St. Francis

How did I miss the Feast of St. Francis? I figured it was October 5th when in fact it is October 4th. So far I haven't received any indignant emails.

St. Francis lived in the 12th century and was a wonderful, nutty, mystic whose radical simplicity struck a chord in his time. He quickly had a large following of men which became the Franciscan Order and eventually there was an equivalent for women called the Poor Clares.

Francis was reputed to have an affinity with birds and animals, which blossomed into many legends. He was the originator of the Living Nativity which he first staged near his hometown. Francis is the Roman Catholic church's official patron saint of ecology, and who might be a better choice?

Many churches now have Blessing of the Animals services around the time of the Feast of St. Francis, and we will celebrate what I think is our sixth this Sunday.  I'm always interested to see who shows both with and without their companion animals. We always encourage people to stay after worship and they seem to love the moment. I really enjoy the hands-on experience.

I took the photo above when I visited the Cathedral of St. Francis in Sante Fe, New Mexico. The dancing angel Francis is whimsical but I like it.

Have you attended a Blessing service? Are you going to? Why do you like them?