FRANCIS OF ASSISI, SAINT

born 1181/82, Assisi, duchy of Spoleto died October 3, 1226, Assisi Saint Francis of Assisi, detail of a fresco by Cimabue, late 13th century; in the lower church of Italian San Francesco d'Assisi, baptized Giovanni, renamed Francesco, original name Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone canonized July 16, 1228; feast day October 4; founder of the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor (Ordo Fratrum Minorum), the woman's Order of St. Clare (or Poor Clares), and the lay Third Order. He was also a leader of the movement of evangelical poverty in the early 13th century. His evangelical zeal, consecration to poverty, charity, and personal charisma drew thousands of followers. Francis's devotion to the human Jesus and his desire to follow Jesus' example reflected and reinforced important developments in medieval spirituality. The Poverello (Poor Little Man) is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history, and he and Catherine of Siena are the patron saints of Italy. In 1979 Pope John Paul II recognized him as the patron saint of ecology. Additional reading The writings of St. Francis Critical editions of the works of St. Francis are Caietanus Esser (Kajetan Esser), Opuscula Sancti Patris Francisci Assisiensis (1978); and Regis J. Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady (trans.), Francis and Clare: The Complete Works (1982). Early biographies Regis J. Armstrong, J.A. Wayne Hellmann, and William J. Short (eds.), Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, 2 vol. (1999 ), includes translations of works by Francis and of contemporary biographies of the saint. Thomas of Celano, St. Francis of Assisi: First and Second Life of St. Francis, with Selections from Treatise on the Miracles of Blessed Francis, trans. by Placid Hermann (1963; originally published in Latin, 1928), is a valuable collection of early lives of Francis. Modern biographies Among the older but still useful biographies are Johannes Jrgensen, Saint Francis of Assisi: A Biography, trans. by T. O'Conor Sloane (1912, reissued 1962; originally published in Danish, 1907); Omer Englebert, Saint Francis of Assisi: A Biography, 2nd ed., rev. and augmented (1965, reissued 1979; originally published in French, 1947); and, especially, G.K. Chesterton, St. Francis of Assisi (1923, reissued 1990), an engaging study. Leonardo Boff, Saint Francis: A Model for Human Liberation (1982, reissued 1989; originally published in Spanish, 1981), is a sympathetic portrait influenced by liberation theology; Julien Green, God's Fool: The Life and Times of Francis of Assisi (1985, reissued 1993; originally published in French, 1983), is a beautifully written life by a French novelist; and Raoul Manselli, St. Francis of Assisi (1988; originally published in Italian, 1980), is a good introduction by an important medieval historian. Studies Edward A. Armstrong, Saint Francis, Nature Mystic: The Derivation and Significance of the Nature Stories in the Franciscan Legend (1973, reissued 1976); and Roger D. Sorrell, St. Francis of Assisi and Nature: Tradition and Innovation in Western Christian Attitudes Toward the Environment (1988), are valuable studies of Francis's interest in the natural world. Regis J. Armstrong, St. Francis of Assisi: Writings for a Gospel Life (1994), provides translation of and commentary on the works of St. Francis; and William J. Short, Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition (1999), examines the influence of St. Francis and St. Clare on the spirituality of the Franciscan order. A useful introduction to the order founded by St. Francis is John Moorman, A History of the Franciscan Order from Its Origins to the Year 1517 (1968); and technical studies of Francis and his order are published in Greyfriars Review (quarterly). Lawrence Cunningham