Why is Saint Francis of Assisi the saint of animals?

• Since 1979, the Vatican declared him the Patron of Ecology

Every October 4, the Day of Saint Francis of Assisi is commemorated, declared by the Catholic Church as the Patron of Ecology, due to his love for nature and animals.

During this religious celebration, priests usually offer masses where they allow parishioners to bring their pets to receive the blessing.

The saint became known for preaching the word of God to birds and taming wolves, according to ACI Press.

Pope John Paul II named him the Patron of Ecology in 1979 and during the proclamation he stated that Francis of Assisi “had great appreciation for all the works of the Creator.”

The anecdote with the wolf and Saint Francis of Assisi

A religious anecdote that relates the saint to animals was when he convinced a wolf to stop attacking a town and eating its inhabitants’ sheep.

According to the story, Saint Francis of Assisi made the sign of the cross to the wolf and addressed him with the following words:

“Come here, brother wolf! I command you on behalf of Christ not to harm me or anyone.”

Photo: Mondo Cattolico

After this action, the wolf meekly approached him and he promised the animal that if he stopped bothering the town, its inhabitants would give him food.

Thanks to the intervention of Saint Francis of Assisi, the wolf did not attack anyone in the town again, even its inhabitants mourned the day of his death.

The story of the “Canticle of the Creatures”

The saint’s love for nature was reflected in the year 1224 in the “Canticle of the Creatures”. It is also known as the Canticle of Brother Sol.

Saint Francis of Assisi was very ill, but his condition did not prevent him from going out and composing this text in which he praises all earthly creatures. The song became public a year before the saint’s death, according to the religious website Corazones.org.

This text became the first composed in the Italian language, because at that time most religious songs were only in Latin.

Photo: Courtesy

The life of Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis was born in the town of Assisi, in Italy, in 1182 and in addition to his manifestation of love for nature, he was also the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, a religious organization that operates throughout the world.

According to the official website of the Franciscan order, the saint, before dedicating his life to Catholicism, participated as a knight in struggles between the combatant city-states of central Italy. In one of these battles, he was taken prisoner for a year in Perugia.

However, his father, who was a wealthy cloth merchant, rescued him from captivity to return to Assisi.

The beginnings in religious life

In 1204 he abandoned his military life, when he was approximately 20 years old, to dedicate himself to religious service. The saint heard a voice asking him to rebuild the church.

Francisco de Asís sold fabrics from his father’s warehouse and donated the money to the town priest. For this action, his father disinherited him and in a gesture of “breaking with his past,” the saint tore his clothes and stood naked in front of the people. Since then, he led the life of a beggar.

Painting Saint Francis of Assisi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

In 1209, he founded the Order of Friars Minor with which he traveled not only to different cities in Italy, but also to other places, including the Holy Land (Jerusalem, Israel).

The saint received the stigmata of Christ in 1224 while he was praying, according to the Franciscan Order. These are the marks of the wounds that Christ suffered during his crucifixion.

Saint Francis of Assisi’s health deteriorated over time and by the last days of his life, he became blind. He finally died on October 3, 1226 at 44 years of age.

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