Celebrating St. Francis of Assisi

Oct 5

Letter from the Pastor
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Oct. 6, 2024

For the Franciscans, celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is not our most important celebration. The Resurrection is always our number one celebration, but remembering Francis di Bernardone is certainly in our top 5!

He was born in the 12th Century, yet he continues to speak to us in the 21st. In 1939, Pope Pius XII named St. Francis and St. Catherine of Siena co-patron saints of Italy and forty years later Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the patron saint of ecology in 1979. Like an artistic masterpiece that has stood the test of time, the life of St. Francis offers us a treasury of riches in his expression of faith and experience of God.

The most common image of St. Francis usually portrays him with animals. St. Francis understood that every artist leaves their particular “mark” in their work. St. Francis was able to see God’s “mark” in all of creation.

One of my favorite depictions of St. Francis is this picture of a seven-foot statue at the entrance of the Hermitage of the Carceri, just outside of the walled city of Assisi. St. Francis stands there to welcome everyone into the silence of this natural sanctuary carved into the side of Mount Subasio. It is hard to miss the details of his halo. The symbols of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism surround St. Francis. Each tradition embodies a deep contemplative spirituality, and they are welcomed.

St. Francis, in his life, not only possessed a spirit of welcome, but he also extending that welcome, as Christ calls us to do, and offered a sign of peace to everyone, especially those in conflict and turmoil. His faith in God and who Jesus was and is for us was never compromised. It was that faith that actually compelled him to visit the Sultan of Damietta in Egypt to show that not all Christians carried the crusader’s sword. It was the call of Christ to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” that compelled him to challenge the longstanding feud between the Bishop of Assisi and the Mayor of Assisi to bring peace to his own town. It was because of his deep faith in Jesus Christ crucified, sealed by God with the Stigmatic wounds in his own hands, feet, and side, that he was able to even call death his sister, “whom we must all face.”

Francis of Assisi knew Christ, so he was able to live like Christ, and be Christ-like in his time and in ours.

In this weekend’s bulletin, parishioners Marie Logue and Bobbi Greene, and Edna Suckow offer some more reflections on St. Francis. If you would like to learn more about St. Francis, our local Secular Franciscan Fraternity or the parish’s Friends of Francis and Clare are two groups that can help. Of course, the friars or sisters are always available for further discussion.

With St. Francis’ traditional greeting, I end wishing you,