Pope Leo XIV decree to celebrate the 800 year Jubilee for Saint Francis of Assisi who died in1226

"I have resolved my heart to abandon the world and follow you in that which you command", St. Francis of Assisi 

Notably, the most familiar of all the Saints recognized by the Roman Catholic and Episcopal religious faiths, Saint Francis of Assisi is widely known for being the patron of birds, animals, the ecology and as an advocate to help the poor. 

But who was he? How did this man who abandoned his life of  privilege, become so universally respected and a role model for millions of followers today?

My two sources for this introduction to Saint Francis are:

The Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi by Donald Spoto Penguin Press ((Viking Compass), NY, 2002

Saint Francis of Assisi: His Essential Wisdom, edited by Carol Kenny Gange, Fall River Press, NY, 2010.

St. Francis o fAssisi spent the first twenty-four yeas of his life in an unremarkable way.  He was born in 1181 (or 1182?) to a wealthy cloth merchant, named Pietro Bernadone and his wife, Pica Pietro.

His father was away on business when he was born, so, as was the custom, she had him baptized soon after birth, with the name Giovanni, after John the Baptist. But, upon his father's return, Pietro became enraged by her choice of the name.  He considered the name as being too aligned with the poor, the wild herald of Christ, who was certainly not suitable for the son of a respectable merchant. Instead, Pietro took to calling hi sson Francesco, possibly to celebrate his successful business dealings in France.

By all accounts, Francis grew up to be an amiable young man, albeit a wastrel who enjoyed fashionable clothes, parties with friends and all of the amusements available to a young man of his class in Assisi. Yet, several events in the life of Francis set him on a dramatically different course. Among these is the time he spent in prison.

At the age of twenty, Francis fught ina war between Assisi and the neighboring Perugia. It was a disaster when Assisi was defeated, Rrancis was taken prisoner by the Perugian forces and he spent a year imprisoner in a damp, dungeon, in almost total darkness, subsisting on a diet of stale bread and foul water.  For the first time in his privileged life, he suffered deprivations and misery.  Yet, despite the deplorable conditions, he retained his good nature and the concern he displayed for the less fortunate among them became apparent to his fellow prisoners. During his imprisonment, he contacted an illness, possibly malaria, or tuberculosis and returned to Assisi in a weakened condition after his father negotiated his release.

Within two years, however. still aspiring to achieve a career as a courageous knight, Francis embarked on yet another military campaign, this time wih the papal forces led by Walter de Brienne. He stopped for the night twenty miles outside of Assisi and his illness returned. During the night, he had a startling vision that moved him to return to Assisi and try to ascertain his true vocation. Having lost interest in his father's business, as well as with his friends and their former pursuits, Francis started to search for some deeper meaning to his life.

In the spring of 1206, Francis stopped at a dilapidated church in San Damiano to pray. While kneeling and contemplating the crucifix, Francis heard the voice of God imploring him, "Francis, don't you see that my  house has collapsed? Go and repair it for me."  Francis accepted God's challenge and immediately went about selling his horse, his clothes and bolts of his father's cloth and gave the proceeds to the priest at San Damiano. Knowing his father would be outraged, Francis hid in a cave for weeks.

Eventually, he returned to Assisi looking wild and haggard to face his father's wrath. Pietro dragged Francis home and locked him in the cellar but his mother Pica released him while Pietro was away.

Finally, Pietro returned to the bishop for a judgement against his son.  In a dramatic public trial in front of Bishop Guido of assisi, Francis agreed to give his father back the money that belonged to him and summarily striped off all of his clothes and laid them at his father's feet announcing for all to hear, "Up until now, I have always called Pietro Bernadone my father. In the future, I will only acknowledge one Father who is in heaven". This said to be the moment of Francis's final conversion.

Bishop Guido gave Francis some rough clothes and he soon returned to San Damiano to continue his work on the church. He  begged for stones for the repairs, singing the praises of God and began to preach his new way of life based on the Gospel. His firt follower, Bernard of Quintavalle, a respected businessman, joined Francis in 1208. Others soon followed including Brother Giles (later St. Giles of Assisi) and Peter of Cattaneo. Their habit was a simple tunic made of the coarsest cheapest material tied at the wait with a rope. Living in poverty, and humility they begged for food and preached the Gospel.  In 1210, Francis and his elven followers met with Pope Innocent III and were granted permission to form the Order der of Friars Minor.  Astoundingly, within a few years, the original number of friars had grown to more than five thousand. They wandered the globe, two by two, continuing their mission of preaching, begging and acting as servants to all.

Two years before his death, St. Francis received the gift of the stigmata- his hands and feet pierced as though with nails and an open wound was on his side- mirroring the horrible wounds of Christ received during the crucifixion. Suffering from a dreadful eye disease he had contracted in Egypt when he attempted to convert the sultan, he was nearly blind and gravely ill by the time of his death. And, on October 3, 1226, surrounded by his brothers and whispering his prayers, St. Francis died peacefully. He was forty-five years old. Less than two year slater, St. Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX, who broke down in tears during his eulogy about the great saint. 

In a testament to his enduring legacy, millions of people make the pilgrimage every year to Assisi to visit the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, and the tomb of St. Francis and to feel the presence of this universally beloved saint. (The Basilica is an amazing complex with the sanctuary's fresco art by the famous artist Giotto.)

Saint Francis of Assisi: His Essential Wisdom is a collection of more than 300 quotations by and about St. Francis. Many of the selections in the book are drawn from the saint's own writings that he wrote about and to those he dictated to his brothers. In simple yet profound language, (Saint Francis spoke in the vernacular Umbrian Italian dialect) St. Francis wrwte rules and exhortations for his brothers, letters to priests, ministers and to his lay followers, directives to St. Clare (of the Poor Clare's) and her sisters, as well as heartfelt prayers and blessings.

Evident in every word is his deep and abiding love of God and his fervent desire to serve Him and all of creation.  His passion is palpable as he praises his Creator, guides his brothers and followers and sets forth the rules to govern them in their daily lives.

What does a saint who lived eight hundred years ago have to say tat coudl possibly be relevant to us today? Take the time to visit St/ Francis and his teachings, especially during this Jubilee year, because his words are here to inspire, guide, challenge and transform us now, as they have done for readers through the centuries.  

Ref. Carol Kelly-Gangi, Rumson, New Jersey, 2010.