October Saints

                         Saint Francis of Assisi
                                      1281-1226

    Francis was born in Assisi, Italy during the 12th century. His father was a wealthy merchant. Francis was a man of this world, he went to wild parties, danced in taverns, and spent all his father?s money on parties. He had a lot of friends because of his richness.

    During a war against Perugia, Francis had the best suit of armor a man could have. One of his friends came with less luxurious armor and Francis was willing to trade armor. At that war he was captured and after a year in prison he was finally set free.

    One day while walking outside the gates of Assisi he saw some lepers who were very poor. Responding to the grace of God, he helped them by giving them some food. Another time he heard the bell of a leper approaching. He was frozen in his steps because what he saw was the worst case of leprosy he had ever seen. Francis expected a fowl smell in the air but instead he smelt a sweet fragrance. Francis kissed the leper and in an instance the leper disappeared. Then he knew it was Jesus.

    Jesus appeared to Francis while he was praying. He said, ?Repair the church of San Damiano?. Francis thought he meant the physical church but he was mistaken. Jesus meant the return of the people to the church. Francis went to the church and saw that it was in ruins. He slowly built the church stone by stone. He begged in the streets of Assisi for stones and money to help him accomplish his project.

    While he was reading from the Gospel of Saint Matthew he came across the passage when Jesus commanded the disciples to evangelize the world without possessions. Francis took this passage very seriously and in 1206 he started living a life of poverty. He was poorer than the poor he served. This way of life attracted many different people.

    In 1210 he asked for approval from the pope. Pope Innocent 111 had a dream of his cathedral falling apart and a man (Saint Francis) was holding up the church with his feeble hands. The pope gave his approval and blessing. Their group soon became known as the ?Friars Minor?. They went all over Italy and Spain proclaiming the faith and converting many. Their numbers grew and by 1219 the Franciscans numbered 5000. Out of humility Francis never became a priest.

    In 1224, Francis received the stigmata. He was the first person in history to receive the visible wounds of Jesus on his feet and hands. Francis was stricken with a terrible eye disease which resulted in blindness. Francis retired to a hut near San Damiano where he died on October 3rd, 1226.

    Francis is many times depicted as the Saint of the world because he is not only remembered in the Catholic Church but also in some Protestant churches. He respected every animal as a gift from God. We should imitate Francis in his great love for God and his creation.