Saint Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi (born 1181/82, Assisi, duchy of Spoleto [Italy]—died October 3, 1226, Assisi; canonized July 16, 1228; feast day October 4) was the founder of the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor (Ordo Fratrum Minorum), the women’s Order of St. Clare (the Poor Clares), and the lay Third Order. He was also a leader of the movement of evangelical poverty in the early 13th century. His evangelical zeal, consecration to poverty, charity, and personal charisma drew thousands of followers. Francis’s devotion to the human Jesus and his desire to follow Jesus’ example reflected and reinforced important developments in medieval spirituality. The Poverello (“Poor Little Man”) is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history, and he and St. Catherine of Siena are the patron saints of Italy. In 1979 Pope John Paul II recognized him as the patron saint of ecology. <!-- Default Statcounter code for https://www.zazzle.co.uk/mbr/238 http://aracelident.com --> <script type="text/javascript"> var sc_project=12098388; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_security="578f2581"; var sc_https=1; var scJsHost = "https://"; document.write("<sc"+"ript type='text/javascript' src='" + scJsHost+ "statcounter.com/counter/counter.js'></"+"script>"); </script> <noscript><div class="statcounter"><a title="Web Analytics" href="https://statcounter.com/" target="_blank"><img