Our Friend St Francis

By Hannah van Schie

A Special Jubilee Year

Perhaps you’ve already heard that this year has been marked by Pope Leo XIV as another special Jubilee (yes that’s two Jubilee’s in a row!). 2026 is the Jubilee Year of Saint Francis of Assisi - marking the occasion of the 800th anniversary of his death. We are invited to make this year a special time for reflection, renewal, and a celebration of the life and teachings of this special saint.

Franciscan and Marist Connections

I wondered – what does this mean for us who are connected to the Marist story? We can be influenced, shaped and formed by various spiritualities – even if one feels more like “home.” The two traditions of Franciscans and Marists (though founded hundreds of years apart) share some common threads and themes. I like to think that if St Francis of Assisi was around today, he would consider the Marist family good friends of his.

The Call to Simplicity and Humility

St Francis of Assisi was from a wealthy family – but he had a faith experience which prompted him to let go of his wealth, sell everything and live a simple, humble life. He is even known sometimes as “The Poor Man of Assisi.” The Franciscan spirituality follows his example - emphasising simplicity, humility or “little-ness. ”

The official Vatican website shared this about St Francis:

By renouncing wealth and social prestige, Francis showed that freedom of heart is born of detachment from material goods. For today’s person, living in a world of consumerism, this is an extremely timely invitation to moderation, responsible use of goods, and placing God and neighbour above material possessions: it is a matter of “being” more than “having.”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2026-01/year-saint-francis-indulgence-assisi.html

Shared Ministry and Service

Does this idea of simplicity and humility sound familiar? Marists are also called to live with humility and do good work “hidden and unknown” in the world. We take as our model Mary who was (in her own words!) a humble “handmaiden of the Lord.” Our approach to ministry is shaped by this simplicity and humility. Both Franciscan and Marist groups have, in the past and present, worked in ministry associated with reaching out to the poor and marginalised. This is vital and life-changing work.

The Nativity and Reverence for the Holy Family

Still on the humility theme (stay with me here...) have you put your nativity set away from Christmas yet? You might not know that St Francis of Assisi created the first Nativity scene in 1223. He did so to visualize Jesus’ humble birth. And here we are all these years later still setting up nativity sets in Advent – simple shepherds, ordinary animals, a baby in a manger.

St Francis had a deep reverence for the Holy Family– not unlike Marists who look often to the Holy Family and to “Nazareth” as an example of a holy but ordinary life. We know Nazareth was where Mary was an ordinary (and extra ordinary!) mother, wife and friend – part of a family, helping others, living and growing together. What a great role model for us.

Patron Saint of Animals and Creation

St Francis is perhaps most widely known for his love of animals and creation (certainly if you ask any of the children in my sacramental classes that is what they know!) We know he is the patron saint of ecology and animals and it’s hard to find an image or statue of him without birds and other animals by his side. This makes him especially relatable to animal lovers - some Parish families even bless animals in churches on his feast day.

Here is a lovely story about St Francis’ special connection with one of God’s little creatures:

Once, when he was staying in the town of Greccio, a hare was caught in a trap and brought live to Francis by a brother. Seeing the hare, the blessed man was moved to pity and said, "Brother hare, come here. Why did you let yourself be fooled in this way?" As soon as the hare was released by the brother, he dashed over to Francis and, without being forced to do so, settled into his lap as the safest place available. When he had rested there a while, the holy father, stroking him with maternal affection, let him go so that he could return to the wild. Each time he was placed on the ground, the hare ran back to Francis' lap.

*"Brother hare, come here. Why did you let yourself be fooled in this way?"*

Caring for Our Common Home

St Francis’ care for all of creation, big and small, served as the primary spiritual inspiration for Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’. The document’s title and themes of "integral ecology," and care for creation are drawn directly from St. Francis’s "Canticle of the Creatures." Our Marist spirituality also echo’s this concern for our common home, and Laudato Si’ is an special encyclical for us.

Inspired to Work for Peace

Lastly – but by no means least – St Francis inspires us to work for Peace. The famous prayer (and song) “Make me a channel of your peace” is associated with St Francis – and is loved by many people around the world. You don’t have to look very far or very hard to find instances of injustice and conflict in our world – and the need for peace is as great today as it was in the lifetime of St Francis. Here is a little story of St Francis putting peace in action:

In 1219, Saint Francis of Assisi travelled to Egypt where war was raging between the Christians and Muslims. Francis called for peace. The Christian armies laughed at him, calling him a “clown”. Despite this setback, Francis risked his own life by crossing enemy lines. The Muslim armies had been given orders to kill any Christian on sight. Remarkably, Francis survived and gaining an audience with the leader, the Sultan AlKamil. The Sultan recognised Francis as a holy man and invited him to preach to his court.

Stories like this, and others (like the story of St Francis taming a rouge wolf to live in peace with villagers!) are powerful tales and inspire us to carry peace in our own hearts and bring peace to our world now. We recall the beatitude statement - “Blessed are the peacemakers”

A Reflection for the New Year

I’ll leave you with a little excerpt from the Vatican and hope it gives you something to ponder as you contemplate our friend, St Francis:

“Saint Francis... does not propose “more practices,” but simplicity and authenticity: a return to personal reading of the Gospel, joy in small things, and a faith lived in relationships”

That sounds like a great start to the new year don’t you think?

REFLECTION QUESTION

Do you feel God’s presence around animals or in nature and creation like St Francis did?
When reflecting on St Francis’ simplicity and love of the poor the Vatican website shared: “its a matter of ‘being’, more than ‘having.’ Does this resonate with you?