Francis' parents, Pica and Pietro, were part of Assisi's prosperous merchant class. A born leader, Francis instigated many revels among the young men of Assisi. Shaken by a year's imprisonment as a prisoner of war and by a long illness, Francis decided to abandon hi knightly ambitions and dedicate himself to God's service. He would eventually describe himself as "the herald of the great king."

One day the crucifix at San Damiano, a dilapidated wayside chapel near Assisi, told him, "Rebuild my house, for it is nearly falling down." He then repaired San Damiano and two other nearby churches. That required begging stones in Assisi; Francis survived the occasional mocking that greeted him there.

Francis' life took a new direction when he met a man suffering from leprosy. Tempted to ride on, Francis dismounted, kissed the man and gave him some money. Later Francis and his followers would work among people suffering from leprosy. At the end of his life, Francis wrote of this incident on the road outside Assisi. "That which seemed bitter to me," he said, "was changed into sweetness of soul and body" (Testament). Francis overcame himself on that road and afterward was much more ready to care for the suffering.

Francis quickly attracted followers and in 1209 went to Rome to get approval from Pope Innocent III for this new group, originally called the "Penitents from Assisi." They dedicated themselves to prayer, manual labor and preaching the gospel. Their poverty lent credibility to their way of life.

By this time, however, many groups had formed to follow the gospel in poverty and simplicity. Some of these groups eventually separated themselves from the Church because, for one thing, they rejected the bishop's right to supervise preaching in his diocese. They also set themselves up as members of the "spiritual" (sinless) Church as opposed to the "carnal" (sinful) Church of their own day. Some of these groups also rejected the sacraments.

Francis wanted to show his loyalty to the Church from the very start. He succeeded in gaining verbal approval from the pope despite the doubts of some cardinals about whether such a radical following of Jesus was possible in the thirteenth century. In time Francis called his followers the Friars Minor (Lesser Brothers). As their numbers grew, he sent them throughout Europe. In 1219 he assigned Berard and his companions to preach the gospel in Morocco. That same year Francis himself traveled to Egypt and the Holy Land.

When Francis returned to Assisi in 1220, he had become sick, and he realized that his group needed more capable administration than he could give it. Therefore he resigned as the leader. In the next two years, Francis devoted a lot of time to formulating a Rule to be submitted to the pope for approval. The final Rule was approved in 1223. Actually, Francis slipped in under the wire. The verbal approval given to his very small Rule of 1209 - a collection of Gospel texts - exempted him from the decision of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) that no new religious Rules should be approved.

In response to Saint Clare's desire to follow the gospel, Francis helped her organize the "Poor Ladies of San Damiano." Lay men and women living "in the world" asked Francis to establish a group for them. The result was the Third Order - now known as the Secular Franciscan Order.

One of the best stories about Francis concerns "perfect joy." Francis once told Brother Leo, his secretary, to write that perfect joy would not be the news that all the masters of theology in Paris, all the bishops in Europe or the kings of France and England had joined the friars. Nor would perfect joy be the news that the friars had converted all non-Christians or that Francis had received the gift of miracles. No, perfect joy would be for Francis, worn out from travel, to come to the friars' lodging, identify himself, be refused entrance - and still keep his patience!

In September 1224, while Francis was praying on Mount La Verna, he received the stigmata, the marks of Christ's passion on his hands, feet and side. Francis was able to hide this from many people, but he did attract a lot more attention from some people because of it. Growing blind and progressively weaker, in 1225 he composed his famous Canticle of Brother Sun. Francis died on the evening of October 3, 1226.

He was canonized in 1228 by his one-time advisor, the former Cardinal Hugolino and now Pope Gregory IX.

Quote: As Francis was dying, the bishop and the mayor of Assisi were at odds and had involved all of Assisi in the dispute. When both sides had assembled, Francis sent two friars to sing for them the Canticle of Brother Sun. Francis added the following verses especially for this occasion:

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for
Your Love
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.

The bishop and the mayor settled their differences right then and there.

Comment: When the squeamish Francis kissed the man suffering from leprosy, a spiritual revolution was unleashed, for this act crowned Francis' conversion. How easy it would have been for Francis to cover his mouth and nose and throw the man a few coins! Francis overcame that reaction and so set the pattern for the rest of his life. He lived the gospel courageously, and he did so within the Church.

Francis rebuilt the Church by his example of prayer, penance and forgiveness. In owning nothing, he was eminently approachable and was well qualified to point out the path toward lasting peace.

From Day by Day with Followers of Francis and Clare by Patrick McCloskey, OFM, ©1999 St. Anthony Messenger Press.