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Francis’ early years were not especially
religious. He was a leader among the young men of Assisi, enjoying a good social
life, singing and partying. His first biographer, Thomas of Celano, describes
him as quite short, with black eyes, hair and beard; he had a long face, with a
straight nose and small, upright ears. His arms were short, but his hands and
fingers slender and long. He had a strong, clear, sweet voice. Francis didn’t
want to follow his father into the cloth trade; he wanted to be a knight. So at
the age of twenty he joined the forces of Assisi in a minor skirmish with the
neighbouring city of Perugia. He was captured and spent a year in a Perugian
jail, until his father ransomed him. This became the first of a series of
experiences through which God called Francis to the life which he finally
embraced. Click here to learn more about these experiences.
One of these experiences, at San Damiano,
led to a rift with his father. Francis, in response to a voice from the crucifx
in this tiny ruined church, began to rebuild churches; when he ran out of money
he took cloth from his father’s shop and sold it. His father disowned him before
the bishop of Assisi, and Francis in his turn stripped off his clothes,
returning to his father everything he had received from him, and promising that
in future he would call only God his Father.
Francis now begged on the streets of Assisi
for money to repair churches; after a further experience of God’s call he began
also to preach. Men came to join him in his life of poverty, prayer and
preaching, and he always saw them as God’s gift to him, writing ‘when the Lord
gave me brothers’. As numbers grew the brothers spread out beyond Assisi to
other parts of Italy, then to other European countries, including England, and
before Francis’ death brothers had travelled to North Africa, where the first
Franciscan martyrs died in Morocco in 1220. Francis himself travelled to the
Holy Land, and met the Sultan of Egypt, a meeting which has become a template
for dialogue between Christians and Muslims, especially among Franciscans of
today.
Francis first wrote a very brief Rule for
his brothers in 1209, and this was approved by the Church. It was superseded in
1223 by a fuller Rule, which has continued to shape the lives of Franciscan
brothers over the centuries. Francis spent most of his life on the move, though
he interspersed his preaching with periods of withdrawal for prayer. It was
during one of these times of retreat that he received the Stigmata - the marks
of the crucified Christ in his own body.
For the final two years of his life he
suffered constant pain. He died in 1226, and as he died blessed his beloved city
of Assisi. He was buried in what became the great Basilica of St Francis, and
declared a saint by the church in 1228.
On Palm Sunday 1212 she left her parents’
house secretly. She had already sold her dowry and given the money to the poor.
At the little church of St Mary of the Angels, just below Assisi she met Francis
and a few of his brothers. She changed her dress for a simple habit, and took
off her jewellery. Francis cut her hair, and she made a vow of obedience to him.
At first she lived with a Benedictine
community of nuns, doing simple menial tasks. Her family were appalled at her
choice and sent armed men to bring her back. But they were unsuccessful. When
Clare’s younger sister, Catherine, followed her only a fortnight later, the
family made even more violent attempts to force her to return home. They were in
fact carrying her off physically, but Clare prayed, and Catherine became so
heavy that they could not lift her. Defeated, they returned home.
Francis received Catherine too as a sister,
and gave her the name Agnes. Then Clare and Agnes moved to San Damiano, the
church where Francis had heard the crucifix speak to him. Here the first
community of Poor Clares came into being. It grew rapidly, and in 1215, very
much against her will, Clare was made Abbess. She held this position until her
death in 1253. Two years after she was declared a saint by the church.
In the early days of the Franciscan life
Francis visited Clare often, but as his own community grew his visits decreased
and she had to find within herself the inspiration she had received from him.
Their relationship grew more equal, and Francis would consult her on important
decisions. In his last illness he came to San Damiano and Clare cared for him.
Although she called herself ‘the little plant of Francis’ she was in fact a
powerful and innovative woman, the first woman to write a Rule for a religious
community. She struggled with the church for most of her life, as Popes and
Cardinals sought to draw her away from the poverty which was at the heart of her
following Jesus, but she remained firm and her Rule was finally approved just a
few days before her death. By that time there were more than 150 communities
which followed her way of life, mainly in Italy, southern France and Spain, but
spreading as far east as Prague, and as far west as Bruges.
