Celebrating 165 Years!
At first, St. Francis sought a life of solitude and prayer. Within a few years Francis' life gave new direction to those he encountered. Francis found that other men of Assisi were attracted to the same vision - to follow Christ and His Apostles. Soon there grew a small community which settled on the outskirts of town near the abandoned church of Our Lady of the Angels. Then St. Francis and a band of eleven followers sought permission from Pope Innocent III to found a new order in the Church. Permission was granted in 1209. Today it is known as the First Order. The Second Order of St. Francis (commonly known as Poor Clares) was founded in 1212 in Assisi when Francis received Clare as a follower of his way of life. Francis also had an impact on a movement already present among the Christian faithful. These were the "Penitents"; people who were seeking holiness in their daily lives. In preaching a "life of conversion," Francis attracted many men and women fro
