St Francis of Assisi, (nee Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone,) was born the son of a rich silk merchant in Italy during the late 12th and 13th centuries. He is remembered for his generosity to the poor, love of animals and his willingness to minister to the lepers. He was fond of kissing leper’s sores which comes across today as somewhat of a fetish.
St. Francis, who at the time, was not a saint or a priest, for that matter, went on to found the Catholic Church’s Franciscan order as well as the women’s Order of St. Clare (remember the patron saint of Television.) St. Francis was reportedly the first person to receive a stigmata (please seek out the old ladies in the back pew of church to explain that one,) as well as developing the Christmas creche. Exhausted, St Francis decided to rest on his laurels and died in Portiuncula, Italy on October 3 or 4, 1226, (neither electric lights, clocks nor calendars were around his monks’ cell, so the exact time could not be established.)
Usually in many churches around the United States, The Feast of St Francis is celebrated by offering animal blessing services (this year the blessings were held yesterday October 3rd.) One of the largest services in the United States is held at St. John the Divine in NYC.
The Haus of Dcaligari 