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Francis and Clare, the first two
Franciscans, came from the two parts of society which were at the heart of the
changing picture of life in thirteenth century Italy.
Francis was the son of a successful cloth
merchant. Trade spread throughout Europe at this time; and new towns and cities
came into being as merchants settled near ports or at the crossroads of the new
network of roads. The balance of the population shifted from rural to urban
areas, and this led to a shift in the balance of power too.
Previously the feudal system had been
paramount, with everyone accountable to their lord - a great landowner, bishop
or abbot. Clare’s father was one of the powerful nobles of Assisi. They
collected taxes and tolls, gave permission to travel, and ran the courts. But in
the towns merchants and craftsmen banded together into associations, called in
Italy communes, which challenged the power of the traditional rural ruling
classes. The feudal system began to break down, and with it the whole structure
of society changed. The vertical relationships of inferiors and superiors of the
feudal system, changed into the horizontal relationships of the new urban
centres. From a society of masters and servants, overlords and vassals, it
became one, ideally, of brothers. Francis called his community the Lesser
Brothers, reflecting this new social reality.
Of course inequality still existed, but it
was based now not on the accident of birth into a powerful or powerless family,
but on wealth. Initially this was in the form of land and possessions, but money
came increasingly to be used, and to replace barter in trade. For Francis money
was an innovation, and one which pointed up inequalities, and perhaps this lies
at the heart of his rejection of it as part of his wider commitment to poverty.
All of these changes did not take place
peacefully. The landowners, who saw their power threatened, fought with the
emerging middle class of merchants and craftsmen. The new cities fought with
each other. And on a wider canvas there were tensions between the Emperor
Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire and successive popes, and between
Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land.
The church too was in a time of change. The
turning of the first millennium in 1000 had sparked off a desire for reform, and
there had been a number of important meetings, called Councils, in the twelfth
century, culminating in the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. This had a
particular effect on Francis, and its decrees and reforms are reflected in his
writings.
Francis and Clare lived in times of great
change, and in their lives sought to respond to the needs of the day, and the
concerns of those around them.
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Many pilgrims make the journey to Assisi
every year, but despite the crowds it is possible to have a real sense of the
city which Francis and Clare knew, especially away from the main streets and
squares.
Both Francis and Clare are buried in
Assisi, Francis in the Basilica of San Francesco at one end of the city, and
Clare in the Basilica of Santa Chiara at the other. In Santa Chiara it is also
possible to pray in front of the crucifix which spoke to Francis in San Damiano.
San Damiano itself is also a very evocative
place. It is a short walk outside the city, through olive groves, and maintains
the sense of a peaceful and prayerful place. Friars now live where Clare’s
community lived, but you can still visit the dormitory where Clare slept, and
see the tiny chapel where the sisters prayed. Many people come to join the
friars in prayer, especially for Vespers, the evening service, which takes place
in the original church which Francis restored.
At San Francesco there are wonderful
frescoes of the life of St Francis in both the upper and lower churches.
Descending below both of these one comes to the tomb of Francis himself; four of
his early brothers are buried near him. Elsewhere in the Basilica, as at Santa
Chiara, can be seen various relics of the saints.
Below the city itself stands the baroque
church of St Mary of the Angels. Within this church is still preserved the
Portiuncula, one of the small churches which Francis repaired, and where he and
his brothers lived in the early days of his community. The chapter meetings of
the brothers took place here - although the community rapidly grew so large that
huts of branches had to be built to house them all. The most famous Chapter was
the Chapter of the Mats, in 1217 or 1219, to which about 5,000 friars came.
In contrast to these huge numbers are the
hermitages of the Carceri, above Assisi, where Francis and his early brothers
went to pray in solitude, living in caves or huts. With more time it is possible
also to visit San Rufino, the cathedral of Assisi, where Clare certainly and
Francis probably were baptised. Clare’s family home doesn’t survive, but there
are two buildings associated with Francis’ family, the Chiesa Nuova, and San
Francesco Piccolo. And further afield, there is La Verna, where Francis received
the Stigmata, the Rieti Valley, with a number of places which feature in
Francis’ story, including Greccio, where the first Christmas crib was made; and
Fonte Colombo where Francis composed the Rule which the church approved for his
community.
