St Francis of Assisi (c 1181 – 1226)

Declared Patron Saint of Ecology and the Environment by Pope St John Paul II in 1979, St Francis is one of the Church’s most beloved saints. As well as being known for preaching to the birds and the fishes, taming the wild Wolf of Gubbio, and loving all of God’s Creation, St Francis’s true love was seeing Our Lord Jesus Christ in his care for those who were poor or marginalised. He himself had given up a life of riches and luxury to ‘live simply’ as a Friar. Today’s Franciscans also have a special care for showing God’s love for our brothers and sisters experiencing poverty, and who are most likely to be adversely affected by climate change.

Pope Leo XIV declared that 2026 – the 800th anniversary of St Francis of Assisi’s death – should be a Year of St Francis across the Catholic Church. A Plenary Indulgence may be obtained (under the usual conditions) at any Franciscan Religious House, or any of the churches dedicated to St Francis of Assisi across the Dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough and Hallam.

Leeds: 
The Franciscan Brothers of the Renewal, St Pio Friary and St Patrick’s Mission in Bradford BD1 2RU
Church of St Francis of Assisi, Eccleshill BD2 2JU
Church of St Francis of Assisi, Holbeck LS11 6TN
Church of St Francis of Assisi, Morley LS27 9NF

Middlesbrough:
Churches of St Francis of Assisi, Acklam TS8 4RL and St Clare of Assisi, Coulby Newham TS8 0TW
Church of St Francis of Assisi, Hull HU8 0ND

Hallam:
Church of St Francis of Assisi, Sheffield S10 5SD
Church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St Francis of Assisi, Armthorpe DN3 2DB
(Hallam also has a Catholic Multi-Academy Trust dedicated to St Francis of Assisi)

Find out more about the life of St Francis of Assisi from actual Franciscans!

We also remember St Francis especially at Christmas time, as it was he who first initiated the idea of a Nativity crib scene, with a manger and animals of the stable!