Who is Saint Francis of Assisi?
Francis lived more than 800 years ago in Assisi, Italy. His father owned a store. He was a rich man. As a child, Francis had everything he wanted.
But as he grew up, Francis saw that everyone in Assisi didn't have as good a life as he did. Some people had no place to live. Others were sick. When he was out with his friends, people begged him for money or food.
Francis began to see that God wanted him to live like a beggar, too. So he gave away everything that he owned. He started living on the street.
Francis' father and mother were not happy about this at all! They wanted Francis to get married. They wanted him to work in his father's store. But Francis wanted to be very close to God. He wanted to live like Jesus, with no money and without the things that money could buy. He knew that living this way would help him learn to trust God completely. He believed that trusting in God would make him really, really happy. And guess what? It did!
Francis traveled all over Italy. He told people about how living simply and trusting God could make you happy. Over time, he found other men who wanted to live this way. Together, they became "The Order of Friars Minor." Today men and women still belong to this group. They call themselves "Franciscans."
Francis was named a "saint" in the church in 1228. We celebrate his life and remember his story each year in early October.
Why do we bless animals on St. Francis Day?
Saint Francis of Assisi loved every single bit of the world God created. He believed that every single thing was part of God's family. The people he met, animals of all shapes and sizes, the sun and moon, the wind and rain – even fire and ice – were all his "brothers" and "sisters."
When Francis spoke, everyone listened – including his animal friends! He would sit quietly with them and tell them stories about God's love for them and why each of them was special to God.
So in honor of this blessed saint of the Church who showed how people and animals can live together peacefully, we include our animal friends to church on Sunday. We give God thanks for the friendship of our pets. And we give thanks for all of God's creatures and the circle of life that keep us connected to each other. We celebrate that God's love comes to us in all sorts of relationships – even the ones we have with animals!
Questions to think and pray about:
- I wonder what part of Francis' story you like the best.
- I wonder if you have a special animal friend. I wonder if your friend has a name.
- I wonder what you like best about being outdoors.
- I wonder if you ever feel close to God when you are outside.