The son of a wealthy cloth merchant, St. Francis was born in Assisi – the centre of Italy – in 1182. From an early age, he learned Latin and French and, when he was young, his father introduced him to the business he ran.
Newsroom (17/10/2023 13:59, Gaudium Press) Having been born into good fortune, Francis began to live a life of revelry; however, by God’s special grace, he did not sink into lasciviousness. An admirer of the cavalry, he proclaimed songs of war in his wanderings through the streets, desiring to be a knight.
Wanting to take part in a war, in 1205 he joined a battalion fighting the Germans and, in the town of Spoleto, he heard a voice ordering him to return to Assisi. He obeyed and began to pray and do penance; thus began his conversion.
He travelled to Rome, exchanged his rich clothes for those of a pauper and began begging from door to door. He returned to Assisi and, in the Church of San Damiano, praying in front of a crucifix, Jesus said to him: “See and restore my house which is threatening to collapse!” He was then able to sell his house to the poor.
With the money obtained from the sale of his horse and some fabrics from his father’s shop, he restored that church and two others in need of renovation.
Outraged, his father complained to the consuls in charge of Assisi. But in 1207 the then 25-year-old Francis, as a servant of the Church, appealed to the city’s bishop.
Father and son appeared before the prelate and an event took place that demonstrated St. Francis’ radical love of God and detachment from the things of the world.
He took off his clothes and gave them to his father, along with the little money he had. With only a sackcloth over his body, he declared:
“Now I will be able to say with complete accuracy: Our Father in heaven!”
The bishop clothed him in his own cloak, and Francis’ father left…
St Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of Animals
St. Francis of Assisi, often depicted surrounded by animals, has long been revered as the patron saint of animals and the environment. In his time, the 12th and 13th centuries, there were no such a thing as a pet hospital or organized animal welfare, and people viewed animals primarily for their utility—be it as food, labor, or protection. Yet, St. Francis saw animals as more than mere tools for human use. He regarded them as fellow creatures, part of the intricate web of God’s creation, deserving of respect and care. His famous “Canticle of the Creatures” reflects his deep connection to the natural world, addressing animals, the elements, and even death as “brother” and “sister.” Through his tender interactions with birds, wolves, and other animals, St. Francis demonstrated that animals held intrinsic value as part of a greater creation, not just as resources for human needs.
Francis’ approach was a change for his time as he invited humanity to see animals not as mere lesser beings, but as part of a harmonious whole. This idea, at a time when there were no veterinary clinics or formalized care for animals, planted the seeds for a more compassionate attitude toward them. St. Francis taught that the care for animals reflected our broader responsibility to care for all of Creation, recognizing that we, too, are part of it. His legacy has influenced how Christians and others view the natural world, reminding us that respect for animals is a reflection of our respect for the Creator and the environment as a whole.
Before the Sultan of Egypt
St. Francis travelled to various places and gathered many disciples. In Gubbio, there was a wolf that had been threatening the area, and one day, the animal appeared, causing panic among the population. St. Francis went out to meet it, and the beast lay down at his feet. He said: “My brother wolf, you attack and kill God’s creatures, you are a murderer! I want you to promise me that you will no longer do evil if you are fed.” The wolf put his paws in the hands of the man of God, and never again did he cause any harm; when he appeared in town, the people provided him with food.
The miracles he performed multiplied. On one occasion, he was brought a boy from Bagnoregio – central Italy – who was suffering from a serious illness. The Saint made a sign of the Cross on his forehead, saying “O good fortune!” The child was cured, came to be called by that name and became the great St. Bonaventure, a Doctor of the Church.
In 1209, accompanied by several disciples, he went to Rome where Pope Innocent III welcomed him with great esteem, for he realised that he was a man of God who would support the Church, as had been revealed to him in a dream. They all took solemn vows of obedience, chastity and poverty at the hands of the pontiff, who appointed St. Francis Superior General of the new religious order.
The new institution was given the title “Order of Friars Minor” and grew so much that at its first General Chapter, held in Porziuncola, more than 5,000 friars attended.
Inflamed by the desire to convert the pagans, St. Francis, accompanied by a disciple, travelled to the Holy Land around 1218. But on the way they were arrested by Mohammedans who flogged them with whips and took them to the Sultan of Egypt.
Before this leader, Francis made a presentation about Our Lord Jesus Christ and proposed that they light a fire into which he would enter; if he remained unharmed, the Mohammedans would convert. The Sultan rejected the idea, but gave freedom to the Saint who, with his companion, returned to Italy.
Five wounds of Christ
In 1224, St. Francis went to Mount Alverne, in Tuscany – west-central Italy – to fast and pray to God for the Church and Christendom. He spent several days there and, at one point, a Seraphim – belonging to the highest Angelic Choir – imprinted on the right side of his chest, his hands and his feet wounds symbolising those of Our Lord Jesus Christ when He was crucified.
These five wounds caused him intense suffering; the one on the right side of his chest bled frequently. Sensing that he was going to die, he asked to be taken to the Church of St. Mary of the Porziuncola and exhorted the monks to grow in the love of God and the execration of sin.
At one point, he asked them to read aloud the passages from St. John’s Gospel on the Passion of Christ and he gave his beautiful soul to the Redeemer. His body exuded a soft perfume. It was 4 October 1226.
St. Francis of Assisi lived at a time when the Middle Ages were showing signs of decadence, as Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira explains:
At this time “there is a gradual decline in the seriousness and austerity of the old days. Everything tends towards the silly, the sensual, the festive. Hearts are gradually detached from the love of sacrifice, from true devotion to the Cross, and from aspirations for holiness and eternal life. Chivalry, once one of the highest expressions of Christian austerity, becomes amorous and sentimental, love literature invades all countries, the excesses of luxury and the consequent greed for profits spread through all social classes.“
By his example, love of the Cross and detachment from the goods of this world, St. Francis heroically battled against these evil tendencies and ideas. Today’s world is entangled in terrible doctrines and wallowing in the most execrable vices. Let us implore the help of St. Francis to increase our love of good and hatred of evil, in order to glorify God and save our souls.
By Paul Francis Martos
With Files From Notions of Church History
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
