2 The beginning of the Brotherhood

At the end of this period (according to Jordanus , in 1209), a sermon which he heard on the Gospel of Matthew 10:9, where Christ tells his followers that they should go forth and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is upon them, and that they should take no money with them, that they should take no walking stick for the road, and that they should wear no shoes -- made such an impression on him that he decided to devote himself wholly to a life of apostolic poverty.

Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Evangelical precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance. He was soon joined by a prominent fellow townsman, Bernardo di Quintavalle , who contributed all that he had to the work, and by other companions, who are said to have reached the number of eleven within a year, whom he called the "fratres minores", in Latin, "the little brothers". The Franciscans are sometimes called Friars, and this is a term derived from "fratres", or "brothers" in Latin.

The brothers lived in the deserted lazar house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spent much of their time traveling through the mountainous districts of Umbria, always cheerful and full of songs, yet making a deep impression on their hearers by their earnest exhortations.

Their life was extremely ascetic, though such practises were apparently not prescribed by the first rule which Francis gave them (probably as early as 1209), which seems to have been nothing more than a collection of Scriptural passages emphasizing the duty of poverty.

In 1209 Francis led his followers to Rome and asked the Pope's permission to found a new religious order. In spite of the obvious similarity between Francis' principles and the fundamental ideas of the followers of Peter Waldo whose similar request had previously been rejected by the Pope, the brotherhood of Assisi succeeded in gaining the approval of Pope Innocent III. The reason for this unlikely approval is because after the Pope's rejection of Waldo, his group had paradoxically become more popular than ever. Realizing this, the Pope wished to avoid repeating that mistake in an attempt to fight heresy, which had become an increasing problem for the Church. Therefore, the Pope believed he could prevent the spread of the Franciscans, or at least control it, by granting them official recognition.

Many legends have clustered around the decisive audience of Francis with the Pope. The account in Matthew of Paris, according to which the Pope originally sent the shabby saint off to keep swine, and only recognized his real worth by his ready obedience, has, in spite of its improbability, a certain historical interest, since it shows the natural antipathy of the older Benedictine monasticism to the plebeian mendicant orders.

3 Work and extension of the Brotherhood

It was not, however, a life of idle mendicancy into which the brothers entered when they set out in 1210 with the papal approbation, but one of diligent labor. Their work embraced devoted service in the abodes of sickness and poverty, earnest preaching by both priests and lay brothers, and missions in an ever widening circle, which finally included heretics and muslims.

They came together every year at Pentecost in the little church of the Portiuncula at Assisi, to report on their experiences and strengthen themselves for fresh efforts.

There is considerable uncertainty as to the chronological and historical details of the last fifteen years of the founder's life.

But to these years belong the accounts of the origin of the first houses in Perugia, Cortona, Pisa, Florence, and elsewhere ( 1211- 1213); the first attempts at a Muslim mission, in the sending of five brothers, soon to be martyrs, to Morocco, as well as in a journey undertaken by Francis himself to Spain, from which he was forced by illness to return without accomplishing his objective; the first settlements in the Spanish peninsula and in France; and the attempts, unsuccessful at first, to gain a foothold in Germany. The alleged meeting of Francis and St. Dominic in Rome at the time of the Fourth Council of the Lateran ( 1215) belongs to the domain of legend; even Sabatier's argument to show that such a meeting actually took place in 1218 is open to serious objection.

Historical in the main are the accounts relating to the journey of Francis to Egypt and Palestine, during the Fifth Crusade, where he attempted to convert the Sultan Al-Kamil and gave fearless proofs of his readiness to suffer for his faith; the internal discord, which he found existing in the order on his return to Italy in 1220; the origin of his second and considerably enlarged rule, which was replaced two years later by the final form, drawn up by Cardinal Ugolino ; and possibly the granting by Pope Honorius III (in 1223) of the Indulgence of the Portiuncula - a document which Sabatier, who formerly rejected it, later pronounced authentic.

4 The last years

Francis had to suffer from the dissensions just alluded to and the transformation which they produced in the originally simple constitution of the brotherhood, making it a regular order under strict supervision from Rome.

Especially after Cardinal Ugolino had been assigned as protector of the order by Honorius III - it is said, at Francis' own request - he saw himself forced further and further away from his original plan. Even the independent direction of his brotherhood was, it seems, finally withdrawn from him; at least after about 1223 it was practically in the hands of Brother Elias of Crotona, an ambitious politician who seconded the attempts of the cardinal-protector to transform the character of the order.

However, in the external successes of the brothers, as they were reported at the yearly general chapters, there was much to encourage Francis. Caesarius of Speyer , the first German provincial, a zealous advocate of the founder's strict principle of poverty, began in 1221 from Augsburg, with twenty-five companions, to win for the order some lands watered by the Rhine and the Danube; and a few years later the Franciscan propaganda, starting from Cambridge, embraced the principal towns of England.

But none of these cheering reports could wholly drive away from the mind of Francis the gloom which covered his last years.

He spent much of his time in solitude, praying or singing praise to God for his wonderful works. The canticle known as Laudes creaturarum, with its childlike invocations to Brother Sun, Sister Moon with the stars, Brother Wind, Sister Water, Brother Fire, and finally Sister Death, to raise their voices to the glory of God (influenced by The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children), dates from this period of his life.

The hermit stage which opened the career of many monastic founders was reserved for the end of his, who had once been so restless in his activity.

He spent the short remainder of his life partly on Monte Alverno on the upper Arno, where he fasted forty days and longed for union with God, to be demonstrated by the impression on his body of the wounds of Christ (see Stigmata); partly at Rieti under medical treatment; and partly in his beloved Portiuncula at Assisi waiting for his deliverance from the flesh. It is believed by some historians that his last days drew huge crowds of people wanting to bask in his presence, as well as those who awaited his death for the dividing up of his body for the purpose of relics.

He died October 3, 1226, at Assisi, and was canonized two years later by Pope Gregory IX, the former cardinal-protector of the order.

5 As patron saint of the environment

Legend has it that St. Francis preached to the birds and other creatures as well as to humans. He is known today as the patron saint of animals and the environment. His image is often placed in gardens in respect for his interest in all things natural. His feast day is October 4.

6 Related articles

• Prayer of Saint Francis, Prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.

7 References

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about .

• Parts of the text are originally from the Schaff-Herzog Encyc of Religion

Francis of Asisi Francis of Asisi Franciscans Medieval philosophers Saints Stigmatics

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