Saint Francis of Assisi

 1181 — October 4, 1226

“Preach the good news at all times; when necessary use words.”

The founder of the Franciscan Order, Francis Bernardone, was born in Assisi, Umbria, Italy. He was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. As a young man he gained a reputation as a wild partier, a street brawler and a sometime soldier. According to Thomas of Celano, his first biographer, Francis was not very studious, loved pleasure, delighted in fine clothes and showy display. He enjoyed a rich easy life growing up because of his father’s wealth and the permissiveness of the times.

 During his mid-twenties Francis began to change, but his conversion did not happen overnight. After a period of uncertainty, he gave up his wasteful life and began to seek in prayer the answer to his call. The answer for Francis was to follow Jesus and accept the message of the Gospels as the rule of his life. As a result, his family disapproved of him, and he publicly renounced his family name and inheritance.

 He visited hospitals, cared for the sick, preached a message of penance, peace and brotherly love and attracted a multitude of followers. In 1209, with the blessing of Pope Innocent III, he founded the Franciscan Order based on Christ’s message “to leave all things and follow me..”

 Francis died at age forty-five, twenty years after his conversion to Christ. Francis was canonized by Gregory IX on July 16, 1230. His feast day is celebrated on October 4th