Instead we have beautiful statues of St. Francis of Assisi.
 |
Go out to All the world The tiny chapel of St. Mary of the Angels on the plain below Assisi was a gift from the Benedictines to Francis. He rebuilt the chapel in 1210, claimed it as the womb of the Order, received Clare there and chose to die on the floor in 1226 It was from this holy place that Francis, as did Jesus, sent the friars out by two on mission to "announce to all peace and repentance for the forgiveness of sins." |
 |
He became a child with the Child For all his religious life, Francis was overwhelmed with the humility of God, who chose to be born into the poverty of Bethlehem as a tiny infant. In 1223 Francis gathered the village of Greccio into a mountain cave at midnight, Christmas Eve. They acted out the story of the birth of Christ, with Francis singing from the Gospel of Luke. Thus it was Francis of Assisi who began the tradition of the Christmas creche. |
 |
My God and my All This panel is a theological statement in artistic form. From the moment of his experience before the crucifix at San Damiano in 1205 until his death in 1226, Francis was in complete awe of the humility of Christ in accepting death on a cross, the Little Poor One clung to this image of Jesus throughout his life. The obedient, suffering Servant is what Francis emulated and became in reality. |
 |
The Gospel is for All people Pictured here are St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) and St. Louis IX, King of France (1214-1270). They are the patron saints of the Secular Franciscan Order. Both were royalty who were pious in prayer, devoted to their spouses and families and renowned for their charitable lives. Through born into wealth and power, they renounced worldly gain as members of the Franciscan movement and lived extraordinary lives as servants of the Most High King. |
 |
And God gave me Brothers Francis wanted to be part of the Church and went to Rome in 1209 for papal recognition and permission for his new fraternity. After an initial rejection. Innocent III had a dream of a brown-robed beggar supporting the crumbling walls of the Lateran. Papal guards hunted him down the next day. Innocent saw the grace of God working in Francis and gave his approval. The Franciscan movement was born. |
 |
O Sublime Humility Francis had a great love for the Eucharist as the center of communal life. In his Letter to the Entire Order of 1224 he wrote: "O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the form of bread! Look at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before him." |
 |
Peace and All Good Francis had burned with the fire of a missionary for years, desiring to die a martyr's death for his Lord. In 1219 he departed from Ancona, Italy on a journey to the Holy Land. His visit with the Sultan, Al-Kamil, is well documented as a mission of peace and mutual self-respect between the two men. Francis dared to walk through fire for the faith. The Sultan was impressed and let the friars leave in peace. Franciscans to this day care for the holy places in the Land of the New Testament. |
 |
I have but one Father - in Heaven After a number of years of painful conversion, Francis made a formal break with his family in 1206. Before the Bishop of Assisi, his father, Pietro Bernadone, and many townspeople, Francis divested himself of everything. He stood naked before all of them and exclaimed: "Until now I called you my father but from now on I can say without reserve, 'Our Father who art in heaven.'" Freed of all encumbrances, Francis began his life of penance. |
 |
I, Clare, a little plant of Francis This is what St. Clare calls herself in chapter one of the Rule for the Ladies of San Damiano - the first rule for women religious written by a woman in the history of the Church. On Palm Sunday, 1212, Clare left her noble family and embraced God's call to this new penitential movement. Francis and the friars cut her luxurious blonde hair as a sign of her dedication to God. Clare began the Second Order, the Poor Clares; there are over 18,000 in the world today. |
 |
To know Your pain September 17, 1224, Mount La Verna. His prayer: "My Lord, two things I ask of you - to feel in my body and soul your Passion, and to feel in my heart that great love with which you were inflamed in enduring such suffering for us sinners." In the heights of mystical prayer Francis was emblazoned with the wounds of Christ. He became a mirror of the Crucified. The Stigmata. |
|
|
|