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You don’t have to be Catholic to recognize St. Francis of Assisi. Across the nation, you can find this gentle bearded figure, clad in simple robes, often with birds perched on his shoulders, as he adorns people’s lawns and gardens. St. Francis is the subject of multiple movies and even a Marvel comic book. Hippies love him for his simple, nature-based spirituality. Animal rights activists love him because of stories about him preaching to the birds or taming a dangerous wolf.
But how accurate are our popular renderings of this Medieval Italian saint? Francis was a reformer in his day, a controversial figure in many respects. As well as stories about him preaching to the birds, we have other stories about him stripping naked in front of a bishop or throwing himself into a thorn bush. How can we square the gentle nature-lover with the intense reformer? And would St. Francis even recognize himself in your pretty garden statue?
On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to Bishop John Stowe, a priest in the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Conventual and bishop of the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky—a diocese that encompasses various underserved Appalachian communities. In keeping with the Franciscan tradition, Stowe has been a voice for justice for the poor, and has spoken out repeatedly on environmental justice, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
You can learn more about this topic in these links.
- “What do we know about St. Francis, the most popular saint?,” by Kathleen Manning
- “What did St. Francis say about poverty?” by Daniel P. Horan
- “How St. Francis led one activist to fight for ecological justice,” by James Ehlers
- “St. Francis and the Taming of the Wolf,” by Murray Bodo, O.F.M.
