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The Story of St. Francis of Assisi
| St. Francis was born in the town of Assisi, Italy around the year 1182, the son of Pietro Bernardone and Madonna Pica. He acquired the nickname "Francis" at an early age, because of his father's business dealings in France. Pietro Bernardone was a successful cloth merchant, and a member of the rising business class in medieval Italy, and he provided his family a quite comfortable life. He also had dreams of Francis continuing the family business and rising to prominence in the town. As such, he was only too happy to outfit Francis with the equipment needed to serve in the army and go off to war. |  |
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One day in 1205 he stopped to reflect and pray in the crumbling chapel of St. Damian, down the hill from Assisi. There, in a mystical experience, he heard Christ speak from the cross, and to give the direction, "Francis, repair my church, which as you see is falling into ruins." He took this charge literally, and began to rebuild the very structure in which he had prayed. Such behaviour brought his father's disapproval, and this became anger when Francis sold his father's cloth to raise funds for the needed repairs. Dragged before the bishop by his father, Francis declared that God alone was his father, and he entrusted himself to the bishop. |
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The strange behaviour of this favoured son of Assisi brought more than a few laughs and much ridicule. But it also attracted others from the town and the surrounding area who appreciated what this gallant young man was trying to accomplish. They joined him in repairing churches, and slowly came to realize that their service should extend to others who had special needs, like the lepers who were abandoned to fend for themselves. As the group grew in numbers, Francis was wise enough to know that many such groups had fallen away from the Church and become heretical in their teachings. And so, in 1210, he and his followers set out for Rome, to seek the approval of the Pope for the simple way of life they proposed to live. |
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Thus the way of life Francis proposed received verbal approval from the Pope in the year 1210. In the immediate years that followed there was phenomenal growth, with literally thousands of men and women joining this movement while Francis was still alive. Francis and his brothers would go out in small groups to preach penance, to wish those they met "Peace and all good," and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. After a period of time they would return to a designated spot to pray, to share their experiences, and to renew themselves in their way of life. |
A missionary effort was an early thrust, and Francis himself was able to preach before a Sultan of the East.This period also brought the first martyrs to the Order, as St. Berard and his companions died in Morocco, an inspiration that led Anthony of Padua to the Friars.
Early on Clare, a rich young woman from Assisi, also sought to live this way of life, and was welcomed by Francis. Clare and her sisters were given the restored Chapel of St. Damian as a place to pursue their contemplative life. This became the Second Order of St. Francis, also known as the Poor Clares. Finally, accepting that many women and men had responsibilities to families but would like to live aspects of the Franciscan life, Francis wrote another Rule of life for what is known as the Third Order or the Secular Franciscan Order. These ways of life also continue to the twenty-first century.
| Many aspects of Francis' life are well known. Francis wanted all to experience God's love in sending His Son into the world, and so he created what is said to be the first Christmas crib, at the town of Greccio in 1223, allowing that community to better picture the miracle of Bethlehem. In 1224, while praying on Mount La Verna, Francis received the marks of our Lord's Passion in his hands, feet and side, a miracle known as the Stigmata. And capturing his love for all of creation, in 1225 Francis completed the "Canticle of the Creatures" wherein he recognized God's goodness in "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon" and all of nature. |  |
Francis' earthly life came to an end on the evening of October 3, 1226. After much suffering, he asked to be laid on the bare earth outside the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels below the hill of Assisi. There he would commend his soul to his Heavenly Father.
Francis was declared a saint only two years later, in 1228, and in that same year work was begun on the permanent burial place in Assisi. In 1230 St. Francis' mortal remains were moved to the church that the world knows today as the Basilica of St. Francis. It remains one of the most popular places of pilgrimages in the world, and has been visited by many popes, including John Paul II.
A short history of early Franciscan Order
In 1209, St. Francis of Assisi received formal approval from Pope Innocent III for his new way of life. He entitled his community the "Friars Minor," a title literally meaning Lesser Brothers. St. Francis wanted his followers to imitate the humility of Christ and to minister to the least in society, to those of no account by the world's standards. But soon, Francis' pooling of religious men of such varied backgrounds, with so many talents and initiatives, led the community toward the broader response of transforming every level of society. The friars became preachers and educators, royal administrators of charity and advocates of social justice. They spread the faith far and wide as missionaries, and spilled their blood as martyrs. The friars' expanding influence ultimately obligated them to sacramentalize even the world of culture. As musicians they began to dispel the dullness of life, as architects they reached beyond the ordinary shapes and forms, and as scientists they explored the mysteries of the universe. After St. Francis' death, his movement was possessed of such a vitality, with so many opinions of how to live his form of Gospel life, that over time it could not be contained in one community. In 1517, the Order decided to divide into autonomous branches, each professing a valid perspective of their observance of his Rule. The "Conventual" followers of St. Francis chose to minister in the heart of the cities rather than in more remote hermitages. They chose to band together in concentrated communities, in large houses or friaries (conventus, from the Latin). From here they felt they could offer a more concentrated flow of ministry and live a life of regular observance of their Rule. (Written by Friar Joseph Wood OFM Conv.)
The Franciscans Friars in Canada
In Canada, Conventual Franciscan Friars are present in Southern Ontario at St. John's Church in Kingston, St. Bonaventure's Friary and Church in Don Mills and St. Raphael's Friary and Church in Burlington and the Conventual Franciscan Centre.
The Friars ministries include three parishes, healing ministry, pastoral counselling, adult faith development, parish social ministry, hospital chaplaincy, secondary school chaplaincy and teaching at the university level.
The Franciscan Friars come to Burlington
The friars came to Burlington in 1958 at the invitation of the Bishop Joseph F. Ryan, D.D.
6th Bishop of Hamilton. St. Raphael's parish community celebrated their first Masses at St. Raphael's School. We bought land adjacent to the school, then a farmer's field. By 1960 we began construction of the present church . . . evidence of these beginnings can be found on the first cornerstone on the north west corner of the church. From humble beginnings the parish grew and grew, eventually to be split into two when the diocese began St. Patrick's parish, just east of St. Raphael's. In 1992, we renovated the church significantly by turning the interior layout 180º.
The Friars and the Parish Community.
The church building gives evidence to a far more important element, the parish community itself. Many a young families came to live in the area, and blessed the parish life in a most generous way. The witness of the friars inspired many to faithful service to God, their neighbour and the growing community of Burlington. Associations including the Catholic Woman's League, the Knight of Columbus, Cursillio, youth groups and other faith-based groups, as well as choirs and altar servers added to the rich patina of community life.
Inspired by the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, the friars imbued their ministry to the faithful with Franciscan values and traditions of spontaneity, joy and fraternity. The Friars also offer the services in the diocese of Hamilton as high school teachers, chaplains and in hospital ministry.
The Friars and the Future
It is our continued desire to continue in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare, and to offer in a concerted way a deeper understanding of this rich heritage which began so long ago in Assisi, Italy.
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