Saint Francis of Assisi Plaque
Feast Day: October 4
Patron Saint of Animals
Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181 – 1226, was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in Italy to a wealthy family.
He lost interest in the material world and decided to live a life of poverty. He wandered as a beggar and sought penance for his past transgressions. He nursed lepers in the leper colony near Assisi.
Saint Francis of Assisi was a mystic. He sought spiritual enlightenment. He had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ, during which he was told to repair His church. Saint Francis of Assisi continued his work of brotherly love and peace and attracted eleven followers. He was dedicated to imitating Jesus Christ and carrying out his work. Among the miracles performed by Saint Francis include healing the sick and lepers, walking on water, and raising the dead. His first miracle was domesticating and taming a wolf that was tormenting the town.
The Prayer of Saint Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”[1]
[1] https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/prayer/traditional-catholic-prayers/saints-prayers/peace-prayer-of-saint-francis/
Excerpted from The Essential Guide to Archangels and Saints by Margaret Ann Lembo
