On Oct. 4, Roman Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the Italian deacon who brought renewal to the Church through his decision to follow Jesus' words as literally as possible.
In a January 2010 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI recalled this "giant of holiness" as a "great saint and a joyful man," who taught the Church that "the secret of true happiness" is "to become saints, close to God."
The future St. Francis was born on an uncertain date in the early 1180s, one of the several children born to the wealthy merchant Pietro Bernardone and his wife Pica. He originally received the name Giovanni (or John), but became known as Francesco (or Francis) by his father's choice.
Unlike many medieval saints, St. Francis was neither studious nor pious in his youth. His father's wealth gave him access to a lively social life among the upper classes, where he was known for his flashy clothes and his readiness to burst into song. Later a patron of peacemakers, he aspired to great military feats in his youth and fought in a war with a rival Italian city-state.
A period of imprisonment during that conflict turned his mind toward more serious thoughts, as did a recurring dream that suggested his true "army" was not of this world. He returned to Assisi due to illness in 1205, and there began considering a life of voluntary poverty.
Three major incidents confirmed Francis in this path. In Assisi, he overcame his fear of disease to kiss the hand of a leper. Afterward, he made a pilgrimage to Rome, where he deposited his money at St. Peter's tomb and exchanged clothes with a beggar. Soon after he returned home, Francis heard Christ tell him in a vision: "Go, Francis, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin."
Francis began to use his father's wealth to restore churches. This led to a public quarrel in which the cloth-merchant's son removed his clothing and declared that he had no father except God. He regarded himself as the husband of "Lady Poverty," and resolved to serve Christ as "a herald of the Great King."
During the year 1208, the "herald" received the inspiration that would give rise to the Franciscan movement. At Mass one morning, he heard the Gospel reading in which Christ instructed the apostles to go forth without money, shoes or extra clothing. This way of life soon became a papally-approved rule, which would attract huge number of followers within Francis' own lifetime.
Through his imitation of Christ, Francis also shared in the Lord's sufferings. He miraculously received Christ's wounds, the stigmata, in his own flesh during September of 1224. His health collapsed over the next two years, a "living sacrifice" made during two decades of missionary preaching and penance.
St. Francis of Assisi died on Oct. 3, 1226. Pope Gregory IX, his friend and devotee, canonized him in 1228.
— CNA/EWTN News
CHARLOTTE — October is Franciscan Month, and it provides an engaging opportunity for Catholics to emulate the spirit and works of St. Francis of Assisi – the popular saint who rejected his ancestral wealth to serve the poor, founded the Franciscan order, and is revered for his love of God’s creation.
“The month is designed to celebrate the charism of the Franciscan way of life,” explains Father Paul Lininger, OFM Conv., Justice, Peace and Integtrity of Creation director for Our Lady of the Angels Province, to which Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin also belongs.
At the core of the Franciscan tradition is a simple question, Father Lininger says: “How do we make the Gospel real in our own time?”
The 2025 theme of Franciscan Month is building a world of kinship while recognizing our connectedness within our common home – Earth – in the spirit of Sts. Francis and Clare, a spiritual confidant of St. Francis who founded the Poor Clares.
“The month is designed to raise awareness of all the different things the various types of Franciscan groups – priests, brothers, sisters and lay members of the secular Franciscans –are doing,” says Father Lininger. Those actions range from taking part in a march to support immigrants and refugees Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C., to assisting the poor and marginalized, to advocating for environmental awareness.
“It’s recognizing the impact that Sts. Francis and Clare have had and honoring both of them, but it’s also understanding how we look at the Gospel and how we bring it into our own lives in our own time,” he says.
Across the Diocese of Charlotte, secular Franciscans and friends are gathering to commemorate the memorial of St. Francis' death on Oct. 3 (called the Transitus) and his feast day on Oct. 4, and conduct pet blessings in churches and schools throughout the week.
A website dedicated to Franciscan Month lists practical steps people can take each day – such as cleaning up a park, volunteering at a food bank, or buying a product made using fair trade practices – to walk in the spiritual footsteps of the saint.
That ties into a question that Father Linger says is at the core of Franciscan teaching for all people: “I have these blessings in my life. How do I use them effectively to help support my brothers and sisters? How do I uphold human dignity at every step?”
“It’s not supposed to just be intellectualized,” he emphasizes. “It is a challenge – just as Christ challenged His disciples to come learn from Him and then take what you have learned and be able to bring it out into the world.”
A prayer for Franciscan Month
Most high and merciful God who bonded us as a family – brothers and sisters to all creation – enlighten us in living the Holy Gospel by walking in Francis’ footsteps to Christ in our daily lives.
Amen.
— www.franciscanmonth.org
What you can do
Here a few suggestions on how to live more like St. Francis:
- Donate gently used clothing to a shelter
- Fast from social media to pray
- Attend Eucharistic Adoration or silent prayer
- Recycle and reduce waste
- Write a thank-you note to someone who serves quietly
- Bake bread or soup to share with someone in need
- Join a prayer vigil or peace walk
- Practice humility by letting someone go first
- Choose vegetarian meals
- Reflect: Where do you need conversion? Pray for grace
- Journal who you need to reconcile with; pray for courage
- Create a prayer space with images of Sts. Francis & Clare
— Franciscanmonth.org
More online
• At www.franciscanmonth.org: Learn more and get daily steps to follow to live out the month devoted to St. Francis of Assisi.
• At www.franciscanaction.org: Learn more about public advocacy programs aligned with the Franciscan charism.