St. Francis Of Assisi Research Paper

St. Francis of Assisi was one of the most famous of saints. So popular, the current pope, Pope Francis chose this as his catholic name – the patron saint of animals.
St. Francis was born in either 1181 or 1182 (no one is sure) but he died in 1226 at the age of 45. St. Francis born and died in the same city Assisi, Italy, which is near Rome. Born to the name of Giovanni (John) deBernardone, his father began calling him Francesco, which mean “the Frenchman”. No one knows why his father called him that.
St. Francis came from a well-off family of Silk merchants. He was a not very studious and he did not complete his education. He showed very little interest in the family business but was very well like among your nobles of Assisi.
Around the age of twenty Francis joined the townsmen to fight the Pergugians in a rival between cities. The Assassins were defeated and Francis was held captive for more than a year in Perugia.
While returning home, Francis was praying and heard a voice saying: “Go Francis, and repair by house, which as you see falling into ruin”.
He then sold his horse and stuff to get money for the renovation of St. Damian’s. But the priest who officiated there refused to receive the money that Francis had received from selling his items.
Francis father was outraged with him so Francis hid in a cave near St. Damian’s for a month. When he came out from hiding, he returned to the town weak and dirty. The townsman thought Francis had gone mad. Finally, he was dragged home by his father and locked in a dark
closet.
Freed by his mother while his father was gone, Francis returned to St. Damain’s where he found a place to stay with the officiating priest. He was soon summoned before the city consuls by his father.
They recovered the item he sold from St. Damian’s and force Francis to forfeit his inheritance.
Francis was very happy to forfeit his inheritance because he had entered the service of God. He was taken before the bishop and stripped himself of the clothes he wore and gave them to his father and declared himself to Christ.
Francis than dress himself with the clothes of the of peasants and used a knotted rope to hold the clothes. Francis was ordained a deacon not a priest.
His commitment to the poor and his sympathy attracted supporters. In 1209 Francis received permission from Pope Innocent II to form a new religious order known as the Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans).
Francis deep love of Christ burst into his love for animals. In 1224, Francis became the first saint in history to receive the stigmata (the wounds of Christ crucified).
On October 4, 1226, Francis died in the town of Assisi and quickly canonized by Pope Gregory IX.
Every year around October 4, Christian throughout the world celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with prayers for creation and blessing of animals.
While attending Sacred Heart Catholic School, this was one of the things I looked forward to year. The administration made this a special day for children and their pets. My parents would bring my dogs to this service. But the services were not limited to just dogs -- we had families bring their horses, pigs and goats. Everyone and everything was included.
I choose St. Francis because of my love for animals.

.