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Francis and Clare began the Franciscan
story, but it has continued to inspire many to follow Christ through the
centuries. And the tradition itself has grown, developed and changed, through
the lives and writings of Franciscans of all sorts.
Bonaventure (d. 1274) would have known some
of Francis’ early companions. He became Minister General of the brothers in
1257; and in addition was a theologian, diplomat, bishop and cardinal. He wrote
an important biography of Francis, and a classical work of mystical theology,
The Soul’s Journey into God. In his theology, creation becomes a mean towards
discovering Christ.
John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) continued this
theme with his theological reflections on the incarnation. He stressed the
incarnation as God’s greatest expression of love, and not simply a response to
the problem of human sin. And each human person is a living image of the
incarnate Word.
Angela of Foligno (d. 1309) was an early
member of the Order of Penance (The Third Order). After a profound religious
conversion in her early forties she sold her possessions, gave the proceeds to
the poor, and began to live a life of penitence, prayer and service to the sick
She wrote a spiritual autobiography (the Memorial), and also the Instructions,
teaching on various aspects of the Christian life, especially prayer. Her
disciples included friars, and her influence on them earned her the title of
Teacher of Theologians. Her spirituality is very incarnational, and she
describes her experiences in prayer in physical and sensual language.
Franciscans continued to write about
prayer, and one of them, Francisco de Osuna (d. c.1540) influenced the great
Carmelite mystic, Teresa of Avila. His book, The Third Spiritual Alphabet, in
which he taught the prayer of recollection, leading to a simple loving gaze
towards God, influenced her own contemplative prayer. Osuna belonged to one of
the reform movements among Franciscan brothers, one which emphasized a return to
the more contemplative style of life practised in the early Franciscan
hermitages.
It is popularly said that only the Holy
Spirit knows how many Franciscans there are, and certainly the range of ways of
being a Franciscan is extraordinary. Today in the Catholic Church there are tens
of thousands of men, lay and ordained, in the three major branches of the Friars
Minor, tracing their history back to Francis. There are hundreds of Poor Clare
communities, tracing their history back to Clare. There are hundreds of
thousands of women and men in hundreds of Third Order Regular communities,
inspired by the Order of Penance founded by Francis, but living in community and
under the same vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as the friars and Poor
Clares. And there are millions in the Secular Franciscan Order, the direct
descendants of the Order of Penance, living their lives of Franciscan witness in
secular work and family life.
And then of course there are those inspired
by Francis in other churches; the Anglican Franciscan communities of which the
Society of St Francis is the largest, and others in the Lutheran and other
Protestant churches. And there are those who join no community, and perhaps even
no church, but who are nevertheless inspired in their journey of faith by
Francis and Clare.
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Once when Francis had been praying in the
woods near the brothers’ house of the Portiuncula, Brother Masseo came out to
meet him, and half jokingly asked him ‘Why after you? Why does everyone run
after you, want to see you and hear you and obey you? After all, you are not
handsome, or learned, or wise, or rich. So why is all the world running after
you?’
Francis was very moved, and prayed for a
long time. Then he replied to Masseo, that God had chosen him, Francis, because
he was foolish and sinful, since, ‘God chose what is foolish in the world to
shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God
chose what is low and despised in the world ... to reduce to nothing things that
are ...’ (1 Corinthians 1:27 – 28), so that all the honour and glory might be
God’s.’ (Little Flowers of St Francis 10)
Despite his desire for obscurity Francis
remains today one of the best known and best loved of saints, and an increasing
number of people are coming to value Clare in the same way. Below, a few present
day members of CSF and SSF explain why they are drawn to follow Christ in the
way of Francis and Clare.
Elizabeth CSF
Elizabeth joined the Community of St. Francis in 1955 after university
and a few years working in a hospital laboratory. She made Life Vows
in 1960, before CSF moved to Somerset and having lived in most of the houses for
a time, now lives in Plaistow. I
believe firmly that the initiative for our lives is with God who leaves us to
respond or not. At fourteen I
suddenly knew that God had a claim on my life and whatever it was I would have
to try it. My Christian
upbringing in middle-of-the-way Church of England did not prepare me for a
religious order and like St. Francis, I had neither desire nor intention to join
one.
