Catholic Fire

Brief Bio: Saint Francis of Assisi, “the little beggar” is perhaps the most popular saint in history. Francis was born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy and his baptismal name was John, but his father renamed him Franceso, in honor of his love for France. The son of a wealthy merchant, Francis had time and money to host lavish banquets for young nobles who proclaimed him "King of Feasts." Parties and selling cloth left Francis little time for God. A handsome, charming and educated young man, he spent his early life leading young nobles to parties. He dreamed of knighthood and longed for the adventurous life of chivalry. In pursuit of that dream, he joined in the war between Assisi and Perugia at the age of 20. In that war, Francis fought with youthful enthusiasm, but was wounded and taken prisoner. Spending the next year in a dungeon, he contracted malaria. Ransomed by his father, a more reflective Francis returned to Assisi. Sickness overtook him and in that languishing experience he...

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre from the Madonna Solimena, Francesco 1710 — Oil on canvas, 240 x 130 cm (Cathedral, Aversa: Caserta, Italy) St. Bonaventure, known as "the seraphic doctor," was born at Bagnorea, Italy in 1221. He received the name of Bonaventure in consequence of an exclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, when, in response to the pleading of the child's mother, the saint prayed for John's recovery from a dangerous illness, and, foreseeing the future greatness of the little John, cried out "O Buona ventura"-O good fortune! Because of the spirit that filled him and his writings, he was initially called the Devout Doctor; but in more recent centuries he has been known as the Seraphic Doctor after the “Seraphic Father” Francis because of the truly Franciscan spirit he possessed. At the age of twenty-two, St. Bonaventure entered the Franciscan Order. Having made his vows, he was sent to Paris to complete his studies under the ...