Francis of Assisi

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.