Honouring St. Francis with a Holiday

 “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. I

n the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”

from the opening of Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home -- Pope Francis

During Creation Time Rev. Isaac at Trenton United has included references to St. Francis of Assisi, the Roman Catholic patron saint of ecology and the environment. The 13th-century friar renounced a life of luxury to help the poor. He was an Italian mystic and poet who founded the Franciscan religious order and was canonised in 1228, two years after his death at the age of 44. Francis had a heart for the downtrodden and there are many stories about his relationship with different creatures. We have a poster of the stained glass window at the Taize Christian community in France where Francis preaches to the birds. 

There's going to be a new/old holiday in Italy to honour St. Francis. He was given a public holiday in 1958, during Italy’s postwar economic boom, before it was scrapped from the calendar in 1977 due to austerity measures. According to Georgia Meloni's government "This is not just about adding another holiday to the calendar – it’s a choice that touches the very core of our nation’s identity. Saint Francis isn’t just part of religious history, he is an integral part of our civil history.”

Next year marks the 800th anniversary of Francis' death and I wonder what the celebrations will entail in Assisi, across Italy, and in the Roman Catholic church. Pope Francis chose his papal name because of his own commitment to caring for Creation and his powerful encyclical, Laudato Si, was dedicated to the saint. I hope that Pope Leo will take this opportunity to uphold the environmental legacy of his predecessor. 

The new holiday will be on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, and the final day of Creation Time.

                                                               Stained Glass Window from Taize