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The Roots of Our Mission: Saint Francis of Assisi and Laudato Si’
Our work is rooted in God’s call to show compassion, care, and love to all of creation.
We draw deep inspiration from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, and are guided by the teachings of Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical, Laudato Si’, which calls us to protect our common home and all God’s creatures. Together, Saint Francis and Laudato Si’ guide us to genuinely live in harmony with all creatures.
Saint Francis of Assisi:
The Patron Saint of Animals
The Saint Francis Institute for Animals is inspired by the life and legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi. He was known for his deep devotion to God, his radical humility, and his extraordinary love for the natural world.
Through heartfelt actions, Saint Francis showed others what it means to experience awe and joy in God’s creation and in serving others rather than in wealth, status, or consumption.
His life provides a lasting example of how animals should be treated: with compassion, dignity, and reverence.
Who was Saint Francis?
Born into privilege in 1181 or 1182, Saint Francis experienced a powerful spiritual awakening after suffering through war and imprisonment. Rejecting wealth and comfort, he chose instead a life of poverty, humility, and service. He put his faith into action - evangelizing, serving the poor, embracing outcasts, showing kindness to the vulnerable, and walking in the footsteps of Christ.
In 1209, although he had no formal authority, Saint Francis began preaching in the streets. His message was simple and powerful. Soon, he gained followers and received the blessing of Pope Innocent III to found a new religious order: the Friars Minor, or the Lesser Brothers.
Saint Francis lived in deep relationship with all of creation. His famous Canticle of the Creatures praises the sun, the moon, the wind, water, fire, and every living thing as part of one sacred whole. He saw God mirrored in every living being.
Saint Francis died in 1226 and was canonized just two years later. His example has inspired millions of people around the world.
Source: Brittanica, Franciscan Media.
Saint Francis Saved Doves from Slaughter
In the Little Flowers of Saint Francis, written by Brother Ugolino di Monte Sana Maria in the century following Saint Francis’ passing, we hear of a time when Saint Francis saved doves on their way to being taken to a market to be sold and killed. Many people may not know of this story.
In the story, a boy catches a number of doves in a snare, and Saint Francis encounters him on his way to sell them at the market. Saint Francis, moved by love and pity upon seeing the doves, urges the boy to give him the birds. He told the boy to please give him the doves to keep them from the hands of those who will kill them. Inspired by God, the boy gives the birds to Saint Francis who quickly makes them nests and watches them acclimate, lay eggs, and multiply. He predicts that the young boy will eventually join the Friars Minor, and he does.
Pope Francis and Laudato Si’
In 2015, Pope Francis released Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home - a powerful letter to the world, inspired by Saint Francis’s love for creation.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Laudato Si’ changed the world - inspiring millions, sparking new organizations and grassroots projects, and providing a serious moral weight to the urgent call to care for God’s creation.
Many people who are aware of the plight of animals today have found great inspiration in Laudato Si’ and Pope Francis’s unmistakable call to consider our fellow creatures. Although often cited in environmental work, Laudato Si’ speaks just as clearly about our responsibility to protect animals from suffering and exploitation:
“We must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.”
“Where other creatures are concerned, we can speak of the priority of being over that of being useful.”
“The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us.”
“We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to mistreat an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with other people.”
“Every act of cruelty towards any creature is ‘contrary to human dignity.’”
“We read in the Gospel that Jesus says of the birds of the air that “not one of them is forgotten before God” (Lk 12:6). How then can we possibly mistreat them or cause them harm? I ask all Christians to recognize and to live fully this dimension of their conversion. May the power and the light of the grace we have received also be evident in our relationship to other creatures and to the world around us. In this way, we will help nurture that sublime fraternity with all creation which Saint Francis of Assisi so radiantly embodied.”
