St. Francis of Assisi, the most beloved saint in the history of the Church, after the Blessed Mother, died 800 years ago. Because of that, Pope Leo has declared 2026 to be the Jubilee Year of St. Francis. The Church will be focusing on Francis for the year, and I want to do the same.
   
Francis has been my favorite saint (after Mary) since I first entered into seminary. I was introduced to the story of St. Francis through a book entitled, Francis: The Journey and the Dream, by Fr. Murray Bodo, a Franciscan friar. Later I saw the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon. And I fell in love. Since then, I have read a number of books on Francis, and I have been privileged to visit Assisi several times. One of the highlights of my life was to say Mass on the tomb of St. Francis.
   
On the Thursdays of Lent, I will be presenting a series of talks on Francis. The presentations will be at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm. Please note that on March 5 there will be no session, because of the DPAA dinner.

Feb. 19               Overview of the life of St. Francis
Feb. 26               The Call of St. Francis
March 5             DPAA Dinner - No session
March 12           St. Francis—Apostle of Peace
March 19           Francis and the Song of Creation
March 26          Francis and the Cross