800 Years Since The Death of Saint Francis

Saturday 3 October 2026 marks the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. His feast day is kept the following day, Sunday 4 October. Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed 2026 a special Jubilee Year of Saint Francis, which began on Saturday 10 January 2026 and concludes on Sunday 10 January 2027. During this year, any of the faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence by visiting a church dedicated to Saint Francis or a Franciscan community.

The Norwich Secular Franciscan fraternity will hold a celebration of Saint Francis on Saturday 3 October at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. Further details will be circulated nearer the time.

Franciscans also marked the 800th anniversary of the arrival of the friars in England in September 2024. Celebrations began in Dover, where the first friars landed, and continued in Canterbury, where they first established a community. Further events were held in Oxford and Stratford, London.

By 1256, there were nine Franciscan houses in the Cambridge province: Cambridge, Norwich, Bury St Edmunds, King’s Lynn, Ipswich, Colchester, Yarmouth, Dunwich and Walsingham.

In 2023, the Norwich fraternity held a crib festival commemorating the first living crib, a re-enactment by local villagers to remind them that Jesus was fully human, born in very humble circumstances, with all the needs we share. Francis sought to rekindle love, gratitude and faith through this powerful sign. Another recent anniversary remembered the occasion when Francis received the stigmata in September 1224.

Pope Francis reminded us of the care and reverence Saint Francis had for all creation, and of his gratitude and love for the Creator, in his encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum. At the opening of this Jubilee Year, Pope Leo XIV addressed Franciscans throughout the world, highlighting Saint Francis as a man of peace.

Francis underwent a remarkable conversion over several years. Once the heart and soul of social gatherings, an accomplished textile salesman, and ambitious to become a knight with hopes of wealth and status, despite having been a prisoner of war, he gradually became restless and troubled. He began to seek solitude in the hills overlooking Assisi, grew increasingly detached from his father and the family business, and eventually relations broke down completely. Francis came under the protection of the local bishop.

Already caring for lepers and restoring dilapidated churches, he became ever more attentive to the Gospel call to follow Jesus of Nazareth as closely as possible, according to the instructions Christ gave his disciples.

Others soon joined him, forming an itinerant group of brothers with no fixed home. They worked in exchange for food and shelter and sought alms only when necessary. They received papal approval to preach penance and peace. Travelling in pairs, they met regularly to share their experiences and discern how they should live. They became known as the friars minor, choosing a life of poverty, simplicity and humility, committed to prayer and service of those in need.

Francis experienced profoundly the depth of God’s love and mercy and desired this for everyone. He recognised God’s love reflected throughout creation and treated all people and creatures with dignity and respect. God is Father of all, and Jesus our brother. Therefore, every person is a brother or sister.

His example attracted many followers, including Clare of Assisi. As women could not live in the same way as the brothers, the Second Order, the Poor Clares, was established. The sisters lived together in prayer, poverty and humility, with each regarded as equal, unlike in many existing convents of the time. The Franciscan movement was radical. A Third Order was formed for those inspired by Francis who wished to follow his way while remaining in their ordinary circumstances of life.

Following the Second Vatican Council, religious orders were encouraged to rediscover their origins. The Secular Franciscan Order, formerly known as the Third Order of Saint Francis, adopted a new title and Rule of Life in 1978 after a period of reflection and renewal. Those who join the Order profess to follow this Rule within a local fraternity that forms part of a worldwide Order. This is a lifetime commitment, following three years of formation.

‘Secular’ means that members live and work within their local communities and provide for themselves and their families. There, they proclaim Christ by their lives and words, observing the Gospel by following the example of Saint Francis, who made Christ the centre of his life with God and with people.

They seek to respect the world and the sacredness of human activity and creation, to accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ, and to place themselves on an equal footing with everyone, especially the lowly, striving to create conditions worthy of people redeemed by Christ. Prayer and contemplation are integral to their lives. The Rule calls for active engagement with the Church and society, particularly through service in the local community. Family life remains a priority.

Local fraternities meet monthly. Regional gatherings take place three times a year, with occasional national and international meetings. Those who serve the Order in various ministries are elected every three years.

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