St. Francis of Assisi
Jesus asked him to repair His house, so Francis went and found stones.
Francis was a rich merchant's son in Assisi, with the best clothes and the best parties in town. Then God started asking things of him, and Francis had a habit nobody expected: he did exactly what he was told.
Praying in a falling-down church called San Damiano, he heard Jesus say repair my house. So he begged stones one at a time and rebuilt the walls himself. Later he heard the Gospel where Jesus sends his friends out with no money, no extra coat, and no shoes. He took off his shoes that same day.
By then he had given back everything his father ever gave him. He owned nothing for the rest of his life, and by every account he was happier than he had ever been. He greeted everyone he met the same way: The Lord give you peace.
St. Francis of Assisi facts for kids
- He founded the Franciscans, still one of the largest orders in the Church
- He built the first Nativity scene, at Greccio in 1223, with a real ox and donkey
- He's a patron saint of Italy, alongside St. Catherine of Siena
- He never became a priest. He was a deacon and chose to stay one.
Feast day: October 4 · Patron of Italy and the care of creation
St. Francis, help me remember that God is enough.
The longer story
We wrote a whole post about St. Francis, with more of the story than fits on one page.
St. Francis of Assisi: The Rich Kid Who Gave Everything Away