St. Francis of Assisi
Patron Saint of Ecology & One of the Patron Saints of Italy
About
St Francis of Assisi was born in either 1181 or 1182. He was baptized soon after his birth in Giovanni. His father was on a business trip in France during his birth and upon his return he named him Francesco. His parents are Pierto di Bernardone (Father) and Pica (Mother). St Francis grew up in Assisi, Italy. He learned to speak and write Latin at the school near the church of San Giorgio. He loved the French language but was never able to speak it well. In 1202 he took part in the war between Assisi and Perugia. He was imprisoned for almost a year and relied strongly on his faith during that time. In 1205 he was on a journey and had a vision or dream that persuaded him to return to Assisi and await the call of a new kind of knighthood, the knighthood to Christ. Once he got to Assisi he devoted himself to prayer and solitude so he could know God’s will for him.
St. Francis of Assisi did many important things that have contributed to today’s society.
He was a founder of the Francian Order of the Friars Minor. Also, he helped with the women’s Order of St. Claire. St. Francis of Assisi was named the patron saint of ecology by Pope John Paul II in 1979. St. Francis of Assisi along with St. Catherine of Siena is named the patron saints of Italy. St. Francis’s greatest religious influence was Jesus. His great devotion and inspiration to follow Jesus helped and supported many important developments in the Catholic faith of the medieval times. There are many acts that were performed by St. Francis of Assisi which named an important historical figure of the church we know today. For example, St. Francis was a leader the poverty movement in the early thirtieth century. His consecration, solemn dedication to a specific purpose, of poverty, charity, and his personal charisma, or presence, of Christ drew and influenced thousands of followers of Christ. It was for that very reason why on July 16, 1228, St. Francis of Assisi was canonized and became a saint.
We have learned many things from St. Francis. Some of the things are learning to love nature. We celebrate St. Francis with a feast day, which is celebrated on October 4th. He fought in war and was captured. He was released in 1203. After he was released he became a different man. He was impressive because he became a saint because of all his deeds he did when he was still living, and he was the leader of the movement for poverty. He also had a great devotion to Jesus and his teachings. Another thing you could know is that his dad was a cloth merchant. St. Francis of Assisi was not his real name. He was real was Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone. He was also very good and cared for charity. He is famous Italy because he is the patron saint of Italy.
Bibliography
Cunningham, Lawrence. "Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian Saint)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/216793/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi>.
"Prayer of St Francis of Assisi." Prayer of St Francis of Assisi. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://srw11.com/catholic-prayers/prayer-st-francis-assisi/#.VI8RMSvF_To>.
"St. Francis Statue, St. Francis Garden Statue, St. Francis of Assisi Statues." St. Francis Statue, St. Francis Garden Statue, St. Francis of Assisi Statues. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.stfrancis.name/st-francis-statue/>.
"St. Francis of Assisi « Franciscan Community of Mercy." Franciscan Community of Mercy. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.franciscancommunityofmercy.org/st-francis-of-assisi/>.