As St. Francis had come upon a broken down old church, he stayed to pray within it. He noticed near the altar a bit of shrubs that were covering something, but he knew not what. When he uncovered it, it was the cross of San Damiano which is so well known today. But at that moment, it was a unique and fairly worn crucifix done in iconish form with moments from the life of Christ painted upon it.
St. Francis of Assisi Prays Before the San Damiano Crucifix
St. Francis of Assisi took up residence in the old broken down church without a roof, with plants growing in the place where pews had once been, and spent many hours praying before the crucifix he unearthed under a pile of weeds.
God Speaks to St. Francis of Assisi Through the San Damiano Crucifix
As St. Francis of Assisi was praying one day, he had an amazing revelation occur to him. During his prayer, he heard the voice of God speaking to him through the crucifix. Looking up to see, the image of Christ spoke to him and asked him to rebuild his church. After hearing this a few times, St. Francis of Assisi realized that God wished for him to rebuild San Damiano, which had once been a thriving church but had been left to rot and ruin many years before.
St. Francis of Assisi Rebuilds and the Brothers Begin to Arrive
In response the call of God, St. Francis of Assisi began gathering one rock at a time and rebuilding the San Damiano Church slowly. There was a profound amount of work, especially for one man. But interestingly, something began to happen.
Many of his former friends had gone through periods of their own reflection. They now felt that St. Francis of Assisi was not crazy, but correct. One by one, they came to join him and asked to embrace the life of poverty he had embraced. Within a short amount of time, there were 10 to 15 brothers all working on the rebuilding of San Damiano Church.
San Damiano Opens for Mass
Despite the fact that the Franciscans had a long way to go before becoming an order, they were quickly drawing members from many different areas. When the San Damiano Church was complete, St. Francis of Assisi went to a childhood friend of his who had become a priest and begged of him to celebrate the Holy Mass at the new – but old – church. Hesitant to accept his wishes because the brothers were still considered a rogue order, he wasn’t sure if he’d come. But all the brothers who had joined St. Francis of Assisi to build the church went door to door in Assisi announcing that the first Mass would be held and that ALL were welcome. The street people, the lepers – everybody was invited to attend.
And at the last minute, St. Francis of Assisi’s friend arrived and happily celebrated the first Mass at the newly restored San Damiano Church. Although it appeared that no one might come, at the last minute, a host of people came – mostly the poor and the church was filled.
St. Francis of Assisi Sees the Pope
Sources: Saint Francis – A Film by Michele Soavi, Francis of Assisi Complete Writings in Three Volumes, The Saint, The Founder, The Prophet – Compiled by Regis Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., J. A. Wayne Hellmann, O.F.M. Conv., William J. Short, O.F.M., The Little Flowers of St. Francis – By Raphael Brown, Saint Francis of Assisi – By Thomas of Celano, God’s Fool: The Life and Times of St. Francis of Assisi, By Julien Green, Clare of Assisi, The Lady – Translation by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, Translation by Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., and Ignatius C. Brady, O.F.M., Clare of Assisi: Her Spirituality Revealed in her Letters – By Claire Marie Ledoux
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