Saint Francis of Assisi,Founder of the Friars Minor, Confessor 1181-1226

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[Lady In Blue]

St. Francis' Prayer For A Sick Animal

Heavenly Father, you created all things for your glory and made us stewards of this creature. If it is your will, restore it to health and strength. Blessed are you, Lord God, and holy is your name for ever and ever. Amen.

The Blessing of the Animals

“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”

[Lady In Blue]

ping

[NYer]

Oh my, you have truly outdone yourself this time!! Thank you, LadyInBlue for this truly magnificent tribute to one of the greatest and most recognized saints that has ever lived!

And as darkness fell on Saturday, October 3, 1226, Francis died.

Sensing that the end was near, Francis asked the brothers to carry him down to his beloved Porziuncola.

At his request, they placed his litter against one of the outer walls. He assured them that this church was blessed, that Christ and His Blessed Mother were present and that whosoever entered with a sincere heart, whatever they asked for would be granted by our Lord.

I am forever indebted to St. Francis who interceded on my behalf. Sixteen years ago, my prayer of 20 years was answered when my daughter was born.

[nickcarraway]

BUMP. THANKS

[nickcarraway]

Lessons from St. Francis of Assisi

1. True joy comes not from earthly status and success, but from following Christ as completely as possible--and many others can be attracted to Jesus by our efforts to live out the Gospel.

2. As St. Francis realized, poverty, or a simple lifestyle, can be a great blessing, for it allows us to "store up treasures in Heaven" (Matthew 6:20).

3. God is pleased when we cherish and appreciate all the elements of His creation.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury,pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

[Lady In Blue]

Thank you so much,NYer for your kind words and your beautiful post! That is so beautiful,that after 20 years you had a daughter! Thanks be to God and St.Francis!

[Desdemona]

The Feast of St. Francis has a special place in my heart. It was on this feast when I attended Mass inside St. Peter's in Rome.

It was also on this feast, a while back, when the priest of the parish we attended (this was in Maryland on a Navy base) decided on the feast of St. Francis he wanted to include pets and bless them at Mass. So, we had Mass outside. People brought blankets and lawn chairs - and all their pets. At the time we had a heinz-57 who was really sweet. Anyway, those animals - mostly dogs - were perfectly quiet through the whole Mass. They sat or layed at their masters' feet and were all very well-behaved. It was amazing. Then there was the full bird marine colonel with the gold bridgework and the fighter pilot bad-a$$ shades holding a hamster in a cage. It was just a neat experience.

[Salvation]

Posted by Pippin on another thread:

HOWDY EVERYBODY!!!!! This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad! Today is October 4, 2002! OKAY! A no brainer! LOL! Except this the feast day of the founder of the order I belong to. I have been a Secular Franciscan since May of 2000 when I was professed. The Secular Franciscan Order or Third Order Tertiaries, as it used to be called at the time of it’s founding by ST.Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. There are three Franciscan Orders, The first are the friars (Order of the Friars Minor) The second are the Poor Claires, an order who’s foundress was St. Clair of Assisi. A townswoman of St. Francis. And then there were those persons who had families and other obligations, who wanted to live a life of penance according to the Gospel of Jesus and the rule of ST. Francis. St. Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, Italy. He was the thirteenth century’s version of the spoiled rich kid. He loved to party and do generally all the things that young men did in those days. War came to Assisi and with the other youths of the town, Francis marched into Perugia, with whom Assisi was at war. Francis was taken prisoner along with some of his fellow Assisians. While there, his cheerful singing astonished people for the other prisoners. After he and the others were released and returned to Assisi. Francis decided that he would be an adventurer and a soldier for the emperor. But God had other plans. Francis had a dream were he was shown a castle with an armory full of weapons and armor for warfare. A voice said this armory was for his warriors. Francis took this to mean he was going to be a great prince in front of a great, earthly army. So he went on.

He never made it to his destination of earthly glory, for reasons only known to him, he turned back to Assisi.

Needless to say his parents were scandalized and thought he has lost his mind to display such seaming cowardice. But it was not fear that made him turn back. It was another dream in which he was commanded to go back.

It was after this that Francis had gone to a ruined Byzantine Church, that was falling into disrepair, He was praying at the crucifix that still hung on what was left of the wall of the sanctuary. It was then that he heard a voice saying “Francis, go and repair my church that is, as you can see, falling apart”. The voice meant the spiritual church, but Francis took it literally to mean repair the church buildings. So he set out to do just that.

But that was not what he was called to do, even though he had rebuilt 5 churches in and around Assisi. The final straw was when his father, fearing his son had indeed gone insane, hauled Francis before the Bishop and the Mayor of Assisi. It was there that Francis denounced the world and his inheritance and trappings of wealth to become, a beggar, he had found his “true love” He called her “Lady Poverty”.

He is known for his great love for the Lord and love for Lady Poverty. He was soon joined by others who had a desire to be closer to God. Francis was known for his joy in all things and people. There is so much more I can tell you but it would take a book!

[Salvation]

Christ's words to St. Francis, "repair my Church," appropriate for today says Archbishop Chaput

[Pippin]

Thank You, Salvation, God bless you and all who post and lurk on this thread.

[Domestic Church]

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

[Lady In Blue]

Thanks for posting St.Francis prayer.It's one of my favorite prayers.

[Lady In Blue]

What's a "Heinz 57"?

[Lady In Blue]

I didn't realize that little church was a Byzantine church.

[Lady In Blue]

You're welcome, HDMZ!

[Desdemona]

What's a "Heinz 57"?

A basic brown mutt with no determinable lineage. Pure-breds are known by the breed and dogs cross-bred once are generally mixes. Unlike the yellow lab who lives in my house, who is actually a person.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Unlike the yellow lab who lives in my house, who is actually a person.

LOL:)

I have one of those too, only my "person" looks like a Jack Russell. Mack says it' the only thing he has ever been around that he couldn't out pester:)

Becky

[Salvation]

BTTT on 10-04-03