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Our Heavenly Patron, Saint Francis of Assisi

Franc is  was born between December 1181 and September 1182 from Petre  de  Bernardone, a rich cloth merchant and lady pica bourlemont a noble who called him Giovanni (john).According to the legend, giovanini(Francis) had been convienced while his middle aged parents were on a journey to the holy land. When Francis born his father was in France for business so, when he came back, he changed his sons name to Francesco(Francis), the name with which he has been, and is, generally and commonly known.

The young Francis studied latin and vernacular, music and poetry. His father taught him French and provincial. Of course, peter Bernardone wanted to start his son off on a merchant’s career. It is said that one day Francis was working in his father shop when a beggar appeared at the door. At first francis chased him away but then, having repented, he followed the beggar to apologize and to offer him big alms.

It was November 1202. Francis 20 and was in a journey to take part In the war between Assisi and Perugia.  The two armies clashed halfway, Perugia defeated Assisi  and among   those taken prisoners there was also Francis.

His captivity, more than one year long, was not mild. Francis came home ill and only loving care of his mother and time helped him to get better. Driven by his spirit, francis once arrived to Spoleto and had a vision of god who said him to serve the master (god). Francis came to assisi in 1205 and gave up forever with the military career and his friends were stunned. Francis went to rome in 1206, he threw all his money in the alms box, exchanged his clothes for those a beggar and started to beg in front of san pietro’s.

Another day, when Francis was in the plains near Assisi he met a leper. Francis was able to overcome his revulsion and his instinct of self preservation which would have made him runs away, so he came up to the leper and kissed him with love, and then continued on his way.

Not long afterwards, he turned back and realized that the leper was disappeared. That leper was jesus Christ , who had come on the earth  receive  a kiss from his servant.

His friends gradually shut francis out since they couldn’t understand what was happening to him. His father was distressed because he had his expectations for his eldest son failed.

The little church of san amiano the crucifix of this little chapel started talking to him saying three times ; ‘Francis , go and repair my house, which you see is falling down. “Francis come back to his father’s shop, laded a horse with cloth and went to foligno to sell it. But since he thought he had made too little on that sale, he sold also his horse! Francis wanted to give his priest that money but the priest didn’t want it since he knew who Francis was, or better, he knew who Francis father was.

Francis   insisted  and ended  up by throwing that money inside the church…suddenly his father arrived, he was furious. Francis desired to break off with this world and to lead a life full of ecstasy  and spirituality.

Francis went on behaving more and more strangely, up to when he start walking around Assisi dressed in rags and very dirty. Convinced that his son was  mad, he took Francis home and locked him  up in a room which today is called ‘’St. Francis’ cell’. As he used,  pietro  bernardo left again to trade so he entrusted Francis to his mothers care…who freed him!

Only the history tells us the conclusion:  pietro  bernardo  came back from his travels, discovered  that  Francis was free, started to look for him and decided to  disinherited  him. Francis in turn renounced publicly this father’s wealth. St Francis started to serve god in that day of, even if he had been ordained neither priest nor friar yet! He lived just like Christ and came to be called as the second Christ and died in the dusk of October 3rd, 1226. Two years later, on july 16th, pope Gregory IX  declared him saint.

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