St. Francis of Assisi by Sr. Jane Kopas, OSF                        See also: Franciscan Definitions
Sr. Jane Kopas is an Allegany Franciscan and author of
Sacred Identity: Exploring a Theology of the Person.

Francis of Assisi has been called "everyone's saint." He was born as Giovanni di Bernardone in the town of Assisi, Italy, but because of his father's travels to France he became known as Francis. Though he was born in 1181 or 1182, a time of great change from a feudal society to an urban one, he seems to belong to every age. His father, a prosperous cloth merchant, provided the popular young man with all the resources he needed to live a charmed life. He reveled with his friends and dreamed of making a name for himself as a successful knight. But when he was in his early twenties, he lost interest in wealth and success and began to dream instead of living for God alone.

Conversion
He experienced a conversion that transformed his reason for living without taking anything away from the natural gifts that made him so attractive to others. Maybe that is why his appeal remains even after 800 years. At first Francis was not clear about the direction his life should take. He knew he was not called to the monastic life that was customary at the time for those who wanted to dedicate themselves to God. He engaged in long periods of prayer, trying to discover God's call for him. Early in his conversion, he experienced the voice of God through the crucifix at San Damiano telling him to "rebuild my Church." At first he took the words literally and began to repair churches that were disintegrating. Later, as followers joined him, it became apparent that he was rebuilding the church spiritually by living the gospel as a poor man who modeled his life after the poor Jesus. Throughout his life Jesus remained the model and inspiration for his behavior.

Francis Attracts Followers
The new way of life Francis was developing unfolded, and many men were attracted to follow him. He captured their imagination as he renounced his father's money, took on the garb of a beggar, kept no property even for housing, and wandered from place to place proclaiming God's love for all of creation. Everything from the moon and stars to the plants and animals to lepers and lords were his brothers and sisters.

He sang "All praise to you, my Lord, through brother Sun….sister Moon" in the Canticle of Creatures which he composed near the end of his life. Francis was an immensely original and gifted individual. He did not set out to start a new religious order but the force of his vision captured the religious imagination of many people at a time when there was little in the church to inspire them. He related to people out of a deep grasp of the love of God and the example of Jesus. Francis was not controlled by the group values of his society. Nor was he controlled by his own personal likes and dislikes. He discovered the inner truth of who he was because of his profound personal relation to God. This inner truth allowed him to respond to each individual he met with spontaneity and appreciation for the uniqueness of who they were.

Francis and the Leper
His spontaneity, born out of a passion to live like Jesus, is evident in the many stories that reveal the characteristics of his personality. Early in his conversion process he encountered a leper who repulsed him; after all he was used to the finer things of life. When he realized he was turning away from God by turning from the leper, he hurried back to embrace him with a kiss. After that he often sought to be with lepers. Humility marked all his actions. Not a humility that causes discomfort to others, but a humility born of compassion. Once when a young brother was moaning at night because he was hungry, Francis broke his own fast to show that solidarity with those in need is more important than one's own righteousness.

Living the Gospel
He sought so much to be poor like Jesus that he chose poor clothes and sparse lodgings, even refusing once to enter a sleeping place because it had his name on it. In all of these instances he was committed to maintaining his joy. He would not let himself remain sad because God is so much greater than an individual's passing moods. For him, joy was an indisputable sign of the presence of God. Once when a group of robbers stole his meager resources and beat him, he jumped up singing and praising God. In every situation, he acted out of the truth of who he was, not following conventional patterns of behavior.

Prayer
Prayer was as natural as breathing for him. His prayer was almost always praise and gratitude. He would have been drawn to a life of prayer in solitude, but after consulting St. Clare and one of the brothers, they convinced him that his calling was not only to immerse himself in adoration but also to spread the gospel message among those who yearned for it. Francis devoted himself to celebrating the humanity of Christ, and this reverence for Jesus' humanity even affected artistic depictions of Jesus. Art before him had presented a Christ who did not manifest ordinary humanity. Thanks to Francis, human emotion and events in the life of Jesus took center stage. It was he who originated the idea of the Christmas crèche in the little town of Greccio. The human Jesus was so real to him that he wished to celebrate his humanity. The reality of the poor Jesus in the birth scene has touched the minds and hearts of his contemporaries and people for centuries since then. The deepest mirroring of the life of Jesus came late in his life. Francis was discouraged because he saw many of the brothers were not observing the kind of poverty that was essential to his vision. His leadership was no longer assumed, and others began to direct the order in another way. He handled this disappointment with grace and refrained from criticizing the brothers publicly.

The Stigmata
Two years before he died, his identification with the suffering of Jesus manifested itself physically. While he was caught up in prayer in a mountain retreat, he had a vision of a six-winged seraph that penetrated his very being and left him with the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ, in his feet, hands, and side. For the rest of his life he tried to hide these marks so as not to draw attention to himself. When he died, he asked to be placed on the ground naked. He had given himself to God, and now it was complete.

Classical Sources for the Life of Francis: Thomas of Celano's First Life and Second Life of Francis, St. Bonaventure's Major Life of Francis

Franciscan Definitions

Symbols/Culture
Tau - Cross modeled on the Greek letter "T." St. Francis used this as his signature.
Franciscan Crown - A rosary of seven joyful mysteries used by Franciscans.
Cord - Francis tied a cord around his waist instead of using a belt. The cord now has three knots to symbolize poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Habit - Francis clothed himself in a simple peasant robe tied with a cord. It may have been brown or grey.
Stigmata - the five wounds in the hands, feet, and side or Francis which correspond to the wounds left by Jesus' crucifixion.
Christmas creche - a representation of the nativity scene with the holy family, shepherds, and animals which originated with Francis as a live tableau.
San Damiano crucifix - a painted crucifix based on the crucifix which spoke to Francis in the church of San Damiano, saying "rebuild my church."
Three orders - First Order Friars, Second Order Poor Clares (contemplative) and Third Order Secular (laity) and Regular (religious not in the first two orders)

Places
Greccio - where Francis enacted the first Christmas creche
Mt. Alvernia - where Francis received the stigmata
Carceri - one Francis' favorite places to pray
San Damiano - the church where Francis received a mission from Christ
Portiuncula - the "Little Portion" where Francis and his brothers stayed

Holy Days
Feast of St. Francis - the celebration of Francis' death on October 4
Transitus - a service representing the death of Francis celebrated the day before his Feast Day
Portiuncula - feast commemorating the Little Portion celebrated on August 2

People
St. Clare - the earliest female follower of Francis and founder of the Second Order) the Poor Clares)
Brother Leo - one of Francis closest followers
Thomas of Celano - the first biographer of St. Francis
St. Bonaventure - an early general minister of Franciscans, theologian, and author of the Major Life of St. Francis
John Duns Scotus - early Franciscan theologian known for his theme of the primacy of Christ

Franciscan Themes and Theological Concepts
Incarnation - the taking on of human flesh by God in Jesus
Primacy of Christ - the idea that God created the universe with Christ in mind as its goal, and that Jesus was born to bring creation to fulfillment in Christ, not primarily to atone for the sin of Adam and Eve
Humanity of Jesus - a primary focus in Franciscan spirituality which also greatly influenced art of the time
Canticle of Creatures - Francis' poem celebrating all of creation as his brothers/ sisters