Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi is the founder of the Franciscan Order. He is the patron of Italy, ecologists, merchants, the poor, the lame, the blind, prisoners, shipwrecked persons, weavers, cloth merchants, tailors, social workers, environmental protectors; against plague and headaches.

The desire to become like Christ compels him to mortify his body, to pray, to continually relive the Lord's Passion and to recall the events of His life, to contemplate the mystery of His Incarnation. At Christmas in 1223 he adores Christ in the manger at Greccio, where he prepared a living Nativity scene, and thus laid the foundation of today's Christmas tradition. He also follows Jesus to Calvary, which for him became Mount Alverna. Two years before his death, Jesus bestowed upon him the stigmata – the marks of His Passion. At that time Francis had almost gone blind and was staying near the church of St. Damian. Here, in great suffering, he receives from God the assurance of his eternal salvation. Filled with joy, he composes the Canticle of "Brother Sun." The earthly life of St. Francis ended on October 3, 1226, at the Portiuncula, in the place that Francis especially loved. He dies surrounded by the brothers, blessing also those who are yet to enter the Order.