Your Faith Journey with EWTN
As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
c. 1181–October 3, 1226
Patron Saint of Italy, animals, ecology, merchants, the poor, and the Franciscan Order
St. Francis of Assisi’s joyful life of poverty, deep love for Christ, and reverence for all creation have inspired countless people to live the Gospel with simplicity, humility, and charity.
Born in Assisi, Italy, around 1181, Francis was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant. As a young man, he enjoyed wealth, friendships, and dreams of becoming a famous knight. Those ambitions were interrupted by war, imprisonment, and illness, experiences that gradually opened his heart to God’s call.
While praying before a crucifix in the small church of San Damiano, Francis heard Christ say, “Francis, go and repair my house, which, as you see, is falling into ruin.” At first, he repaired neglected churches with his own hands. Soon he realized that Christ was calling him to help renew the Church by living the Gospel radically and calling others to do the same.
Renouncing his inheritance, Francis embraced a life of poverty, prayer, and joyful service. He cared for lepers, preached repentance, and proclaimed God’s love wherever he traveled. His humility and sincerity drew many companions who desired to follow Christ in the same way. Their fraternity became the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans.
Francis also assisted St. Clare in founding the Poor Clares, which became the first women’s monastic order specifically based on the Franciscan, rather than the Benedictine, rule and the first whose rule of life was written by a woman. He also inspired lay men and women to live Franciscan spirituality through what became known as the Secular Franciscan Order.
Francis loved all of God’s creation and could communicate with animals. One story tells how he convinced a wolf to stop attacking the people and livestock in a village, making an agreement with the townspeople to provide the wolf with food so he would never be hungry.
Near the end of his life, while praying on Mount La Verna, Francis received the stigmata, becoming the first recorded saint to bear the wounds of Christ. Though weakened by illness, he continued to praise God with gratitude, composing the beautiful Canticle of the Creatures, one of the earliest works of Italian literature.
St. Francis died on October 3, 1226, and was canonized just two years later. He is one of the most beloved saints in Christian history.
St. Francis saw all of creation as reflecting God’s goodness and beauty and worthy of love and respect. He referred to the sun, moon, water, fire, and even death as brothers and sisters in his Canticle of the Creatures, expressing gratitude to the Creator through His works. Many stories describe Francis preaching to birds, taming the wolf of Gubbio, and showing kindness to animals. While some accounts include legendary elements, they illustrate his conviction that humanity should care for creation with humility and respect. For this reason, he is widely regarded as the patron saint of animals and ecology, and many parishes bless animals on his feast day.
In 1224, while praying during a retreat on Mount La Verna, Francis received the stigmata—the wounds corresponding to those of Christ’s Crucifixion on his hands, feet, and side. This extraordinary event has been preserved in Franciscan tradition and recognized by the Church as a unique mystical grace and is considered the first recorded and confirmed stigmata in the Church’s history. His experience deepened devotion to Christ’s Passion and has inspired generations of Christians to unite their own sufferings with the Lord’s redemptive sacrifice on the Cross.
St. Francis helped renew the Church by calling Christians back to the simplicity of the Gospel. The mendicant lifestyle of the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans) introduced a new model of religious life. Rather than living isolated in wealthy monasteries, his friars relied entirely on alms, living directly among the poor and marginalized. He preached by example and made the Gospel message accessible and relatable in practical ways, such as creating the first living Christmas Nativity scene. His emphasis on poverty, humility, fraternity, and joyful evangelization attracted thousands of followers during his lifetime. The Franciscan movement revitalized religious life, championed care for the poor and sick, and brought the Gospel into towns and villages through itinerant preaching. Eight centuries later, the Franciscan family, which includes friars, Poor Clares, and Secular Franciscans, continues to carry his spirit of service, love, and peace throughout the world.
The Blessed Virgin Mary bore extreme pains throughout her life. And as the mother of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53), she witnessed her Son’s Passion and Death on the Cross. This is why, as we face our own pains and temptations, we should turn to Our Lady of Sorrows and meditate on her Seven Dolors, or Sorrows.
This free eBook will encourage you to meditate on these Sorrows that pierced Mary’s Immaculate Heart. Use the form below to tell us where to send your free eBook, The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Francis of Assisi is one of our most beloved but misunderstood saints. Follow the contradictory story of St. Francis of Assisi, who struggled to find meaning and purpose in life until Jesus lifted his darkness.
Witness the Eucharistic devotion and spirituality of the Franciscan Order in this EWTN original docudrama on St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, St. Paschal Baylon, and St. Padre Pio.
While discussing the saint’s tumultuous youth and conversion, Dr. Benjamin Wiker and St. Francis of Assisi are interrupted by Political Theorist Niccoló Machiavelli, who wastes no time expressing his disdain for the Franciscan way of life. Part 1 of 2.
Niccoló Machiavelli and St. Francis of Assisi’s discussion on religion, politics, and morality prompts the political theorist and saint to bear witness to a miracle. Part 2of 2.
Brother Owen Sadlier of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, New York, hosts this fascinating subject of Franciscan spirituality and how it provides guidance for your own spiritual growth.
Following the example of St. Francis of Assisi’s detachment and humility, Sarah must decide if she will give up a prize due to her opponent’s illness; Sergio convinces Alex to donate the toys that he no longer uses to poor children.
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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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