Winner of the Spring 2019 StMU History Media Award for
Best Article in the Category of “People”
Francis was faced with a very large obstacle: while he was trying his hardest to pursue what he found to be his vocation, the hate that welled up in his father proved to be a major issue in his passage to that calling. Even though Francis knew without a doubt that he could easily become a very successful merchant, he felt an even stronger gravitation towards another life. Indeed, he felt called to a life that would constantly require to him to put the skills he gained from shadowing in his father’s work and provide him with an even stronger fulfillment in his life, despite it being very much against the social standards of his community and the wishes of his father. While his father saw his choice as an acceptance of failure, Francis saw it as an answer to the call of something greater than anyone could have ever imagined.
In Assisi, Italy, lived our character, Francis. Francis was born in 1182 to Pietro and Pica Bernardone. Throughout his childhood, Francis proved to be a very charming and popular young boy, as he was well liked by many children in his area, and was constantly followed by a group of friends. At home, Francis’ parents were very caring for him and constantly tended to all his wants and needs. His father was a very successful textile merchant, a career that made him and his family wealthy, while Francis’ mother stayed at home with him and did house work, including serving Francis, making him the center of her life, her pride and joy.1 Francis was well set with a large group of friends and two parents that loved to spoil him.2 When Francis was of age, he went to work with his father to learn the business of a merchant. Francis, as it turned out, was a natural, and caught on to the trade very well. After a short time, he began showing signs of a bright future as a textile merchant.
Merchants in Francis’ time were those that traveled long distances in order to exchange goods in various lands with various people. Textile merchants, the kind of merchant that Francis’ father was, tended to sell a great amount of goods and generally made very large amounts of revenue from their sales. Merchants were also well known for influencing the spread of culture and religion to those that they sold to, as they needed to be very persuasive in order to make sales, and were naturally found to do the same with their lifestyles. As a result, Francis quickly learned not only how to sell goods, but how to teach as well. The skill of spreading and teaching customs, language, and especially religion would greatly influence Francis’ future. His father had no idea that he was preparing his son for a future calling outside of textile trading.3
When Francis reached young adulthood, a war had sparked in his country, Assisi, and its neighboring city, Perugia. Francis was sent into the military to take part. On the battlefield, Francis observed firsthand the many horrors of battle, and was left with experiences that would haunt him for quite some time. Francis was not in a good mental state when he was sent home from his first tour, and sadly, he hardly had time to recover before he was sent to war a second time. The next time he came home, Francis’ behavior had taken a turn for the worst, as his memories had scarred him greatly. To attempt to rid himself of these scars, Francis tried to return to the life he had right before he first left home. In an attempt to adapt to civilian life, Francis ultimately found himself drinking heavily with his friends and was frequently surrounded by constant celebrations. In addition to his attempts to fuel his social life, he continued to live the life of good luxury in his home. All of his attempts, however, only numbed the pain for a very short time.4
Not long after returning to life in his town, Francis had fallen gravely ill. Eventually, when his state failed to improve, it seemed very likely that he would die from the illness that had caught hold of him. Francis was surrounded by distress and fear, and it seemed to him that there was nowhere to turn. With nowhere else to seek refuge, Francis began to turn towards his faith, which he had neglected through his life of luxury and celebration. He began to visit the local church daily to reflect and pray. He found a very strong devotion to Christ’s Passion, through the Stations of the Cross. This was a small conversion that would continue to influence Francis. After turning his face towards the church, Francis found himself healing from his great illness. In response, he began to devote more and more time to his spirituality within the church: he reflected daily on Christ’s Passion through the Stations of the Cross. His illness quickly forgotten, Christianity became the most important matter in Francis’ life. Unbeknownst to his community or himself, Francis was changing.5
His parents were the first to see the changes that Francis was going through, though they knew not what was going on in his life. All they noticed was that his mood, all of a sudden, had become withdrawn from others. After a while, they noticed that Francis was acting out of the ordinary, very unlike what they had always known him to be. Then, all together, without any warning, Francis simply left. Francis’ parents had no idea where he had gone or what he was up to.6
Francis had left his old life behind and began a new one. He took a vow of poverty. He no longer held a longing to have many material possessions or a large accumulation of wealth, things he was raised with. Instead, he began to focus all of his energy on teaching and preaching to others, using his skills that he had drawn from his merchant work with his father. He found that he loved to talk with his fellow brothers and sisters, and he wanted to bring them to a life dedicated to Christ. He even preached when there were no humans to preach to. Francis was known to preach to birds and other animals. He called them, too, his brothers and sisters, for he considered them to be part of God’s gifts in creation. This is the side of Francis that many Catholics would know him for as a saint, hundreds of years in the future.
Although Francis had found a path that he was truly happy to follow, his father did not share this same view. Francis’ father viewed his son’s decision as an embarrassment, since he had been raised in a place of high status. His father felt that Francis had thrown away everything that was handed to him, and tainted the family name. Soon, the frustrations of Francis’ father turned to hate and hostility, and Francis was no longer welcomed home. Despite all this, Francis continued on the path he vowed to follow.7
Despite the unfortunate circumstance with his father, Francis continued on his path of asceticism and growth of himself and others in Christ. The nature of his work ensured that Francis would travel to many areas, another lifestyle that he had grown accustomed to from his work as a merchant. Everywhere he went, he preached and began to accumulate followers. Pretty soon, Francis became a popular figurehead and was beloved by many, just as he had been as a boy. This time, however, it was by his work, not his wealth and social status, that he gained such immense popularity.
