March, 2025

Care for Creation

Peace KT,

Back in the spring of 2013, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation which meant selecting a Saint’s name as well. I distinctly remember completing two searches, one for the patron saint of animals, and the other being for the patron saint of sports. I ended up choosing animals over sports, meaning I chose Francis over Sebastian. I can’t emphasize enough that I only chose Francis because of my early love for animals. For example, one of the Confirmation projects was to decorate a candle with our saint’s name on it. I misspelled his name “Frances”. However, less than 48 hours after my confirmation in March of 2013, a new Pope was elected and chose the name Francis. The Pope is not a Franciscan like me, he is a Jesuit which is an order started by St. Ignatius of Loyola. He will come into the story a bit later in this letter but I hope that helps to provide some contextualization.

Perhaps the best place to start is answering why Francis is the patron saint of animals? There is the preaching to the birds (as shown in the painting below), the freeing of Brother rabbit from a trap, releasing of Brother fish back into the free water from the net, the cricket that came to sing to him each day for a week, etc. In the first biography written just a year or two after his death, Thomas of Celano writes “even for worms he had a warm love, since he had read this text about the Savior: I am a worm and not a man. That is why he used to pick them up from the road and put them in a safe place so that they would not be crushed by the footsteps of a passerby.” 

And then there’s the most famous one of all, the wolf of Gubbio. The townspeople of Gubbio were in fear of a wolf on the border of their town which was attacking livestock and assaulting humans as well. Francis had the townspeople point to where the wolf was living and he walked out alone close to the lair. The wolf comes charging out of the lair towards Francis who calmly makes the sign of the cross and the wolf stops. Francis then recognizes the wolf’s hunger and offers a pact, that if the wolf is peaceful the townspeople will feed him for the rest of his life. The wolf then held out his paw to shake with Francis as a promise to keep their oath. The two then walked back into Gubbio, into the center of the main square, and Francis once again proclaimed the oath and shook the wolf’s paw so that the oath became public. The wolf would go on to live in Gubbio for two years peacefully amongst both the humans and dogs of the town. 

However, it is not just animals that Francis is associated with and that’s why it was difficult to title this letter: Environmentalism? Care for Creation? Animals? Nature? Ecology? Francis did not just preach to the birds, but to the flowers and rest of creation as well. 

At the heart of this letter is a song Francis wrote called “The Canticle of Brother Sun” or “The Canticle of Creatures”, and it is “the very first example of poetry in vernacular Italian literature.”

O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God, to you belong praise, glory,honor and all blessing.

Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation and especially for our Brother Sun, who brings us the day and the light; he is strong and shines magnificently. O Lord, we think of you when we look at him.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon, and for the stars which you have set shining and lovely in the heavens.

Be praised, my Lord, for our Brothers Wind and Air and every kind of weather by which you, Lord, uphold life in all your creatures.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water, who is very useful to us, and humble and precious and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire, through whom you give us light in the darkness: he is bright and lively and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Earth, our Mother, who nourishes us and sustains us, bringing forth fruits and vegetables of many kinds and flowers of many colors.

Be praised, my Lord, for those who forgive for love of you; and for those who bear sickness and weakness in peace and patience, you will grant them a crown.

Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death, whom we must all face. I praise and bless you, Lord, and I give thanks to you,and I will serve you in all humility.

If I’m being completely honest, this Canticle of Creation has not always been the most inspiring Franciscan text for me. I prefer the wolf of Gubbio story much more. However, consider the audacity to personalize with genders things as Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Wind, Sister Water, etc. Francis was clearly in love with creation. In fact, one of the most popular movies on St. Francis is titled Brother Sun, Sister Moon. One aspect of Franciscanism that the movies have helped me to understand is the beauty of the Umbrian landscape where Francis grew up in Assisi. Those who travel to Assisi, and many people make it a pilgrimage these days, all rave about the beauty of the area. 

I mentioned earlier in the letter that Pope Francis would reemerge in this story once again. In 2015, which was quite early into his papacy, he published a book entitled Laudato Si. This was not just any book, but it is what Catholics label an Encyclical. It’s not a statement from the Pope that is meant to be infallible but it’s strategically written and published to be well read and discussed. The title for encyclicals, like many books in the bible, is the first few words of the work (Genesis = In the beginning), and since it’s the church, it’s always published in Latin (thoughts on Latin are for another letter for another time). Laudato Si translates “Praise be to you” which should look awfully similar to the first line of the Canticle of Creation above. Pope Francis, one of the most powerful humans in the world, chose this little canticle from a 13th century friar to theme his first major message to the Church in 2015. Consider that!

In Laudato Si the Pope writes, “I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome. I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians.” The book has a strong urgency to address our current environmental crisis. 

There are really only about four universities in the U.S. that I realistically could be placed at after my initial years of formation. One of those is Siena college that houses the Laudato Si Center for Integral Ecology. I point this out to show how Franciscans are continuing to carry out this deep passion for care of creation at systemic and institutional levels. I’d be curious to hear if Siena College ever came across your college search when you decided that you wanted to study environmental science. 

Catholics, and in fact noticeably many non-catholics as well, have statues of St. Francis in their gardens in their front yards. Believe it or not, many Franciscans, including myself, find this a little disappointing. That may be a bit shocking, because one would think we would appreciate the strong affinity for St. Francis, but please let me explain.  

Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker movement (what I was a part of in Harrisburg), was seen as a very holy figure while she was still alive, similar to Mother Teresa or Francis himself. Therefore, she had to answer the questions about how she felt being viewed as a living saint. Famously, she replied once, “Don’t call me a Saint, I don’t want to be dismissed that easily!” What she was accurately alluding to is that Catholics like to think of Saints as people favored by God with special gifts and talents so that it’s not reasonable to expect every Christian to live up to their capabilities. Dorothy was offering a different spin, that we are all called to follow in Christ’s footsteps, and that it is possible for everyone. What Saint Francis has become to many, is not an inspiring mentor on the Christian journey, but rather has become a nice bird bath in the front yard. 

I say all that in hopes that you enjoyed this letter and hope to read some more on Francis so that you also don’t fall into the trap of only seeing him one dimensionally, or seeing him as a holy man that could tame a wolf and receive obedience from the birds. As I go through this formation journey, I surely come across more hagiographical stories about Francis, but I also learn more about how I am called to live radically and practically the Christian way of life in today’s world. 

Peace and Goodness,

Kevin