A
mission to my parish roused my curiosity and I went home for a weekend,
surprised by the friars I met.
Further contacts came, I began to read about Francis, and joined the
Third Order. Life was open
before me; I could only pray, “Tell me what You want me to do and I’ll do
it!” In the
end it was as though I had no choice, and after brief visits, I joined CSF. The Community was small and
elderly, but simply and utterly Franciscan. I somehow knew that if I was
faithful, God would do great things.
He did. CSF changed and
grew, especially after the
move to Somerset. Several
things about Francis have always remained in my mind as hallmarks: Francis wanted, quite simply, to be like
Jesus, who was ’obedient unto death’
God calls us to the best in us and fulfils our deepest longings. Francis had no blueprint. Obedience cannot be just to heavy
authority, nor to a plethora of regulations, but to the responsible following of
the gospel and to what we understand of God’s will through constant listening to
others and to God. Then
too, Francis loved all people and all things, calling each ‘brother’ or
’sister’. Life in community cannot
be easy, and to love others with the love of God doesn’t come naturally. But Francis also respected others
and often asked their advice.
Clare, too, shared with her Sisters in decision-making, allowing others
to be themselves. This kind
of group living gives freedom in God and openness in the group; and so assists
good relationships. Further,
Francis was both temperamental and emotional, with what has been called ‘the
gift of tears’. In spite of
the many occasions for grief in his life, he never ceased to praise God, as in
his beautiful Canticle of the Creatures.
That kind of deep joy and contentment is friendly and contagious. The world needs
it. Francis
left few writings and more about obedience than of poverty, but demonstrated it
in his life-style and service of lepers. He called his followers ‘lesser
brethren’, refuting status and wealth.
Though we are not able to live as he did, there are many ways to express
poverty. I particularly value the
life and prayer of our Poor Clare Sisters or any work we may do with the
disadvantaged and marginalised and their carers. Maureen CSF came
from New Zealand to join CSF in 1981; she has since lived in various parts of
the UK, back in New Zealand for a time, and is now living in Birmingham where
she combines part time work as a nurse with voluntary work and the life of the
sisters’ house there.
Francis and Clare provide models of
Christian discipleship for me. Although I do not aspire to follow them
literally, their example constantly stretches me to allow God to take up more of
my life: to give more time to prayer and to stillness, to gaze upon the Lord
(though I fail miserably in achieving these goals); to bring a greater element
of praise and thankfulness into my relationship with God and people; and to
serve others with love and compassion, valuing their gifts and being less
judgmental of their faith.
As I learn more about Clare, I value her
wisdom for living in community and a practical concern for the needs of her
sisters while avoiding unnecessary distinctions of status. Both Francis and
Clare constantly challenge me by their poverty and determined lack of security
in possessions of any kind, whereas I am inclined to want, not only a ‘backstop’
but a backstop for the backstop!
Francis and Clare in thirteenth century
Italy lived in an environment which in many ways was very different from mine in
twenty-first century Britain, and while allowances need to be made for this, the
way they lived is still surprisingly relevant to following Christ today. Perhaps
some of their relevance is because they always point beyond themselves to God,
Jesus Christ as God’s son and love incarnate, and the Holy Spirit as the
essential foundation for a life of Christian faith.
