FRANCIS: THE BOY WHO DREAMED OF BECOMING A KNIGHT!
War, imprisonment and an encounter that initially frightened him. Meet the man behind the familiar saint of Assisi.
Looking back in his Testament, Francis doesn’t begin with little birds. He begins with people suffering from leprosy. Meeting them once seemed unbearable. Then he approached them, and his outlook changed. If you know him mainly for the animals, get ready to meet the man.
The merchant’s son changes direction
Francis was born in Assisi in late 1181 or early 1182. His father traded cloth, his family was wealthy and he dreamed of knighthood. War, imprisonment and illness disrupted that youth.
Religious biographies describe the next steps: the crucifix at San Damiano, the church to repair and the dramatic moment before the bishop when Francis returned his clothes to his father and renounced his inheritance. This radical choice developed through real encounters.
Then others joined him
In 1209 he presented his fraternity’s proposal to Innocent III. As the brothers multiplied, they needed guidance for work, prayer and community life. The Rule approved in November 1223 provided firm foundations. The Porziuncola became their heart; Clare followed the same Gospel path with a community of sisters. The Eucharist remained central to Francis’s faith.
Greccio: a Nativity you could step into!
In 1223 Francis arranged a manger, hay, an ox and a donkey. People came from nearby and the Eucharist was celebrated. There were no figurines: people lived the scene together.
The Canticle of the Creatures followed in 1225, when Francis had severe eye disease and was almost blind. Sun and water became part of a song of praise written amid suffering.
Franciscan tradition places his reception of the stigmata at La Verna in 1224, signs of his union with the crucified Christ. He died at the Porziuncola on the evening of 3 October 1226; his feast is 4 October.
In 2026, eight hundred years after his death, Leo XIV has linked the centenary with peace between people and with creation. Start with Francis’s Testament: before the celebrations, you’ll find that encounter with people on the margins.
