Get to Know St. Francis for the Final Months of His Jubilee Year

This year marks 800 years since the passing of one of the Church’s greatest saints, though in his humility he would never claim the title.  St. Francis Bernardone from Assisi, Italy, commonly known as St. Francis of Assisi was born in the late 1100's to a rich cloth merchant, who ensured he had all his needs covered. Thus, he spent a lot of time and money indulging in the fine life with his friends. Francis also initially dreamed of fighting for his home country and the church. He and his father, especially, strongly desired that he achieve military glory, in an age when knighthood led to be highly esteemed and resulted in an advance in society. Before this took place, Francis experienced a profound conversion, which compelled him to hang up his armor as well as " the hat of being the life of the party" to become the "troubadour of the Great King.” He exchanged his fancy clothes for a simple brown habit.

People mostly know St. Francis for his wonderful love of creation. He saw God in everything--from the worm to the birds to Brother Sun and Sister Moon. Francis had a strong devotion to the Sacred Scriptures, especially the Gospels, and loved to preach them--even to the animals. His statues stand in many people’s yards-even non-Catholics. However, numerous people do not know much about who he is--outside the garden and the bird bath.

Francis' ministry began after an encounter with Jesus in the dilapidated rural chapel of San Damiano outside Assisi. As he was praying before the crucifix, Our Lord spoke to him asking him to rebuild the church. Francis initially took Christ’s words literally and began rebuilding the chapel stone by stone. Sometime later, he came to understand that calling was of a spiritual nature. God wanted him to renew the global Catholic Church through the life Francis was to live in the radical following of the Gospel.

His way of life (his spirituality) began to draw many other men to follow him.  The magnetic joy of Francis—even while enduring freezing weather, hunger, and illnesses—resonated powerfully with young men seeking a purposeful life adventure.  Exhausted by the endless pursuit of prestige, men discovered liberation and peace in his voluntary poverty. Francis welcomed nobles, peasants, university scholars, and former knights together, simultaneously embracing total equality as they worked with their hands and begged daily side-by-side. They were attracted by his fearless compassion of choosing to live alongside the sick, the impoverished, and the rejected in society.  Francis made the presence of Jesus tangible to men who wanted to do hands-on ministry rather than living within monastery walls. 

The number of the men following St. Francis grew and he was directed to approach the Pope regarding the formation of a religious order. Initially, he was rejected. However, before he left Rome, Pope Innocent III had a dream where Francis appeared holding up a physical church. This symbolized that he and his followers would spiritually support and save the Catholic Church.  This dream affirmed God’s calling of Francis to help reform the Church. The saint was welcomed back and the Pope declared the “Friars Minor/Lesser Brothers” to be a canonically established order.

Sometime later, a woman from Assisi, St. Clare, heard Francis preach and was attracted to his way of life. Her family was of nobility and they were extremely upset with her desire to live in poverty. This forced her to slip away into the night to join Francis. He cut her long hair, and, like Francis, she traded her fancy noble dress for a rough tunic and veil. Initially, he had her stay in the Benedictine monastery with the nuns to keep her out of reach of her family. As time passed, other women, including her own sister, St. Agnes, came to him requesting to be his followers. He eventually had them moved into the church of San Damiano, where Francis had originally heard Our Lord’s call and physically restored the building.  These ladies lived together and were originally known as the "Poor Ladies of San Damiano.” Francis established a rule of life for them and formed the Second Order in the Franciscan Family.

Due to married people also wanting to follow his way of living, in the year 1221, Saint Francis formed the lay Third Order called the Brothers and Sisters of Penance.  In 1978, Pope Paul VI officially renamed them Secular Franciscans. Laypeople, who are married or single, are able to live out the Franciscan Gospel vision in their daily lives without taking traditional monastic vows. They attend Mass at their local parish with the other parishioners. They also live in their own homes, instead of a community/convent/monastery, as other Orders. Secular Franciscans may work in regular careers, as well. Their lives are set apart by the Rule that Francis created for them to live out--in fraternal life, ministry, and prayer.

(Short note: Centuries later Third Order members chose to form monastic communities. They live out their vocations in a lifestyle more similar to that of the First and Second Order, but are called Third Order Regulars.)

St. Francis of Assisi’s life was so radical it set him apart amongst all the saints. He earned the title as the “Mirror of Christ” due to his life of total poverty, humility, and service. He gave up all to be completely dependent on God, matching Christ's humble earthly life. He mirrored Jesus in His service of helping the lepers and other outcasts of society. He is also the first recorded saint of the western Church to have received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ), which took place during the final two years of his life.

Due to the supreme humility of this saint, it was revealed in a vision of Franciscan Brother Pacificus that Francis was rewarded the former glorious throne of Lucifer--the devil, who fell due to his pride. This reflects the scripture of Luke 14:11 stating that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pope Leo XIV has declared 2026 the Jubilee Year of Saint Francis, which will end January 10, 2027. During this year, the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See has granted a plenary indulgence, which represents the full remission of temporal punishment for sins that have already been sacramentally forgiven. To receive the indulgence, you must fulfill the standard conditions (sacramental confession, receiving Holy Communion, and praying for the intentions of the Pope), as well as conform with the following qualifiers: make a pilgrimage to any conventual church, place of worship, or shrine dedicated to St. Francis anywhere in the world.  Within the diocese, we have two churches of St. Francis, one in Townsend and the other in Fairfield Glades, both meeting the criteria for a "pilgrimage.” You can travel to either of those churches for Mass or simply to pray a rosary or other devotional prayers. The Decree also establishes that the elderly, the sick, and those who, for serious reasons, are unable to leave their homes may obtain the Plenary Indulgence by spiritually joining the Jubilee celebrations and offering their prayers, sufferings, or hardships to God.

Visit Knoxville’s Secular Franciscans’ website www.saintsfrancisandclareknoxville.com