The Feast of Saint Francis

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We invite people of all faiths and of none to celebrate the life of a Catholic saint whose appeal is both modern and universal

Photo credit: Press office, Basilica di San Francesco, Assisi

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi, who died there on 4 October 1226, nearly 800 years ago.

Saint Francis has left an extraordinary, universal and growing legacy. He was a man of peace and humility. And he had a deep love not just for his God but also for his fellow human beings. Perhaps this explains why he is so loved today.

He also had a profound and transformative influence on our sense of ourselves as part of nature. Our connection with the whole of humanity lies not just in his belief that we are all children of God but also that we are all part of nature.

Saint Francis once said:

“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”

Just to take one example, we often see what a difference a smile, a kind act or a compassionate gesture can make to our relationships, to our workplace or community, or even just the people sitting next to us in this moment.

Saint Francis’s insights added up to a paradigm shift in his time and point to why his message is still so relevant to upshifting our world today.

As Saint Francis also said “For it is in giving that we receive.”

World Upshift is not a religious movement, but we very much appreciate the universal and humanitarian message of Saint Francis and are delighted to share it on this important day in the Franciscan calendar.

After his death, Saint Francis’s image quickly spread to become a worldwide phenomenon and has been a continuous source of artistic fascination and inspiration to peacemakers, environmentalists and humanitarians ever since.

Photo Credit: Yale University Press

In Saint Francis of Assisi (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre), a landmark book exploring the life, appeal and lasting imagery of Saint Francis, the authors, Gabriele Finaldi and Joost Joustra say:

“Saint Francis’s commitment to the poor, powerful appeals for peace, openness to dialogue with other religions and embryonic environmentalism radically impacted the Church and society of his time, and still hold great interest today.”

Saint Francis’s home town, Assisi, is synonymous with the word peace - and the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

World Upshift (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre)is regularly in Assisi, and most recently took part in the Peace March there to mark the International Day of Peace on 21 September.