OFM Franciscans - India

Life Of St. Francis

Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis.St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.

Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life.On a pilgrimage to Rome, he begged with the beggars at St. Peter's. The experience moved him to live in poverty.Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon amassed a following. His order was endorsed by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then founded the Order of Poor Clares, which was an enclosed order for women, as well as the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan. By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the order. Once his organization was endorsed by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene.In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died in 1226 while preaching Psalm 141.

On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and one of the two patrons of Italy (with Catherine of Siena), and it is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October.

Early life

Francis of Assisi was one of seven children born to Pietro di Bernardone, a rich cloth merchant, and his wife Pica, about whom little is known except that she was originally from France.Pietro was in France on business when Francis was born, and Pica had him baptised as Giovanni di Bernardone in honor of Saint Albert Renner, in the hope he would grow to be a religious leader. When his father returned to Assisi, he took to calling him Francesco ("the Frenchman"), possibly in honor of his commercial success and enthusiasm for all things French. According to another account, it was due to the boy being able to speak and sing in French fluently and effortlessly because of his French mother teaching him. Either way, the name Francesco soon replaced his baptismal name.

As a youth, Francesco—or Francis in English—became a devotee of troubadours and was fascinated with all things French. Although many hagiographers remark about his bright clothing, rich friends, and love of pleasures, his displays of disillusionment toward the world that surrounded him came fairly early in his life, as is shown in the "story of the beggar." In this account, he was selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace on behalf of his father when a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the conclusion of his business deal, Francis abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends quickly chided and mocked him for his act of charity. When he got home, his father scolded him in rage.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

ST. FRANCIS

ST. FRANCIS

FRIARS' BIRTHDAY (April)

Date

Name of the Friars

Events

Year

01

Gabriel Mathias

Carlos Dias

Birth

Ordination

1950

1989

03

+ Sylvester McGoldrick

Home

1992

04

Vineet Kerketta

Birth

1995

05

+ Achilles Meersman

Salim Joseph

Nicolas Marak

Home Ordination

Birth

1982

1994

1994

07

Rajasekhar Reddy Gopu

Punitha Anthoniar Illam

Birth

Foundation

1985

1992

08

John Chrysostom

Birth

1965

09

+ Prasad Cheely

Ordination

1998

10

Jugal Kishore Lakra

Ordination

2005

11

Paul Kallan

Ordination

1996

12

+ Liguory Mimpen

Home

2016

13

Francis Agnelo Rozario

Ordination

1997

14

Matthew Kootumkal

Cajetan S. Lourenco

Shalom Friary, Hyderabad

Cajetan S. Lourenco

+ John Peter

Bhaskar Reddy

Birth

Birth

Foundation

Ordination

Home

Ordination

1963

1965

1975

1996

2005

2005

15

Ignatius Baa

Joseph Raj M.

Ordination

Ordination

2005

2007

16

Richard D’Silva

Shanborlang Wartde

Francis Kaviyil

Babu Jose Pamplany

Birth

Birth

Ordination

Ordination

1933

1989

1994

1994

17

Peter Saleth Nathan J.

Ushar Kachhua

Joy (George) Sebastian

Jacob Tani

Birth

Birth

Ordination

Birth

1978

1992

2010

1993

18

St.Francis Friary, Kochi

Prasad Papabathuni

Joy K.D.

Erection

Ordination

Ordination

1951

1998

1998

19

Parish at Chippilithode

Vilas Baptist Correia

Prashanth Wilson Fernandes

Erection

Ordination

Ordination

1997

2008

2012

20

Johnson M.V.

Tojy M.

Regi Matthew

Ajit Kumar Dung Dung

Tony Marshall

Nelson Toppo

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

Birth

1999

2004

2006

2008

2009

1992

21

Abraham Vadana

Davis Kallookaran

Alphonse Moras

Gerald Lobo

Simon Pinto

Paul K.L.

+ Angelo James Anthony

New Church at Salbari

Entry

Entry

Entry

Entry

Entry

Entry

Home

Blessing

1972

1972

1972

1972

1972

1972

2002

2013

22

+ Owen McLaughlin

Home

1974

23

Anthony Roobandass A.

Singarayar A.

Tom John

Thomas A.

Birth

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

1978

1997

2002

2003

24

Johnny Anthony

Benjamin Jojo

John Sekar

Birth

Ordination

Ordination

1961

2005

2010

25

Pratap Reddy Salibindla

Thomas Joseph

Johnny Anthony

Sandesh Manuel

Varghese Lakra

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

1991

1992

1992

2009

2010

26

Thaddeus Baxla

Pradeep Kalliath

Birth

Ordination

1968

2007

27

+ Paul Fernandes

Home

2004

29

Arok Sundar Sebastian

Dharma L. Bernard

Arun Prakash

Lourdu Augustine

Balaswamy Gundiga

Peter Saleth Nathan J.

Vijay Minj

Entry

Entry

Birth

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

Ordination

1973

1973

1974

2006

2008

2012

2012

30

Parish at Nanasera

Anthony Alex Martis

Vijay Amirtharaj A.

Nesavanam,Chennai

New Church at Reddypalem

Erection

Ordination

Ordination

Blessing

Blessing

1995

2008

2008

2008

2013