Faith Formation/Life of St. Francis
FAITH FORMATION
Your decision to send your child to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School shows your commitment to Catholic education that is rooted in the tradition and teaching of the Catholic Church. We assure you that we have a great concern for the holistic well being of our students, both mind, body and soul. Therefore the Catholic, spiritual, academic, religious education and sacramental life is of primary importance. Our elementary and middle school religion coordinator is in direct communication and collaborates with the Director of Religious Education, who is the Director of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church’s Department of Religious Education Office. This ensures that our students are instructed in the Catholic faith, properly prepared for their sacraments, and receive ongoing spiritual formation that they may live and grow in their Catholic faith. It is expected and assumed that all Catholic students are attending Mass every Sunday during the year. Students will be attending Mass at least one day during the school week, will have penance services during Advent and/or Lent, and middle school students will participate in class retreats.
In second grade, students and their parents participate in preparation for and reception of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Eighth grade students and their parents participate in preparation and reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
According to the guidelines of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, all sacraments are received through the child’s parish and attendance at Student Sacrament retreats and parent meetings are mandatory.
A program is available for children who, for whatever reason, have not been instructed in the Catholic faith and therefore may not as yet, received the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and/or Confirmation at the usual age. We also have a program (Journey to Catholicism-JTC) for children and their families who may wish to come into the Catholic Faith.
You may register for any of the above at registration. St. Francis of Assisi staff members from the Office of Religious Education will be here to assist you. Requirements and dates concerning the Sacraments are listed in the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Religious Education handbook. Please make sure that you have no conflicts with the dates required. There are no exceptions. For more information, please contact the Office of Religious Education at St. Francis of Assisi Church , 756-1213.
LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS
St. Francis was born to a wealthy cloth merchant, Pietro Bernadone, and his wife, Lady Pica, in the Italian hillside town of Assisi in 1181. Francis was a popular young man among his peers although he was not especially religious. He was known and admired among the Assisi youths for his carefree spirit and his sense of worldliness. His greatest aspiration growing up was to be a knight. In pursuit of this goal, Francis rode off to battle but was captured and fell ill. On his last journey to be a knight, Francis received a vision from God in which the Lord called Francis to be His knight. This vision began Francis’ conversion.
Francis sought ways to serve God in the poor and needy in Assisi and the surrounding area. Meanwhile, this man of God prayed to know the Lord’s will in his life. Once, while praying in the Benedictine chapel of San Damiano, Francis heard the Crucifix speak to him saying, “Francis, rebuild my Church which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” Assuming that God was asking him to rebuild the chapel of San Damiano specifically, he began to repair the abandoned church. Soon, however, Francis would realize that God’s call was not to repair the physical church around him but the mystical Body of Christ, the universal Church. It was in this time that Francis began to desire to be poor as Jesus was poor. Although his father was not happy with Francis’ new life, he continued to pursue God. Francis even went so far as to renounce his ties to his family and give up all his wealth. From this point on, Francis was completely poor and reliant on the mercy of God. Francis’ life was so outstanding in holiness and service that it attracted other men who came to follow his way of life. Francis and these brothers who joined him lived a life according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Poverty and penance marked the life of these first Franciscans. Even their habit, sown in the form of the Tau cross, reminded them of the penance they lived. By the end of his life, Francis received the stigmata (the wounds of Jesus) on his hands, feet, and side.
Francis referred to all of creation as his brothers and sisters. Stories of his ability to communicate and work with animals were well known to people throughout Assisi . One such story involves a wolf and the people of a town named Gubbio. The people in this town had been terrorized by the attacks of a wolf who lived outside the walls of the city. Although the city tried to rid itself of this animal, they were not able to do so. Hearing of this, Francis came to help the townspeople. Francis journeyed out to speak with the wolf of Gubbio and brought peace between it and the people. From that point onward, the townspeople cared for the wolf and it never again terrorized them.
St. Francis is a model of holiness by his love of creation, the Gospel, and the Eucharist. In honor of St. Francis and his courageous acts at Gubbio, the wolf has been selected as the mascot of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School.