St. Francis of Assisi

~Happy Feast of St. Francis of Assisi~
October 4th

"Alms are an inheritance and a justice which is due to the poor, and which Jesus Christ has levied upon us."
~St. Francis~
O God, You enabled St. Francis to imitate Christ by his poverty and humility.  Walking in St. Francis' footsteps, may we follow Your Son and be bound to you by a joyful love.  Amen


I am always humbled by the lives of the saints.  The heroic things they did in the name of Jesus, never
cease to amaze me.  I admire St. Francis and the surrender of his worldly possessions, dedicating his life to the poor.  I often feel inadequate when it comes to helping the poor.  In this season of life with multiple small children and homeschooling, I can barely keep my head above water.  My heart cries out: "What else can I do, Lord...How can I help the poor?"  I always seem to get pointed in the direction of the little things, for now.  As St. Therese taught us, followed by Mother Teresa, we can always do little things with great love.    The big things aren't in the plan for now.  But we can aspire to get there one day, one small step at a time.  The little things like caring for our children and teaching them about our faith is the path God has placed us on.  I can only hope and pray that I can serve Him well in the here and now.
St. Francis Can
~Here is a "little way" to serve the poor by saving spare change at home~
*We thought about saving now to donate to our parish St. Vincent de Paul or other community outreach that serves the poor at Thanksgiving*
I know Rice Bowls are coming soon but we thought this was a way to do something similar all through the year...

I saw this idea in this cute St. Francis comic book for alms giving. Thought I'd share the idea and tutorial!
Start with these materials:

~The brown paper bag represents the simple, brown, hooded, habit, worn by St. Francis~
Cut the paper bag to fit the can, including the hood for the Franciscan habit
Then use a simple string as the tie for the habit...

This is a photo of the back of the can...

~Then we marked the front and drew a rosary through the belt~

Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense and knowledge, so that I may carry out your holy and true command."
~St. Francis of Assisi~
"Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society"


Today is a good day to ponder this powerful and timeless prayer...
The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, harmony.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh 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."


St. Francis of Assisi, Father to the poor, please pray for us!