4th October 2010 - Feast Of St Francis of Assisi "Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Brother Sun, who is the day through whom you give us light." This excerpt from The Canticle of Brother Sun, written by St. Francis of Assisi in 1225, is best sung or recited. In it, Francis invokes all of creation to praise the Creator. Francis' teachings about creation as a manifestation of God have impacted the Church's theology about creation such that Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the patron saint of ecology in 1980. Founder of the Franciscan Order, born at Assisi in Umbria, in 1181 or 1182 — the exact year is uncertain; died there, 3 October, 1226. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and one of the two patrons of Italy (with Catherine of Siena), and it is customary for Anglican and Roman Catholic churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October. It is said that, one day, while Francis was traveli