CrucisSt. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi was born around 1181 in Assisi, Italy, the son of a prosperous cloth merchant, and died on 3 October 1226 at the Portiuncula, the little chapel he had restored. As a young man he dreamed of knightly glory, but after imprisonment in war and a period of illness he underwent a dramatic conversion, hearing Christ from the crucifix of San Damiano bid him 'rebuild my Church.' Renouncing his inheritance before the bishop of Assisi, he embraced 'Lady Poverty' and a life of radical simplicity in imitation of the Gospel.
He founded the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans) and, with St. Clare, inspired the Poor Clares, giving the Church one of its greatest movements of evangelical renewal. Renowned for his joy, his love of all creation, and his Canticle of the Sun, he is remembered for preaching to the birds, taming the wolf of Gubbio, and creating the first Nativity scene at Greccio. In 1224, while praying on Mount La Verna, he received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, becoming the first recorded saint to bear them. He was canonized in 1228, and is honored as patron of Italy, of ecology, and of animals.
Selected quotes
“Our Lady of Poverty, pray for us — for you who held the Lord of all in your arms knew better than anyone that the richest thing a human being can possess is not riches but God.”
“Do not be anxious about tomorrow's needs — the God who feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies has not forgotten the soul that trusts in Him.”
“The stigmata are not trophies of suffering but marks of love, for love draws the one who loves deeply enough into the very wounds of the Beloved.”