Feast: October 4
Patron of: Italy, animals, the poor, merchants, and ecology
Early Life and Conversion
Saint Francis was born in Assisi, Umbria, in central Italy, the son of Pietro di Bernardone, a prosperous cloth merchant, and Lady Pica. Though baptized Giovanni, he was nicknamed Francesco—“the Frenchman”—by his father, in honor of his love for all things French.
In his youth, Francis was lively, generous, and fond of song and revelry. He longed for knightly glory and once set out to fight for his city. Yet during an illness and imprisonment, he heard within his heart the call of Christ, which changed his soul forever. Upon returning to Assisi, he began to despise the vanities of the world, seeking solitude, prayer, and service to the poor.
One day, while praying before the crucifix in the crumbling church of San Damiano, Francis heard the voice of Christ speak to him:
“Francis, go and repair My house, which, as thou seest, is falling into ruin.”
At first, he thought the Lord meant the building itself, and so he sold his father’s goods to restore it. For this, he was publicly disowned. Before the bishop of Assisi, Francis renounced his inheritance and even his garments, crying:
“From henceforth I can say with all truth, ‘Our Father who art in Heaven,’ for I have no father on earth.”
Life of Poverty and the Founding of the Order
Now free from worldly ties, Francis lived in perfect poverty, begging for stones to rebuild chapels and serving lepers whom once he had loathed. In 1208, while hearing the Gospel at Mass—“Take nothing for your journey”—he understood his vocation: to live according to the poverty of the Gospel and to preach penance and peace.
Others were moved by his holiness and joined him. These first companions became the nucleus of the Order of Friars Minor, approved informally by Pope Innocent III after the saint’s prophetic dream of Francis holding up the Lateran Basilica. Thus began a movement of evangelical poverty that renewed the Church through humility, joy, and simplicity.
Stigmata and Final Years
In 1224, while praying on Mount La Verna during the Forty Days’ fast in honor of St. Michael, Francis received a wondrous vision: a Seraph bearing the image of the Crucified. When the vision faded, he found upon his hands, feet, and side the marks of the sacred stigmata, the first known in the history of the Church—a seal of his perfect conformity to Christ Crucified.
Worn by illness and penance, Francis composed the Canticle of the Sun, praising God for all creation as brothers and sisters—the fire, the wind, the earth, and even “Sister Death.” He died on the evening of October 3, 1226, lying upon the bare ground, singing the psalm:
“I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.”
Legacy and Canonization
Saint Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1228, just two years after his death. The Basilica of Saint Francis was built in Assisi to house his relics, becoming one of the greatest centers of pilgrimage in Christendom.
His life was a living Gospel—an image of Christ poor and crucified, meek and full of joy. Saint Bonaventure wrote of him:
“In him, the image of the Crucified was marvelously renewed, not only in spirit but also in flesh.”
Prayer to Saint Francis of Assisi
O Seraphic Father Saint Francis,
mirror of Christ’s humility and love,
obtain for us the grace to embrace the Cross
and follow our Lord in poverty and joy of heart.
Intercede for the Church, for peace among men,
and for the renewal of Christian charity throughout the world.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.