This year, 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis, one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Christianity. Born into a life of privilege Francis chose poverty and almost immediately attracted others to his radical lifestyle. The Franciscan order was recognized during his lifetime and two years after his death he was declared a saint.
Francis has been the patron saint of animals for as long as I can remember -- centuries! -- and the Feast Day of St. Francis falls on October 4 each year, the day after the anniversary of his death. Fittingly, it is also World Animal Day. In 1979 Pope John Paul II declared Francis the patron saint of ecology as well, the larger picture of the interconnection of all living creatures. According to that Papal Bull:
Among the holy and admirable men who have revered nature as a wonderful gift of God to the human race, St Francis of Assisi deserves special consideration. For he, in a special way, deeply sensed the universal works of the Creator and, filled with a certain divine spirit, sang that very beautiful "Canticle of the Creatures". Through them, Brother Sun most powerful and Sister Moon and the stars of heaven, he offered fitting praise, glory, honour and all blessing to the most high, all-powerful, good Lord.
Dancing St. Francis -- Santa Fe New Mexico
On January 10 Pope Leo proclaimed a Special Year of St. Francis to commemorate the 800th anniversary and I wonder what Protestants might do during this year to honour this remarkable Christian. I will go back to the 2015 environmental encylical called Laudato Si, issued by Pope Francis, the only pontiff to adopt Francis' name. The name Laudato Si is Latin for "Praise be to you, O Lord" the beginning of the Canticle of the Creatures written by Francis more than 800 years ago.
In the introduction Pope Francis offered (my emphasis):
Francis helps us to see that an integral ecology calls for openness to categories which transcend the language of mathematics and biology, and take us to the heart of what it is to be human. Just as happens when we fall in love with someone, whenever he would gaze at the sun, the moon or the smallest of animals, he burst into song, drawing all other creatures into his praise. He communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them “to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason”.
His response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister united to him by bonds of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. His disciple Saint Bonaventure tells us that, “from a reflection on the primary source of all things, filled with even more abundant piety, he would call creatures, no matter how small, by the name of ‘brother’ or ‘sister’”. Such a conviction cannot be written off as naive romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behaviour.
If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.
What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Rom 1:20). For this reason, Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.
Francis Preaching to the Birds -- Leicester's parish church of St Martin
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