St. Stephen of Hungary Parish

St. Francis & Animals

St. Francis of Assisi loved animals and would often stop to talk with them. Below are a few stories about St. Francis' and his relationship with God's creatures.

Brother Rabbit
Thomas of Celano, a follower of St. Francis, wrote the following story:

"Once when St. Francis was staying at the town of Greccio, a little rabbit that had been caught in a trap was brought alive to him by a certain brother. When the most blessed man saw it, he was moved to pity and said: "Brother Rabbit, come to me. Why did you allow yourself to be tricked like this?" And as soon as the rabbit had been let go by the brother who held it, it fled to the saint, and without being forced by anyone, it lay quietly in his lap as the safest place possible. After he had rested there a little while, the holy father, caressing it with motherly affection, released it so it could return free to the woods. But when it had been placed upon the ground several times and had returned each time to the saint's lap, he finally commanded it to be carried by the brothers to the nearby woods."

Brother Wolf
In one town that St. Francis visited, he heard about a wolf that was preying on livestock. St. Francis and another friar set out to locate the wolf's den. When the wolf spotted them, he growled and began to run toward St. Francis. St. Francis made the sign of the cross over him and said, "Brother Wolf, in the name of Christ you will not harm anyone anymore, and you will not eat Brother Ass!" The wolf stopped and listened as St. Francis lectured him. "You are very bad, and eat God's creatures without permission...I wish to make peace between you and the people of Gubbio." As if on command, the wolf sat and offered St. Francis his paw. From that day on, the wolf became the town's pet and was fed by the grateful populace.

Brother Birds
Once a large flock of birds gathered around St. Francis. He preached to them the following sermon:

"My brother you have a great obligation to praise your Creator. He clothed you with feathers and gave you wings to fly, appointing the clear air as your home, and he looks after you without any effort on your part."

The birds swirled around him until he made the sign of the cross and bid them farewell.

Brother Lamb
One day, St. Francis saw a lamb humbly trying to feed amid a herd of goats. His heart was moved by the lonely lamb. He turned to his companion and said:

"Do you not see this sheep that walks so meekly among the goats? I tell you that our Lord Jesus Christ walked in the same way meekly and humbly among the pharisees and chief priests. Therefore I ask you, my son, for the love of him, to have pity with me on this little sheep. Let us pay the price and lead her away from among these goats."

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