Yet Francis and Clare are for me a way of
saying that it is possible to give more of myself to God, to live ‘in penance’,
loving God and my neighbour, as a fulfilment of my own personhood and to God’s
glory. Martin became a Novice in the Community in January 1949, and he
made his Profession in December 1951. He was ordained priest in 1958. He
has lived and worked in several of our Franciscan houses, and he spent 23 years
in Cambridge. He now lives at Saint Mary’s, Plaistow, and he assists in the
parish of Saint Peter’s, London Docks. When I first went to stay as a guest at Hilfield Friary in 1947,
I knew very little about Saint Francis, apart from the frequently repeated
legends about his love for God’s creation. But at Hilfield I had my first
encounter with his mid-20th century disciples, and I was filled with admiration
for them, because of their real sense of dedication and their genuine love of
Jesus. I then read G.K.Chesterton’s book on Saint Francis, and I began to be
attracted to ‘the little poor man of Assisi’. Although it was never my
intention to join the Community when I first set foot in the Friary, I soon came
to realise that God was calling me to do so. I was very greatly influenced by our joint founders, Brothers
Douglas and Algy. Douglas was at that time working in Germany, but whenever he
came to England he breathed a spirit of deep holiness, with a very great concern
for the marginalised in society. Algy was Guardian at Hilfield, and he was
clearly a man of great devotion, with a transparent love of the Scriptures and
the ability to expound them. I turned to other books on Saint Francis, and I soon began to
discover that he was (to use a comparatively modern term) an Evangelical
Catholic. Francis was Evangelical because he loved the Scriptures and wanted to
share his faith with others. He was Catholic because he loved the Church. In his
day there were various reform movements which broke away from the Catholic
Church, but Francis always remained a loyal member, and he insisted that his
Brothers should always be true Catholics. This Catholic/ Evangelical stance resonated with me, and I found
that it was reflected in the life of the Brothers. From the beginning I was
completely at home in the Community, and I count myself privileged to have been
called to this life. After more than sixty years as a Friar, and over fifty years as
a priest, I know that I am still learning, and even now I have much to learn. As
I look back, it is with gratitude for a very full life. I know that there have
been many failures and disappointments, but throughout there has always been a
prevailing sense of happiness and joy. I thank God that it is Saint Francis who
has brought me closer to Jesus. I was scared stiff the first time I met Franciscan friars; their
way of life seemed to me as an outsider to be extreme, foreign, just so
different from everything else I had ever known, but perhaps even then I had a
hidden sense that the Lord might be tugging me this way. However much I tried to
avoid the issue, Franciscans kept crossing my path - a friend taking me to the
friary at Plaistow for supper where there clearly wasn't enough to eat - a
Franciscan mission organized in the Liverpool parish where I was a curate - then
the opening of a friary in the same city and games of squash with Br Bruce - a
meeting with Br Edward at Alnmouth who told me five minutes after I came through
the door that my life and ministry would end up on the rocks unless I joined SSF
- my first visit to Hilfield on a glorious midsummer day when the whole Dorset
countryside seemed to be in bloom. Gradually there came the dawning of an
awareness that God might really be calling me to follow in the way of Blessed
Francis - the friendship of the brothers whom I got to know better - the desire
for regular prayer with others - the excitement of risking everything for the
Lord - oh yes, and the Little Poor Man of Assisi himself who became an
attractive and inspiring figure rather than just a crazy Italian romantic.
Finally, one blustery November day, I turned up at Hilfield Friary wondering
whether this wasn't all some terrible mistake. I can't say that I've never
looked back, but after 37 + years I'm still here and want to continue the
journey.
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Section 4
Click here for
"Franciscan News" section
Click here for about their time
Click here for Pilgrimage to
Assisi
Click here for
Franciscan Tradition
Click here for Why after
you?
Click here for other sections
About Francis
Francis was born in Assisi in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant,
Pietro Bernardone, and his wife, Pica. He was baptized Giovanni (John) but soon
gained the nickname Francesco, because of his father’s close trading links with
France.
About Clare
Clare
was born in 1193 or 1194, the daughter of a nobleman in Assisi. When Francis
began to preach in the squares of Assisi in 1210 she was 16 years old, 11 years
younger than him. She had always been a serious child, and used to share her
food with the poor and needy people of the town. She had already refused several
offers of marriage. Now she was captivated by Francis’ preaching of a simple
gospel life, and especially his emphasis on poverty. She had several secret
meetings with him, accompanied only by a friend, Bona, and made up her mind to
join him.
About their time
Life in thirteenth century Italy
Pilgrimage to Assisi
Walking in the saints’ footsteps
Franciscan Tradition
The story continued
why after you?
Followers of Francis and Clare today
Martin SSF
Brother Samuel SSF
is currently the Minister Provincial for the European Provinceand based at
Hilfield Friary in Dorset.Other sections
Section 2
Click here for the "Franciscan
Praying" section, where you will find relevant prayer/praying details: Centred
on Christ, Christ in Creation, Christ in the crib, Christ on the cross, Christ
in The Eucharist, a Franciscan icon, Prayers of St Francis, Praying with SSF,
How I pray, Join us in chapel, Pray for us