Saint Francis of Assisi is a saint most known for abandoning luxury life and devoting to Christianity life after hearing God’s voice. God commanded him to rebuild the church of Christianity. 

Saint Francis of Assisi (baptized as Giovanni) is believed to be born in 1181 in Circa, Italy. Unlike his other six siblings, he enjoyed drinking, partying, and luxury in his early life, as he was born to a wealthy cloth merchant. 

Francis was also known for his vanity and charm. At fourteen, Francis left school and became a cruel teenager; he was seen breaking the city curfew rules. Due to this kind of life, his dream was not to become a merchant, like his family. Rather, he dedicated his time to learning wrestling, archery and horsemanship skills. Most of the time, he spent time with medieval action knights.

A war broke out in 1202 between Perugia and Assis, and Francis was captured by Perugia soldiers during a military expedition. He was imprisoned for almost a year.  While he was behind bars, he began receiving God’s visions. Luckily for him, his father paid for his release. Afterward, he heard Christ’s voice telling him to rebuild the Christian Church and consider living a life of poverty. Francis devoted himself to the Christian faith and abandoned luxury life to start spreading the word of God.

One time, Francis even stole his father’s stock of clothes to sell and rebuild the Assisi church. However, the priest refused to take the money as it was considered unclean. But that did not stop Francis from spreading the word of God. He spent most of his time with the poor, around hidden caves fearing his father, preaching the word of God and showing how people should live a happy life as Christians. He also developed a program for catechism. 

In 1224, Francis was the first saint to receive stigmata, holy marks that looked like wounds Jesus Christ got from crucifixion. Saint Francis of Assisi was recognized as the patron saint for ecologists due to his strong bond and love of animals and nature. 

Saint Francis of Assisi died on October 3, 1226, in Assisi, Italy. Two years after his death, Pope Gregory IX (his former proctor) canonized him as a saint on July 16, 1228.