animals and families.

Early life:

Saint Francis was born in 1181 into a wealthy family in Assisi, France. His prosperous parents raised him with access to all worldly pleasures in which he indulged wildly. He was known to be handsome, extravagant and stylish in his attire. But even then, God was at work in him as is evident from this famous incident from his early life. Saint Francis would often assist his father in selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace. One day a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the closure of his business, he abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, he gave him all that he had in his pockets. He was mocked by his friends and scolded by his father for his act of charity. Later he joined the army and fought the Crusade but was captured and taken prisoner. He remained in prison for a year and this gave him time to contemplate on his life and grow spiritually.

When he returned to Assisi a year later, Francis was a changed man who had lost his taste in worldly pleasures. When he came across a leper in the street, he gave the man his cloak and kissed his wounds because he saw them as the wounds of Jesus. His friends often mocked him about his changed behaviour. At the age of 26, he had a vision of Jesus in a dilapidated chapel in San Damiano. As he was praying before the crucifix, he heard a voice saying to him, “Francis, repair my church, which has fallen into disrepair, as you can see.” Saint Francis thought Jesus was asking him to repair the dilapidated chapel and he decided to help in repairing the building. He sold some of the wares in his father’s shop and brought them to the priest, who refused to accept it. His father was filled with wrath at his behaviour and brought him home and locked him up. Later he was freed by his mother and he again returned to San Damino. His father decided to make him forgo his inheritance and during the proceedings before the Bishop of Assisi, Saint Francis renounced his father and his patrimony. He even removed all the clothing that he was wearing and handed it back to his father. From thereon he embraced poverty and went on with nothing earthly to his name.

Religious life:

He began to live the life of a penitent, often begging on the streets. Though initially people ridiculed him, he soon had a group of 11 people who abandoned their possessions and joined him in his missions. He travelled the countryside and preached the Gospel. He continued to help repair the chapel in San Damiano but later realised that the message that Jesus gave him in the vision was for the whole Church. He along-with his followers sought permission from Pope Innocent III to form a new religious Order. In 1209, he defined a strict rule of life to live by for himself and his followers, which called for absolute poverty, authentic humility and great discipline. The Pope agreed to admit the group informally, adding that when God increased the group in grace and number, they could return for an official admittance. A year later on April 16, 1210 the Franciscan Order was officially founded.

In 1211, whilst Saint Francis was preaching in Assisi, a young noblewoman Clare of Assisi became deeply touched by his message and found her calling. A year later in 1212, he formed the Order of Poor Ladies and gave her a religious habit. Later he transferred her and the women with her to San Damino which became the first monastery of the Second Franciscan Order more popularly known as the Poor Clares. He also formed the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance, a fraternity for either laity or clergy whose members withdrew from the world and took religious vows. The Franciscan Order grew rapidly and Saint Francis modified the "First Rule", creating the "Second Rule" which was approved by Pope Honorius III on November 29, 1223. As the official Rule of the Order, it called on the friars "to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own and in chastity".

From then on he travelled widely preaching the Gospel. Though he was a gentle and compassionate soul, he preached with great vigour against greed and worldly excesses. He undertook severe penances and venerated poverty. He would sit on a jagged rock while he meditated on the Passion of our Lord. He often went without food and gave away whatever little he had to others. He had a great love for animals and birds and called them his brothers and sisters. When he would preach the Gospel to them, they would remain silent and attentive. Legend has it that when a savage wolf was terrorizing and killing townspeople outside of Assisi, Saint Francis went looking for the wolf and when he found it, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at Francis' feet. He taught boldly about the gift of God’s creation, believing that everything reflected the Creator’s love for us.

Mystical gifts:

Several miracles were reported during his lifetime by the Franciscan brothers who also witnessed his mystical gifts of levitation, bilocation, stigmata and the gift of miracles. In the year 1224, whilst praying on the mountain of Verna during a 40 day fast, he received the stigmata, the marks of Christ’s five wounds upon his own body. The wounds bled for the next two years till his death in 1226. Brother Leo who was with him during this event later gave an account of it as “Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ. “

Death and Canonization:

Saint Francis died on October 3, 1226 in Porziuncola, where the Franciscan Order began. On July 16, 1228, he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX. The next day, the Pope laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. Francis was buried on May 25, 1230, under the Lower Basilica, but his tomb was soon hidden on orders of Brother Elias to protect it from Saracen invaders. His exact burial place remained unknown until it was re-discovered in 1818. In 1978, the remains of Saint Francis were examined and confirmed by a commission of scholars appointed by Pope Paul VI, and put into a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb.

He is the patron saint of animals, merchants, and ecology. On June 18, 1939, Pope Pius XII named Saint Francis a joint Patron Saint of Italy along with Saint Catherine of Siena. He is also considered the patron saint against dying alone; against fire; patron saint of the Franciscan Order and Catholic Action; of families, peace, and needle workers. His feast is celebrated on October 4.