Saint Francis of Assisi

Born in Assisi, Italy, to a wealthy silk merchant in 1181, Saint Francis’ family was educated and respected by the people of his town. For twenty-five years he occupied himself with worldly ambitions. In 1206, inspired by scripture from the Gospel of Matthew, Francis abandoned his affluent life for a life of poverty. Upon hearing Christ ask him to repair His Church, while praying at the deserted Church of San Damiano, he proceeded to rebuild that Church with his own hands. Later he came to understand that he was to rebuild the Church as an institution, which was rife with scandal and avarice.

In 1210, Pope Innocent III permitted Francis and his companions to go forth and preach the Gospel. In a world of coldness and disenchantment, Francis’ example of poverty and devotion to Christ attracted followers numbering over 5000 by 1219. Saint Francis founded The Franciscan order of the Friars Minor, The Poor Clares and The Third Order of Franciscans. In 1226, on missionary journey to the Holy Land, while suffering from stigmata and blindness caused by disease of the eyes, St. Francis died of exhaustion. His Feast Day is October 4th and Pope Leo XIV announced 2026 is the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi. This year marks the 800th Anniversary of his death.

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Also known as St. Theresa of the Child Jesus or the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux was born in 1873, and is the patron saint of missions and florists. Although she died at the young age of 24, St. Therese achieved great holiness in her ordinary life. A cloistered Carmelite nun from the age of 15, it was through obedience that she wrote her autobiography (The Story of a Soul) which has become a spiritual classic of the Catholic Church. Her “Little Way of Love and Confidence” is a spiritual path to holiness for all. Pope Pius X called her the greatest saint of modern times and in 1997 Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese of Lisieux a Doctor of the Church, being the youngest ever to achieve such status.

St. Therese suffered for a long period of time from tuberculosis before her death on October 3rd,1897.