St. Francis of Assisi

Francis di Bernadone was born in the Italian city of Assisi in 1182 to a merchant family. After a carefree youth, he renounced his father’s wealth in response to God’s call to follow him in a new form of religious life. His desire was to live the Gospel lifestyle of our Lord and the apostles, and so embraces a life of evangelical poverty and itinerant preaching. He established a rule for his growing band of disciples, called the Friars Minor or “little brothers,” while was approved by Pope Innocent III. He went on to found an order of cloistered nuns, known as the Poor Clares, and the “third order” of laypersons who practiced penance while living in the secular world. St. Francis died in 1226. Biography by Dr. Italy