St. Francis of Assisi

Their story

Francis was born around 1181 in Assisi, Italy, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. As a young man he loved parties and fine clothes, and he dreamed of glory as a knight. But after he was captured in a war and spent a year as a prisoner, followed by a long illness, the pleasures of his old life began to feel empty. One day Francis met a man with leprosy. Overcoming his disgust, he embraced and kissed him. Soon after, while praying before a crucifix in the run-down church of San Damiano, he heard Christ say, “Francis, go and repair my house.” When his angry father brought him before the bishop, Francis gave back everything, even his clothes, and chose to live in complete poverty, trusting God as his Father. Others soon joined him, and the Order of Friars Minor was born. Francis preached peace, cared for the poor, and praised God in all creation, as in his Canticle of the Creatures. In 1223 he set up a living Nativity scene at Greccio. In 1224, while praying on Mount La Verna, he received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ’s Passion, in his own body. He died in 1226 and was canonized just two years later.