Francis of Assisi remains a model 800 years after his death

Francis of Assisi, who died 800 years ago, remains one of the Catholic Church’s most influential saints and a role model for people in Bavaria, BR reports. His commitment to peace, care for creation and a simple life continues to resonate.

Smilla Kordik, a student from Augsburg, has walked 150 kilometres on a pilgrimage to Assisi, following in the saint’s footsteps. She says his modest way of life and faith inspire her. Kordik studies religious education and social work in Benediktbeuern and sees in Francis’s famous Canticle of the Sun a call to recognise a connection between God, people and nature.

Francis lived around the year 1200. The son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he was expected to follow his father into business. After meeting a leper, he changed course, chose to live as Jesus had and gave up his possessions to become a travelling preacher. Though some in Assisi considered him mad, his radical example attracted followers.

Florian Meidinger, a 24-year-old student, volunteers with a homelessness support service at St Boniface in Munich, which provides people with clothing, food and medicine. Inspired by Francis, he aims to help people without prejudice. He says many homeless people face social isolation as well as poverty, and that approaching them rather than looking away is important.

Meidinger also posts about Francis on his blog and Instagram. He is drawn to the saint’s sense of brotherhood and ability to build bridges, as well as his call for a simpler life in a society focused on consumption.

Earlier this year, Meidinger joined the Franciscan Third Order, a lay order whose members commit to simplicity, social engagement and spirituality. Unlike monks, members are not bound by vows of chastity and obedience. Kordik has made the pilgrimage to Assisi three times, returning this year for the 800th anniversary of Francis’s death.