St. Francis of Assisi

• Birthname: Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone

• Son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi

• Was an ordained Deacon who bore the stigmata

• Petitioned Pope Honorius and was granted the first plenary indulgence in the Church!

• "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words"

• Founder of the Order of the Friars Minor

• Co-founder of the Poor Clares

• Founder of the Third Order the Brothers and Sisters of Penance

• Created the first living Nativity (Christmas creche) 1223 in the town of Greccio

• Died while singing Psalm 141

• Feast Day: October 4

Webcam of the Tomb of St. Francis
(six hours ahead of EST)

In preparation for the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, Brother Francis and Brother Leo went to Mt. La Verna and fasted for forty days. Francis then had a vision of a six-winged seraph angel on September 14, 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and as a result he received the gift of the five wounds of Christ or the stigmata.

Saint Anthony Chapel has sacred relics of St. Francis

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