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St.
Francis of Assisi: Biographical Information
"[St.
Francis was] sent to the world by heaven"
(St.
Bonaventure)
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Introduction
St. Francis of Assisi, is one of the most
well known and beloved of all saints.
This extraordinarily holy man, called the
"richest poor man" has been honored for centuries as one of
the most faithful images of Christ ever to grace the earth. It has been said that he is "the one saint
that all have agreed on canonizing".
Born to rich parents in 1181 (or 1182),
St. Francis was named Giovanni (John) Bernadone after John the Baptist.
His father, however, is said to have disapproved of the name
that his mother had chosen and renamed the
young child Francesco (Francis) due to his love of
France. From the beginning, Francis
lived a life of privilege and
wealth. He is said to have been vain
and proud, and a seeker of glory. On the other hand, Francis
was always kind and generous, "never letting a beggar go without
alms, especially if he asked 'for the love of God'". It has been
said that everyone loved Francis. He eventually served as a soldier and longed for the
glory of knighthood.
Although
imprisoned in a dungeon for over a year,
the soldier is said to have kept his
good spirits. When Francis was on his way to
realizing his dream of
receiving the glory of knighthood, he had a vision which lead him back home. Because
of his early return, Francis suffered humiliation
and was thought a coward. Despite
this, Francis pursued the spiritual life and later heard God telling him to repair
His Church. He took the message literally and began to physically
rebuild the church. To accomplish this, he took materials from his
father in order to obtain funds for the rebuilding. Francis'
actions angered his father, who brought him before the bishop. Francis ultimately
renounced his father, his possessions, and
his privileged life to belong only to
God.
Francis
was later to discover that 'repairing the church' referred not to a
physical rebuilding, but to a spiritual transformation that was
eventually to encompass the entire world. His 'fortifications of the
temple' would lead the crumbling 13th century society to become
reanimated with the spirit of the Gospel. His
following grew quickly and he eventually
founded and received papal approval for the first Franciscan Order. He
would go on to establish two other religious orders (one for women and
one for the laity) and numerous monasteries that would bring immeasurable
benefits to the Church, to souls, and to society.
St.
Francis lived and preached the gospel, practiced good works, employed
severe penances, and loved and embraced strict poverty ("Lady
Poverty"). He spoke regularly
about the need for repentance, and preached peace. The
humble and generous St. Francis had great compassion for all. He
would exchange his own
clothes for the rags of the poor and even offered more to those who
stole from him.
He gave all he
had to the poor, sparing nothing. Although he had no material possessions, he had constant
joy and true freedom. He
was also a religious songwriter and poet (click
here for Prayers of St. Francis).
It
is said that a turning point had occurred in Francis' earlier life when
he came across a leper. Although
he was initially 'filled with horror' at the sight of
the afflicted man, he overcame his
revulsion, leapt from his horse, gave the
leper all his money and kissed his
hand. Afterwards, he began visiting hospitals and caring for the sick.
Francis himself did not shy away from suffering. In fact, towards end of
his life, despite being already afflicted with many sufferings, St.
Francis prayed to share in Jesus'
suffering. After beginning a fast of forty days in honor of St. Michael
the Archangel, St. Francis saw a heavenly vision and was imprinted with
the wounds of Christ (the stigmata). The painful wounds corresponded to
those that Christ received in his Passion. From thenceforth, the man who
already mirrored Christ would do so even more completely. Although St.
Francis suffered
much, he was full of joy. He bore the bleeding wounds of Christ on his
body and a burning love of God filled his soul. He is well-known for his
ardent love of his Crucified Savior.
St.
Francis is also well-known for his great compassion and charity, his ardent thirst for the
conversion of souls, and his copious tears ("the gift of
tears", which contributed to his later blindness), He shunned honor, loved contempt, and engaged in rigorous
fasting and fervent prayer ("he seemed to live by prayer"). He
was obedient, extraordinarily mortified, and exceedingly humble. He also
had
the gift of prophecy and of miracles. He was so loving to all that it is
said that the "ardor of his charity made him seem more a seraph
incarnate than a frail man".
In
1126 at the age of 45, St. Francis went to his
eternal reward. He is a very kindly and powerful
intercessor and many miracles are attributed to his intercession. His feast day
is October 4th.
