The Enduring Legacy of St. Francis

Eight centuries after his death, St. Francis remains one of the most influential figures in Christian history.

The twilight of the Poverello at 800

Eight centuries after his death, St. Francis of Assisi remains one of the most influential figures in Christian history. Known for his deep connection with nature, his commitment to poverty and his profound spirituality, the example of the Poverello, the poor one as St. Francis was often known, continues to inspire people across the world, transcending religious and cultural boundaries. In these challenging times, his vision of simplicity, compassion and care for creation resonates more powerfully than ever. In this issue of Sandal Prints, we examine the life and enduring legacy of St. Francis and his influence on not only the Catholic Church but also modern movements for ecological sustainability, social justice and interfaith dialogue.

The 2020s mark the eighth centenary of the events that took place near the end of St. Francis of Assisi’s earthly ministry. St. Francis was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone to a wealthy merchant family in Assisi in 1181 and died on October 4, 1226 at the Portiuncula in Assisi. Between 1223 and his death, there were works of God made manifest through His servant Francis that have had a lasting impact on Christianity and the world. The Franciscan Centenary marks the 800th anniversary of a keystone event in every year from 2023-2026.

Christmas at Greccio in 1223

On Christmas Eve 1223, St. Francis popularized the Christmas Nativity scene in the town of Greccio, about a day’s journey from his hometown of Assisi.

“(St. Francis) had a crib prepared, with hay and an ox and an ass. The friars were all invited and the people came in crowds. The forest re-echoed with their voices and the night was lit up with a multitude of bright lights, while the beautiful music of God’s praises added to the solemnity.”

St. Bonaventure, Major Life of St. Francis, X 7

The Nativity scene at Greccio helped make the incarnation “real” to the townsfolk of Greccio and has become a popular form of devotion to the Incarnation around Christmastime, with Nativity scenes being commonplace around the world.

For the 800th anniversary of this early nativity scene in 2023, Pope Francis granted a plenary indulgence for those who visited and prayed before a nativity scene at any Franciscan church or chapel between the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the Presentation.

Here in the Province of St. Joseph, we marked the Greccio centenary in a variety of ways. In Milwaukee, we inaugurated a new celebration on December 10, 2023 during the Advent season titled “Capuchin Christmas.” The event is in the tradition of Lessons and Carols, with scripture readings and Christmas carols from a variety of traditions including English, Vietnamese and Spanish. A similar celebration, “Carols with the Capuchins” took place a few days later at St. Bonaventure Monastery Chapel in Detroit. Both the Milwaukee and Detroit events are returning in 2024. Capuchin Christmas will take place on Sunday, December 8, 2024 and Carols with the Capuchins will take place on Saturday, December 21, 2024.

The Sacred Stigmata in 1224

This year marks the anniversary of a great mystery: the Sacred Stigmata. For the first time in recorded history, a living person miraculously received the wounds of Christ. In 1224 just two years before his death, an ailing St. Francis retreated to Mount La Verna in Tuscany, a place he had previously visited many times, to retreat, meditate and pray. While there, an angelic vision of a Seraph in the form of Christ Crucified appeared to him and he was marked with wounds on his hands, feet and on his side, mirroring the wounds of the Crucified Lord. The earliest account of the Sacred Stigmata appears in the biography of St. Francis written just two years following his death by Thomas of Celano.

“(Francis) saw in the vision of God a man, having six wings like a Seraph, standing over him, arms extended and feet joined, affixed to a cross. Two of his wings were raised up, two were stretched out over his head as if for flight, and two covered his whole body. When the blessed servant of the most High saw these things, he was filled with the greatest awe, but could not decide what this vision meant for him… Signs of the nails began to appear on (Francis’) hands and feet, just as he had seen them a little while earlier on the crucified man hovering over him.”

The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, 94

The Sacred Stigmata has been the subject of numerous paintings and other artistic depictions of the event. Giotto’s The Stigmatization of St. Francis, currently at the Louvre in Paris, is among the earliest examples, dating between 1295-1300. A nearly contemporary example is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy by the Master of the Cross that dates to between 1240-1250. Much more recently, our Capuchin Retreat Center in Washington, Michigan unveiled a new bronze sculpture by artist Mary Dudek to mark the 800th anniversary of the Sacred Stigmata.

“For we believe that Christ wished to show how he loved Francis in a special way, or how perfectly Francis followed Christ’s ways to sanctity or how deeply was the image of Christ’s passion imprinted on his heart by the pen of Christ’s love.”

A Life of St. Francis by an Anonymous Monk of a German Monastery, 81

Canticle of the Creatures in 1225

As Francis grew infirm and aware that the end of his earthly life was approaching, he composed his landmark Canticle of the Creatures. In it, he beautifully expresses his spirituality, his great love and belief in the integrity of all creation, as well as his profound sense of gratitude to God as creator of all that is good. Moreover, the Canticle, written in vernacular Umbrian, represents a rare early written example of the Italian language as spoken in the high Middle Ages. Some scholars view the composition of this prayer as the starting point of the history of Italian literature. Dante and Boccaccio were still decades from coming into their own.
Scholar Leo Spitzer describes the Canticle this way:

A one-man concert is Saint Francis' famous canticle… This minstrel of God, feeling that one human being alone would not be worthy of praising the Lord, brings into his poem all creatures which may testify with him to the greatness of the Creator: "Messer lu frate Sole" (the Lord my brother Sun), my brother the wind, my sister the water, my sister the earth–and my sister Death.

According to legend, the last stanza was added by Saint Francis on the day of his death. The Saint does not mention his brother the bird, but we remember the painting of Giotto in which Francis is depicted as preaching to the birds.

Spitzer, L. (1949). Explication de Texte Applied to Walt Whitman’s Poem “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking.” ELH, 16(3), 229–249. https://doi.org/10.2307/2871732

The Death of Francis in 1226

“Many brothers gathered there, for whom he was both father and leader. They stood there reverently, all awaiting his blessed departure and happy end. And then that most holy soul was released from the flesh and as it was absorbed into the abyss of light, his body fell asleep in the Lord.”

The Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano, 110

St. Francis' earthly ministry came to a conclusion when he embraced sister bodily death at just 44 years of age on October 4, 1226. His cause for canonization began almost immediately and he was declared a saint by Pope Gregory IX in July 1228. Thomas of Celano’s hagiography served in part as the positio, or official biography making the case for sainthood.

Learn more about the Franciscan Centenary by visiting https://centenarifrancescani.org.