"Francis, go and build up My house, which as thou seest, is falling into ruin." To fulfill this command of Our Lord, St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) began by restoring physical churches and continued by building up the spiritual Church. Francis' humility, purity, and true joy inspired many men and women to conversion and a deeper faith. Others joined with him in serving God and the poor; thus began the Franciscan Order.
Never ordained to the priesthood, St. Francis nonetheless was a preacher of great renown and a miracle-worker of the first order curing, prophesying, casting out devils, turning water into wine, and raising people from the dead. Indeed, though not arranged in typical biographical form, The Life of St. Francis of Assisi by St. Bonaventure conveys a picture of the Saint through his miracles, his sayings, and his holy life that renders an indelible impression of a man totally transformed in God and by God.
