Saint Francis of Assisi was an
Italian Catholic friar and preacher. Though he was never ordained to the Catholic
priesthood, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.
While going off to war Francis had
a vision that directed him back to Assisi.
Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon gathered
followers. His Order was authorized by Pope Innocent III. He then founded
the Order of Poor Clares, which became an enclosed religious order for women,
as well as the Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance (commonly called the
Third Order). Francis arranged for the first Christmas nativity scene. He also received the stigmata making him the
first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX.
He is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment, and is one of
the two patron saints of Italy
(with Catherine of Siena). It is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches
to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of October 4. He is also
known for his love of the Eucharist, his sorrow during the Stations of the
Cross, and for the creation of the Christmas crèche or Nativity Scene.
There is perhaps no more loved and admired saint in the Catholic Church than
Saint Anthony of Padua.
Though his work was in Italy,
he was born in Portugal.
He first joined the Augustinian Order and then left it and joined the
Franciscan Order. He is typically
depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus, and is commonly referred to
today as the "finder of lost articles." Feast day June 13th.
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