Also
See:
St Francis Facts (devotions, disciples, stigmata,
Portiuncula, more...)
More Biographical Information
(Reflections)
On
the Person of St. Francis of Assisi (Reflections)
St. Francis'
Teachings/Writings
Prayers of St. Francis
On St.
Francis (Reflections) (St. Francis
& humility, poverty, prayer, more...)
Note:
We are, unfortunately, unable in this short space to do justice to
the extraordinary life of St. Francis of Assisi. We therefore highly
recommend reading a more comprehensive biography of this great saint
[e.g. traditional biographies such as the biography of St. Francis by
St. Bonaventure, the biography of St. Francis in Butler's Lives of the Saints
(orig. vers.)]. We think you will find this to be time very well spent.
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"This
humble Saint is wont to succor all those who call upon him in any
necessity, however trifling it may be." (St. Bonaventure, Doctor of
the Church)
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St.
Francis & the Animals
St.
Francis, the patron saint of animals, is
also famous for his relationship with
God's creation. St. Francis saw
animals, and all of nature, as his
brothers and sisters since they all have
the same Creator. Since he recognized
God's reflection in all creation, he
therefore loved all fellow creatures, no matter how small.
The
animals also had a love for St. Francis,
who was known to preach to them. The
animals willingly obeyed St. Francis and
joyfully flocked around him. St.
Francis frequently rescued animals and showed all
creation tenderness. Animals wanted to be around
him and were even known to refuse food for
loneliness of him.
Wolves,
fish, and birds are said to have listened
to and obeyed him. Animals jumped into his lap. Even insects sought
him. St. Francis is especially famous
for quieting birds during his preaching
and for instantly taming a ferocious wolf
into a pet-like animal.
Also
See:
St.
Francis & Animals (Animals in Church History)
On
the Person of St. Francis of Assisi (Reflections)
St. Francis' Teachings/ Writings
On St. Francis (Reflections)
Prayers of St. Francis
The
Catholicity of St. Francis
Sadly,
some who speak of St. Francis of Assisi today sometimes fail to
insist upon his Catholicity. As Pope Benedict
XV reminds us, "The St. Francis of Assisi whom certain
moderns present to us, and who springs from the imagination of the
Modernists, this man, guarded in his obedience to the Apostolic
See, a specimen of a vague and vain religiosity, is assuredly
neither Francis of Assisi nor a saint."
(Pope
Benedict XV, "Sacra Propediem", 1921, emphasis added).
The
true St. Francis of Assisi preached obedience to the Catholic
Church, exhorted all to remain in the Catholic Church for salvation,
had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist (and emphasized that Its reception
is necessary for salvation), exhorted his listeners to reverence the
priesthood, was devoted to the Passion of Christ and to the Blessed
Virgin Mary, was obedient to the pope, founded Catholic religious orders
(and had them approved the by pope), was mortified and chaste, and tried to convert infidels.
As
Pope Pius XI says in "Rite Expiatis" (1926): "What evil
they do and how far from a true appreciation of the Man of Assisi are
they who, in order to bolster up their fantastic and erroneous ideas
about him, imagine such an incredible thing as that Francis was an
opponent of the discipline of the Church, that he did not accept the
dogmas of the Faith, that he was the precursor and prophet of that false
liberty which began to manifest itself at the beginning of modern times
and which has caused so many disturbances both in the Church and in
civil society! That he was in a special manner obedient and faithful in
all things to the hierarchy of the Church, to this Apostolic See, and to
the teachings of Christ, the Herald of the Great King proved both to
Catholics and non-Catholics by the admirable example of obedience which
he always gave. It is a fact proven by contemporary documents, which are
worthy of all credence, 'that he held in veneration the clergy, and
loved with a great affection all who were in holy orders.' (Thomas of
Celano, Legenda, Chap. I, No. 62) 'As a man who was truly Catholic and
apostolic, he insisted above all things in his sermons that the faith of
the Holy Roman Church should always be preserved and inviolably, and
that the priests who by their ministry bring into being the sublime
Sacrament of the Lord, should therefore be held in the highest
reverence. He also taught that the doctors of the law of God and all the
orders of clergy should be shown the utmost respect at all
times.'"
Also
See:
The Catholicity of St. Francis (St Francis Facts)
St. Francis' Teachings/ Writings
On St. Francis (Reflections)
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