Francis saw that he had a large congregation of followers that loved his ways, so he decided to go to the Holy Father to establish a religious order after his teachings. He went with his most loyal followers and presented his request to Pope Innocent III. The order was denied at first, but after much convincing from Francis, Innocent III agreed and declared the order. Upon hearing this, Francis’ followers were overjoyed. Francis and his newly vowed religious brothers began to take on new assignments in order to guide others to Christ.8
Francis gave up everything in order to pursue his vocation in life. He abandoned the wealth and luxury that was readily available to him, and dedicated himself to a life that was so much more. Francis fought through the attitudes of his community and family alike, and stood by the life that he believed to be prosperous, going so far as to create an order that stands strong today. After his death, Francis was canonized on July 26, 1228, by Pope Gregory the IX. St. Francis is today one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic church and is often remembered for his many works and dedication to Christ and his people.9
- Paul Sabatier, The Road to Assisi (Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2003), 17-18. ↵
- Augustine Thompson, O.P., Francis of Assisi: A New Biography (New York: Cornell University Press, 2012), 8-9. ↵
- Paul Sabatier, The Road to Assisi (Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2003), 15-17. ↵
- Paul Sabatier, The Road to Assisi (Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2003), 19-20. ↵
- Augustine Thompson, O.P., Francis of Assisi: A New Biography (New York: Cornell University Press, 2012), 13. ↵
- Augustine Thompson, O.P., Francis of Assisi: A New Biography (New York: Cornell University Press, 2012), 14. ↵
- Paul Sabatier, The Road to Assisi (Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2003), 46-56. ↵
- Paul Sabatier, The Road to Assisi (Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2003), 64-67. ↵
- Paul Sabatier, The Road to Assisi (Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2003), 172. ↵
101 comments
Diego Terrazas
St. Francis was is an interesting figure in the Catholic religion. His story kind of reminds me of Buddha’s story where Buddha was basically a prisoner in his luxurious home but one day decided to experience the world and forget about materialistic things. I have always believed it is better to live on a rigorous path you chose rather than a comfortable predestined one.
Victoria Salazar
Wow, great article. I think it is admirable how Saint Francis left everything to live a life of faith. Now, I do not understand why he had to make a “vow to poverty.” Being a religious person, I am always being taught how we cannot get caught up in worldly possessions if we want to follow whichever being we follow. Although, I have always wondered why we can’t just use our wealth to help the less fortunate? He already came from money, so he could’ve donated it or had someone manage it for him.
Auroara-Juhl Nikkels
This article was really interesting to read. While I am not religious, I find religion to be fascinating, no matter what religion. Seeing the power that it holds over some people, like Saint Francis, is incredible. I think it’s important, especially in time like today, to remember that religion doesn’t only lead to things like the recent attacks in Sri Lanka, but that religion can also save people, like it did with Francis. Very good job!
Alicia Guzman
Transitioning from a life of riches to rags is not what society exactly deems the goal. It is interesting how not only St. Francis did this but how he decided that is this is how he wanted to live his life – a life of simplicity. This is an interesting article, especially since this is who Pope Francis chose his papal name after. Congratulations on being nominated!
Sharriah Martinez
Congrats on your nomination ! This was a great read. It was great and refreshing to read about the catholic faith, and Saint Francis. I remember a while back on a retreat I went on there were Franciscans and I did not know why they were dressed the way they were and about than at all really. In our catholic faith nowadays I feel like we are not taught about the saints the way we should be. I loved learning about the life of St. Francis, and i am appreciative for everything he did for us .
Hali Garcia
This is a very interesting article! I love learning about all the saints. Unfortunately, I do not know a lot about Saint Francis of Assisi and I am glad you wrote this article because now I know more about his background. What struck me was how he was a very good child when he was younger and then after he came back from the war, he was a bit of a wondering soul. This is a common characteristic for the people who would become saints. Sadly, most saints did face rejection because they wanted to rely on their faith.
Christopher Hohman
Nice article. I have heard of St. Francis of Assisi before and I am familiar with his story. It is remarkable that he gave up his life of luxury and wealth for a life of Holy Poverty. It is unfortunate that his parents did not support his decision, but I can understand why they would be upset with him for choosing a life that they did not see for him. He has become quite a famous saint and many people have prayed to him throughout the years.
Mariah Garcia
Saint Frances symbolizes the love for animals and nature that is why they have a day for the blessing of the animals. They used to have it at my elementary school because I went to a Catholic School so our parents used to bring our pets to be blessed. It is interesting to read how his family did not support him in his choices that h made throughout life. However, that didn’t stop him because he left his life of luxury to live among those in poverty.
Sydney Aleman
I have never read much of any saints, except when looking for a confirmation saint. It was really interesting to hear of the life he lived before his life in religion. It was sad to hear how his own parents didn’t really like the road he going down, when it wasn’t a bad road at all just one they didn’t like. I am glad for everything St. Francis has done and appreciate everything he did and for what he symbolized.
Sarah Uhlig
I really liked this article, especially how it addresses the Catholic faith and how it talks about saints, specifically Saint Francis. I learned a good amount more about this saint and enjoyed reading about his life through your article. I liked the images and what you had to say specifically that there was so much detail and imagery within your article. I felt that your deep research created an entertaining and enjoyable article.