Novena to the Holy Deacons, Day 7: Saint Francis of Assisi

O Holy Saint Francis, through your kind intercession we seek holiness above all things. We seek the faith, hope and love that allowed you to joyfully renounce the pleasures of earthly life and to radically follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for us that we enjoy the privilege of suffering with and for the poor in the example of Jesus. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace to one day meet God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the angels and saints praise Him through all eternity.

O most powerful Saint Francis, deacon and confessor, do not let me lose my soul, but obtain for me the grace of entering heaven, forever and ever.

V Most holy Saint Francis, pray for us
R That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Son of a rich cloth merchant, he had a somewhat misspent youth. Captured during a conflict between Assisi and Perugia, Italy, he spent over a year as a prisoner of war. It was in prison that he had a conversion experience, including a message from Christ calling him to leave this worldly life.

Upon release, Francis took the Gospels as the rule of his life and Jesus Christ as his literal example.

He dressed in rough clothes, begged for his sustenance, and preached purity and peace. He visited hospitals, served the sick, preached in the streets, and took all men and women as siblings. He began to attract followers, and in 1209 with papal blessing he founded the Franciscans based on a simple statement by Jesus: “Leave all and follow me.”

He preached to the Saracens, composed songs and hymns, preached to people and animals alike, worked with his hands, cared for lepers, cleaned churches, and sent food to thieves.

While in meditation on Mount Alvernia in the Apennines in September 1224, Francis received the stigmata, which periodically bled during the remaining two years of his life.