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~*`+`*~'ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI'~*`+`*~
~*`+`*~'ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI'~*`+`*~
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
`about the friar and patron saint.
Saint Francis of Assisi, O.F.M.
Patron Saint Name of Catholic Pope Francis:
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Francis of Assisi
(born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone;
1181 – October 3, 1226)
was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher.
He founded the men's Franciscan Order,
the women's Order of St. Clare,
and the Third Order of Saint Francis for
men and women not living monastic lives.
Though he was never ordained
to the Catholic priesthood,
Francis is one of the most venerated
religious figures in history.
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Francis was the son of a wealthy foreign
cloth merchant in Assisi,
and he lived the high-spirited life typical
of a wealthy young man,
even fighting as a soldier for Assisi.
While going off to war in 1204,
Francis had a vision that directed him
back to Assisi, where he lost his taste
for his worldly life.
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On a pilgrimage to Rome, he joined the poor
in begging at St. Peter's Basilica.
The experience moved him to live in poverty.
Francis returned home,
began preaching on the streets,
and soon amassed a following.
His Order was authorized by Pope Innocent III in 1210.
He then founded the Order of Poor Clares,
which became an enclosed religious order for women,
as well as the Order of Brothers and Sisters of
Penance (commonly called the Third Order).
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In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to
convert the Sultan to put an end
to the conflict of the Crusades.
By this point, the Franciscan Order
had grown to such an extent that its primitive
organizational structure was no longer sufficient.
He returned to Italy to organize the Order.
Once his community was authorized by the Pope,
he withdrew increasingly from external affairs.
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In 1223, Francis arranged for the first
Christmas manger scene.
In 1224, he received the stigmata,
making him the first recorded person to bear
the wounds of Christ's Passion.
He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226,
while listening to a reading he had requested
of Psalm 141.
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On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by
Pope Gregory IX.
He is known as the patron saint of animals,
the environment, and is one of the two patron saints
of Italy (with Catherine of Siena).
It is customary for Catholic and Anglican
churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals
on his feast day of October 4.
He is also known for his love of the Eucharist,
his sorrow during the Stations of the Cross,and for
the creation of the Christmas creche or Nativity Scene...
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St. Francis and the Christmas Creche
BY FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS
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The story of the origin of the Christmas creche
rests with the very holy man, St. Francis of Assisi.
In the year 1223, St. Francis, a deacon,
was visiting the town of Grecio to celebrate Christmas.
Grecio was a small town built on a mountainside
overlooking a beautiful valley.
The people had cultivated the fertile area with vineyards.
St. Francis realized that the chapel of the
Franciscan hermitage would be too small to hold the
congregation for Midnight Mass.
So he found a niche in the rock near the town square
and set up the altar.
However, this Midnight Mass would be very special,
unlike any other Midnight Mass.
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Francis of Assisi...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
life statics of the friar and patron saint.
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Saint Francis of Assisi, O.F.M.
Born...
1181? – 1182?
Assisi, Umbria, Papal States
Died...
October 3, 1226 (aged 43–45)
Assisi, Umbria, Papal States
Honored in...
Roman Catholic Church
Anglican Communion
Lutheran Church
Old Catholic Church
New Age Ecologists
Canonized...
July 16, 1228, Assisi, Italy
by Pope Gregory IX
Major shrine...
Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Feast...
October 4
Attributes...
Tau cross, Dove, birds, animals,
wolf at feet, Pax et Bonum,
Poor Franciscan habit, Stigmata
Patronage...
animals; the environment; Italy; merchants;
stowaways;[1] cub scouts; San Francisco, California.
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