L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano ELIZABETH SALTHOUSE A s Italy prepares to com- memorate its patron saint o n O c t o b e r 4 t h , w e ' r e reminded of his life's work. Living in poverty, renouncing worldly goods and working with lepers, San Francesco lived a pious, humble life. And there are many legends around his work and teachings. But he wasn't just interested in the soul of man, championing the country- side, protection of nature and all God's creatures. Let's celebrate San Francesco of Assisi, the first e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s t a n d p a t r o n saint of ecology. The early years Baptized Giovanni di Pietro d i B e r n a r d o n e i n 1 1 8 1 , b u t quickly nicknamed Francesco or "the Frenchman" by his father, the young saint was one of seven children of a wealthy silk mer- chant and a noblewoman. The siblings grew up in the hill town of Assisi in Umbria, overlooking the plains reaching across to Perugia, and life was comfort- able for the high-spirited young- ster. I n h i s e a r l y t w e n t i e s Francesco, or Francis to use the anglicized version, joined the army to fight against near neigh- bors Perugia and spent a year as a prisoner of war before return- ing home. Once back in Assisi Francis picked up his fun-loving life, with barely a care in the world, but serious illness in 1204 whilst still in his youth would change his life forever. A spiritual awakening F rances co returned to the army for a year or two but began to have a series of visions and dreams that gradually shifted his f o c u s f r o m w a r f a r e t o w a r d s more spiritual matters. He heard the voice of God when praying, sitting in a cave and on meeting a leper. The youngster set off on a pilgrimage to Rome and joined b e g g a r s a t t h e d o o r s o f S t Peter's basilica, an experience that moved him enormously. And whilst praying in an aban- doned church he heard a voice telling him to "repair my house." Francis turned his life to God a n d b e g a n p r e a c h i n g o n t h e streets of his hometown. He quickly gained supporters and established a men's order of fri- ars. And his work with the poor and needy led him to renounce his inheritance and all his world- ly goods to devote himself to caring for the less fortunate. But Francesco wasn't just preaching about the salvation of man's soul. A l l c r e a t u r e s g r e a t a n d small F r a n c i s b e l i e v e d t h a t Christians should demonstrate their love of God by nurturing and protecting all creatures and all created things including the natural environment. Its even b e e n s u g g e s t e d t h a t w h a t Francesco was preaching was heresy as he called creatures "brother ant" or "sister fire" implying all creatures, including man, are equal. Francis not only preached to people, though. Legend has it that he would often preach to birds that would gather round him, urging them to praise God. The birds did not fly away, as might be expected, but respond- ed by flapping their wings and singing, apparently in spiritual rejoicing, staying until Francis blessed them. As a consequence St Francis is often depicted with a songbird on his open hand. But unlike others, Francis wasn't teaching man's dominion over animals, he saw them as e q u a l s , b r o t h e r s a n d s i s t e r s even, believing that all living creatures are created equal. He encouraged followers to love and revere the natural world, telling them that it was their duty as Christians not to hurt animals or the land. And he went even further teaching that people should also be of service to animals, helping them, pro- tecting them and preserving the environment. Saint Francis by Cimabue (Assisi1285-1288) Francesco's ultimate convic- tion was that Christians should demonstrate their love of God through reverence not domina- tion of all creatures great and small. It was a new interpreta- tion of Biblical scripture and even suggested by some to be heretical. But Francis worked miracles through his belief even taming a ferocious wolf, praying with it and asking it to repent, making peace with the people it had been terrifying. In return the friar asked the locals to feed the wolf if it would promise never to injure them. The pact was sealed when the wolf was asked to swear faith and lifted its paw into Francesco's hand, living peacefully in the countryside from then on. Saint Francis of Assisi Throughout his life Francis lived in harmony with humanity and all other creatures, taking his inspiration from scripture. He encouraged others to relate to the world in a new way, treat- ing the world and all its inhabi- tants as members of the same family. And his work was rec- o g n i z e d a t t h e h i g h e s t l e v e l when Pope Gregory IX canon- ized him in 1228, just two years after his death in Assisi on the 3 rd October 1226, declaring him the patron saint of Italy. And as stories of his teach- ings spread, Francesco's posthu- mous association with animals a n d t h e n a t u r a l w o r l d g r e w . Churches carried on his work with ceremonies to bless ani- mals on his annual feast day, October 4 th . And eventually, 750 years after his death, Pope John Paul II named Francis the patron saint of "those who pro- mote ecology." Ultimately, St Francis was a lover of all God's creations, worshipping through his respect of animals and nature. He exem- plified the very best of what it means to be a man, a Christian and an environmentalist long before the term was coined. And he preached that it was the duty of all to protect and enjoy nature as both stewards and creatures o u r s e l v e s . A s h i s f e a s t d a y approaches, we're reminded that ecological consciousness and animal protection should be an essential part of every day life. Sadly, however, in a world that is defined by material posses- s i o n s a n d m o n e y F r a n c i s ' s t e a c h i n g s a r e m o r e r e l e v a n t today than they ever were dur- ing his lifetime. So whilst we may not be up for living a life of poverty, we still have a lot to l e a r n f r o m t h e l e g e n d a r y S t Francis of Assisi, a true environ- mentalist before his time. San Francesco of Assisi, the first environmentalist LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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