What comes to your mind when you think of St. Francis of Assisi? Most likely, most of you answered, “Oh, he is the patron saint of animals.” Or perhaps, “Oh yes, I take my dog to church to get her blessed on his feast day.” Or maybe, “I have a birdbath in my yard with a statue of St Francis.” While none of these answers are wrong, Saint Francis is so much more. Yes, he is the patron saint of animals and is probably most known for his famous poem in praise of all Creation, the Canticle of the Creatures, also known as the Canticle of the Sun, which reads:

“Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor and all blessing. To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which you give sustenance to your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night,and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed those who endure in peace,for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom deathwill find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.”

This beautiful poem opens my book, Francis of Assisi, Universal Saint: Franciscan Spirituality in Various Faith Perspectives, in which I talk about the fact that St Francis is not only one of the most revered saints in the Catholic Church, but has a wide appeal to people of many religions, and those who profess no religion. I am leading a book study on this book beginning January 6^th for the Franciscan Justice Circle of Kansas. If you are part of a book study group and would like to study this book, I am available to attend your first meeting virtually, so your study group members can “meet the author.” Contact me at Linda@LindaLysakowski.com and pick up the book here