St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most popular saints in the
history of Christianity.
St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most popular saints in the history of Christianity.
Especially in this area, there are an overwhelming number of things named or dedicated to him: streets, schools, hospitals, churches and commercial establishments (not to mention our most important metropolis).
Francis was born in Assisi, in the Umbria region of Italy, in 1181 or 1182 (scholars disagree) to a wealthy family. Captured as a soldier in 1201, he was held captive for a year.
A few years later, he again entered battle against a neighboring city in Italy and experienced a spiritual conversion.
In 1206, Francis had a vision in which Christ called upon him to “repair” or “rebuild” his church and took this command literally, working to rebuild the chapel of San Damiano near Assisi, which had fallen into disrepair.
His wealthy merchant father was troubled by this and other odd behavior and rebuked, beat and tried to imprison his son, who then rejected all his family rights and possessions, even his clothes.
Soon he felt called to preach and was joined by companions who were impressed by his sincerity, founding a religious order called the “Friars Minor.”
The friars traveled throughout Italy preaching the Gospel and living a life of poverty and service, begging for their food and giving any excess to the poor.
St. Francis is known today as the patron saint of animals and ecology, and many legends deal with his love for animals. In one, Francis encountered a flock of birds along the highway and stopped to preach to them.
Another tells about a wolf that was terrorizing a village. When he hunted it down, Francis arranged for the townspeople to feed it. In return the wolf would harm no one.
In his poem “Canticle of the Sun” Francis expresses his love for nature as God’s creation, addressing “Brother Son,” Sister Moon” and teaching that humans must protect nature.
San Francisco’s North Beach district is home to the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi (610 Vallejo St.).
A Norman Gothic church dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi was built by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Francisco and dedicated on March 17, 1860.
During the great earthquake of 1906, much of the church’s interior was consumed by fire, but the brick walls were spared. After much study, it was decided to rebuild the church within its original walls, and it was rededicated on March 2, 1919.
In the 1980s, the Archdiocese of San Francisco addressed the problem of too many churches and too few worshippers by closing many parish churches in the city.
In 1998, however, St. Francis Church was reopened as the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi and staffed by Franciscan priests, members of the very order Francis had founded centuries before.
The church, no longer used for regular worship, is noted for its beautiful architecture, colorful murals and stained glass windows and holy relics of St. Francis, St. Clare (who founded an associated women’s order), and St. Anthony of Padua (another noted Franciscan). The building also has a pipe organ dating from 1926 that is used in special liturgical celebrations and for Sunday concerts.
Next door to the church is an amazing building constructed inside a former gymnasium that was part of the parish school.
It is the “Nuova Porziuncola,” a three-fourths scale replica of the small chapel where Francis lived, wrote his rule and created his order of friars minor.
He chose to die there at the age of 44 rather than in a bishop’s palace that had been offered for that purpose.
Nearly $3 million was raised for the construction that features:
– 35,000 pounds of marble and 300 rocks from Assisi
– Copies of 12 frescoes from the original
– 2000 pieces of sandstone from Wisconsin
– The labor of 16 Italian artisans imported for the purpose.
Around the corner from the Porziuncola is a gift shop known as Francesco Rocks. Here visitors can find a wide variety of religious gifts and mementos. Details: (415) 983-0213.
A traditional way to celebrate St. Francis’ feast day, Oct. 4, is by holding a celebration to bless pets and other animals of the faithful. This year several churches invite local residents to bring their pets and take advantage of this rite:
– St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Gilroy: at 10 a.m. Saturday.
– Advent Lutheran Church, Morgan Hill: at 4 p.m. Sunday.
– St. John’s Episcopal Church, Morgan Hill: at 9:00 a.m. Sunday.
– St. Mary Catholic School, Gilroy: at 2:40 p.m. Monday.
– St. Catherine Catholic School, Morgan Hill: at 2:30 p.m. Monday.
– United Methodist Church, Morgan Hill: at 10 a.m. Oct. 24. Anyone who misses an earlier opportunity is invited to attend this service.
