Saint Francis of Assisi

I'm not sure whether I'll get the chance to post tomorrow, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to mention tomorrow's feast day.

October 4, is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, beloved garden-statue-saint, animal lover and lover of the environment. Saint Francis is the patron saint of the Franciscan order, ecologists, environmentalists, animal welfare societies and animals as well as lesser known things such as lace makers and such causes as against dying alone.

He wrote many prayers including the Canticle of Brother Sun, Prayer for Animals and the famous Prayer of Saint Francis also known by its first line, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

One lesser known fact about Saint Francis is that he was the first known Christian to receive the stigmata, or the wounds of Christ, in his hands, feet and side. This phenomenon was also shared by Saint Rita of Cassia, Rose of Lima, Gemma Galgani and Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Another lesser known fact is that Saint Francis was the inventor of the much used Christmas creche, or manger scene, as it is used today. During Christmas Eve of 1223 in Greccio, Italy Saint Francis re-enacted the first Christmas complete with live animals in a cave. The scene awaited the faithful who came to hear Francis preach at the Christmas Eve Mass.

The famous San Daminano cross (pictured above) is the crucifix that spoke to Francis telling him to "rebuild My Church." Francis took this directive literally at first, collecting stones to rebuild the crumbling church building at San Damiano. Eventually, Francis realized that God was asking him to rebuild his Church in a more spiritual sense. Thus, Saint Francis is a saint we can turn to for help when we become discouraged about the current state of the Church.

The Franciscan Order numbers 1.2 million people today, in the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox traditions.