Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Francis of Assisi was born around 1181 in Assisi, Italy, the son of Pietro di Bernardone, a prosperous merchant, and Pica of Provence. As a young man he enjoyed wealth and revelry, but imprisonment during a conflict with Perugia and a lingering illness began to soften his heart. After a further call in prayer, he heard Christ speak to him at the chapel of San Damiano, urging him to “repair my Church.” Francis responded with radical simplicity, renouncing his inheritance, embracing “Lady Poverty,” and living among the poor, even serving lepers with tender love. In 1208, moved by the Gospel, he began preaching repentance, peace, and brotherly charity. Others gathered around him, and he formed the Friars Minor, later known as the Franciscans, seeking approval in Rome. His life shone with devotion to the Eucharist, love for creation, and a Christlike humility that, tradition holds, was sealed by the stigmata in 1224. He is especially invoked as patron of animals and the environment. His feast day is October 4.

Saint Petronius of Bologna was born into a noble Roman family, likely connected to the imperial court and high civil offices in late fourth-century Italy. Though raised amid privilege, he embraced the Christian faith and, even as a young man, devoted himself to ascetic practices and prayer. Tradition holds that he visited Jerusalem, perhaps as a pilgrim, and this encounter with the holy places would later shape his pastoral vision. Around 432 he was elected and consecrated bishop of Bologna. As shepherd of the city, Petronius became renowned for his virtue and for strengthening the Church through both holiness and wise leadership. He also left a lasting mark on Bologna’s spiritual landscape by building churches, most notably the complex of Santo Stefano, designed in imitation of the sacred shrines of Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre. Through these works he helped the faithful contemplate the mysteries of Christ close to home. Venerated as patron of Bologna and Castel Bolognese, Saint Petronius died before 450. His feast day is October 4.