St. Francis of Assisi September 18, 2011

Alex and I met Sue and Des in Assisi for Sunday Mass.  It is quite a profound place.  We had a mass said for Dad the following day.  There is an upper and lower church, the upper church walls are a fresco that represents the story of St. Francis' life. The lower church is the tomb of St. Francis. 
               
Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi and he lived the priviledged life of a wealthy young man, he also fought as a soldier in Assisi. While at war in 1204 he had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life.  On a pilgrimage to Rome, Francis begged with the beggars at St. Peter's.  The experience moved him to live in poverty. Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon amassed a following. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died in 1226 while singing Psalm 141.

On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory 1X. He is known as the patron saint of animals, and the environment and one of the two patrons of Italy (with Catherine of Siena), and it is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October.


We are standing in front of the Upper Church Entrance