Saint Francis of Assisi

Francis was born in Assisi, Italy, around 1181, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. After a carefree youth, a year as a prisoner of war and a long illness, he turned to God. Praying before the crucifix of San Damiano, he heard Christ ask him to rebuild his Church. He renounced his inheritance before the bishop, embraced poverty and cared for lepers.

Companions soon joined him, and in 1209 Pope Innocent III approved their simple rule: the Order of Friars Minor. With Saint Clare he began the Poor Clares in 1212. Francis preached peace, visited the Sultan of Egypt in 1219, created the first living Nativity scene at Greccio in 1223 and received the stigmata at La Verna in 1224. He wrote the Canticle of the Creatures and died at the Portiuncula on the evening of October 3, 1226. He was canonized just two years later, in 1228.

On or near his feast, parishes around the world hold the Blessing of the Animals, and families bring dogs, cats, birds and even horses to be blessed. In Assisi, Italy celebrates its patron with a national gathering.

In Latin America, Franciscan parishes hold processions and novenas, and many people named Francisco, Paco or Pancho celebrate their name day.